Earl Grey

Thank you hannaspring for this tea Sample!

I have migraine with nausea. This happens pretty frequently and I might only be sick part of the day and then the migraine will go away.
While I’m feeling sea sick…caffeine is helpful…but I don’t want to fuss with pots and tea leaves or timing when the room is spinning.
Hail the tea bag!
I can’t screw up a tea bag, miss the measurement…break the pot…or spill the leaves on the floor!
I just poured the hot water in my big mug, tossed the teabag in and went to sit down on my couch (sunglasses on and curtains closed to block the light).
I guesstimated 3 minutes, took out came the teabag and my fragrant cup of tea was ready.
The tea wasn’t too bergamoty or too creamy. Simply a pretty mid level Earl Grey with a little orangey aftertaste. I could taste the teabag paper but I’d rather in the tea than sour, bitterness or astringency.

This bagged tea isn’t too bad. Middle of the road flavor but very welcome when I don’t have the will to prepare tea without passing out!
(Maybe having some more teabags like this around is a good idea!)

Ugh. Got like 3 hours of sleep last night since I had to be up so early. I really really REALLY hate seeing 6:45 AM unless I’m about to head off to bed now. Oh well, I’m sure I will make up for that tonight.

So when we had a break at my Nurse Residency class today I found some of this near the coffee machine. It was a sad little box, all alone and neglected in favor of the coffee pot but I was super glad to see there was at least something there for me!

This steeped up pretty dark and pretty quickly too. I added some sugar and creamer and it was surprisingly flavorful. The bergamot was at the forefront like it should be in all earl greys, with a solid, if unmemorable, black base. Not the best Earl Grey I’ve had but not bad for a bagged option!

So, I just got back from a cruise to Alaska. This is what I drank on the boat.

Note to self: Bring my own tea on the next cruise.

This is a genuinely average cuppa tea. Nothing to write home about. No real bergamot to speak of. Forgettable. It will, however, do in a pinch…like when you’re trapped at sea…

Got my braces off, and my orthodontist had teabags by the coffee pot thing, and since there was no hot water, I decided I’d just take a few bags on my way out. I promise, it was legal. LOL

Anyways, this is a nice Earl Grey, very fragrant when you take out the tea bag, looses a bit of it when steeping, but the flavor is very nice. Smooth and good with cream. :)

Holiday inn express has great breakfast except their tea is some generic orange pekoe teabag in a paper wrapper. Good thing I keep a stash of emergency tea bags in a cute tea wallet I received from a swap. The Earl of Grey saved me this morning when I desperately needed both caffiene and comfort. Stuck near ATL while car is being repaired, hoping to get home to NC tonight.

Had this cup of Earl Grey away from home, at a local breakfast diner.

An unexpectedly decent Earl! Steeps twice, doesn’t become unpleasant when oversteeped… smooth, but not creamy, solid, but not bold. The bergamot is definitely there, not strong or weak, or sharp or dull, just… balanced. The most balanced bagged Earl I’ve encountered so far. I’d like this even more, if not for that it doesn’t seem to be as friendly when paired with food as other Earls. It’s not terrible, but it seems to complain a bit, unlike other EGs that just politely comply over breakfast… or something.

This is actually a fairly decent Earl Grey. Not the best I ever had, but I find it better than Tazo Earl Grey. The bergamot is a juicy flavor and not soapy at all. (which is what I was afraid of.) The tea itself isn’t that harsh. It is actually fairly pleasant. I am curious about a splash of milk in this one even though it doesn’t really need it.

With milk the bergamot is even juicier and it is a little bit brighter. I can actually see this being a very good starter Earl Grey. It would also make good Earl Grey Lattes. I think I might have to keep this around to make my Earl Grey lemonade with. It is pretty good.

One of my favorites. Deep black tea dust with a thick smoky oil slick of delicious bergamot oil floating on the top like the puddle in the intro to Little Shop of Horrors. Just some plain ole good shit. :) I really will always love this one. Kinda biased. Idk. :) Yum though.

From my Bigelow sampler pack…

I couldn’t decide what to preset last night. Spent about 10 minutes gazing at my tea cabinet, picking up one after the other only to put it back. I thought I’d want something rather basic, but not bland, but nothing that was very, very new so I wouldn’t need to worry about writing a comprehendible log in the morning. Finally settled on this one.

I’m not sure if it’s the tea itself, or if having it sit overnight in Chloe did this, but the bergamot isn’t all that strong here. It’s kind of an Earl Grey-light. Which, for this morning, works really, really well for me. My best friend keeps this at her place for her mother to drink…I may sneak a few bags next time I’m there.

This is a decent enough Earl Grey Blend – not my favorite, but certainly not the worst I’ve tasted either. It has a pleasant bergamot aroma – the dry leaf is a little strong which worried me at first, but the brewing evens it out a bit.

The bergamot flavor is crisp and juicy, not as floral as some bergamot flavorings I’ve encountered, not perfume-y or soapy. Nice and this one is one that I could see adding milk to – it has a smooth enough flavor to it that it would work well.

Definitely good for a bagged tea – one of the better bagged varieties I’ve tried, and one I wouldn’t mind enjoying now and again… I like to have a good black bagged tea on hand for those mornings when I NEED tea but I don’t have time to fiddle with all the accessories.

This is my first time having Earl Grey tea! I generally avoid my works selection of tea because, last I checked, it was mainly minty teas (ick). One of my co-workers mentioned that this was in there though so I was decided, “HEY! LETS GIVE IT A SHOT!”

After reading some reviews, I really wanted to try Verdant teas “Earl of Anxi”, but my friend discouraged me since I had never had earl grey before. I’m glad that my work had this, so I can make my decision!

It’s pretty alright! I like it. It’s a lot more robust than the teas I’m used to having. It’s also a black tea, which I usually sweeten, or latte. I could definitely had a bit of sugar to this, but I’m also enjoying it plain. Now I know what bergamot is as well! I can see why my friend’s dad loves it, he pretty much exclusively drinks earl grey, though he prefers it iced.

Overall, this was a pleasant first experience. I wouldn’t mind having it again. This particular tea isn’t something I would stock my cupboard with, but it’s good enough for me to get a sample from Verdant I think!

The temperature is going to drop all day and it is starting to snow. Stupid winter. I needed to feel all warm and fuzzy so I grabbed this. My bagged Cheapster Steepster offering of the day. Steeped 2 ½ minutes in boiling water. Almost just left the bag in for old times sake. Ha.

Constant Comment introduced me to tea beyond Lipton. This tea started my lifelong addiction. Yes, the brew is a bit murky. Yes, there is usually an oil slick floating on the surface from the bergamot, but I love it so. It just smells so good. It doesn’t matter how many exotic teas I might be fortunate enough to sample, whenever I sit down with a cup of this dust in a bag, I am home. Thank you Bigelow for starting me on this journey.

I had a cup of this at The Remedy Diner (http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-remedy-diner-raleigh) the other night. It’s about what you would expect it to be. A safe bet, but nothing hit out of the park.

BTW, guys, I’m back in town, so the posting will resume with a more normal frequency!

I had this one from a k cup sampler in the keurig coffeemaker i just bought. I have had earl grey before and this experience just jogs my memory as to why to never have earl grey again. The bergamot taste seems almost bitter to me when used to drinking other teas. I had to add milk to this tea and I never add milk to any tea because it reduces the effectiveness of the antioxidants. This is one that I would definitely not have again for a very long time.

The tea has a great taste and smell. I go for somewhere between 1 and 2 minutes of steep time, and add a half teaspoon of sugar to sweeten it a bit. It really is a good cuppa tea. Not the best, but definitely good when needed.

I never thought I’d say this, but the bergamot was too strong! Maybe I oversteeped, though. I’ll be trying this again sometime soon. I think I prefer Twinings, though.

Tuesday Jan. 4 2011
1st and 2nd Steep of the Day.
Visiting my daughter’s and reached for Tea.
This was all she had, apart from Zhena’s Raspberry Earl.
So wanted a Straight Standard High Grade Earl.
Bigelow is the way to Go.
Great Steep after 5 min. in Boiling water.
Keep on Steepin

We have this tea in our cafeteria at work. I ran out of my Ceylon black so I went for this one. The smell of the dry bag was ok, but that’s about it. Once brewed, the tea flavor was a mess. Usually in an Earl Grey I expect a balance between black tea bergamot flavors. This tea offered nothing like that. The black tea flavor was of old/dusty tea and I don’t think I even tasted the bergamot. I steeped the tea about 2 minutes and it was bitter. Can’t really recommend this one.

I found a box of this at work today and decided to try it. It was good but I prefer other earl greys.

black tea,slightly sweet and a bit orangey on the aftertaste, I think the bergamot in here is a bit floral and bright. I take mine with honey and sometimes a slice of lemon, I think this is a good introductory Earl Grey Tea and will definitely be trying others.

update:I’ve got two tea bags left of this one already!