Earl Grey

Okay, okay, I know I’m doing The Final Sipdown to try to clean out my tea pantry. So it goes a bit against that goal that I picked up a new tea while out grocery shopping yesterday (me and half the world – Central Market and William-Sonoma = pre-Thanksgiving PLACE TO BE). But it’s just a sample with about three mornings’ worth of tea and it’s part of the EG hunt, so I figured it was okay. Yes, I’m justifying my tea addiction. Let’s move on. I was a little concerned when I got home and saw the Steepster reviews of it. Not too much love. But what the heck, I have to drink it sometime, right? So this morning it is.

I actually quite enjoyed it. Now, I did give it a good dose of sugar and half & half (I’ll have to try it straight some other time to see how it competes with Arbor Tea’s Earl) but this is really pretty tasty. The citrus is bold but doesn’t have a perfumy or soapy note to it at all. It’s not quite a juicy, fresh fruit style bergamot but it definitely hits on more that end of the spectrum. And if the slight tremor in my hands right now is any indication, looks like it has a fair caffeine content.

I’ll admit, I didn’t really do a lot of study of the tea to find any nuances. First, the half & half probably smoothed over any nuances that were there in the first place and second, it was just a tasty tea so I sipped on it while checking my email and somehow the cup was empty before I knew it. But that’s always a sign of at least an enjoyable tea so thumbs up there.

Right now I’m going to rate this a little under Arbor Tea’s version and tied with Upton’s EG Supreme. This is as good as the Upton’s with additives so the real deciding factor of where this ranks in the EG showdown will be to see how this tastes straight. After all, Jean Luc Picard didn’t get his tea. Earl Grey. Hot. With milk and sugar.

This is the first loose leaf I’ve had in a long time. That’s kind of depressing! Anyway, we went to a coffee shop in downtown Charleston for breakfast this morning and they had a handful of loose Rishi teas. Of course, being morning and the fact that I am very predictable, I picked the Earl Grey.

As usual with this kind of situation, it wasn’t my optimal tasting conditions so I’m giving it a rating but I’m not sure if it reflects exactly rating I would give it under different circumstances. Basically, this was a pretty tasty Earl but it didn’t really stick out as particularly mind-blowing. I noticed the tea base as a bit different, and looking at the description now I see it was a Yunnan, which I tend to enjoy. It’s apparently a bit polarizing, probably because the bergamot is pretty strong, but as I’ve mentioned before a strong bergamot flavor doesn’t usually taste perfumy or musty to me. It started to get a tad bitter toward the bottom of the pot where the little bits of leaves had been steeping for a while (the glass infuser in the pot at the coffee shop had fairly large holes), but never so bad that I couldn’t finish it. A pretty decent Earl, would drink again.

This is ok! Strong aroma…creamier taste among the other EG’s I have had. Not bad at all! Sending the rest to my SororiTEA Sister LiberTEAs!

After tasting a lot of teas today (17), with only a few that were good, I kinda needed a tea to make me sigh in happiness.

So I reached for this sample from Dustin :)

I have never had this before but thought a Rishi EG can’t be bad.

It is a reserved EG. But that is fine with me. Flavor was a bit muted but it seemed dignified that way :)

Thank you to TeaEqualsBliss for sending me this Earl Grey!

This is a very good Earl Grey. The bergamot is strong in the aroma, but, less distinct in the flavor… at least at first. The flavor of the bergamot develops as I continue to sip it, and now that I am about mid-way through my cup, the bergamot is at a pleasing level while still allowing the Yunnan Dian Hong base to remain the dominate flavor. It is strong, flavorful, and even-tempered.

I like this Earl Grey!

This is growing on me. I’ve decided that whether or not I like earl grey can change at any time given my mind state. It’s not gonna be something I want all the time, but I’ve found it to be a great cup when I need something to breathe life back into me on those long evenings of studying and homework after an already exhausting day of school. The taste is bold, and it can be a little overbearing, but it turns out that sometimes that’s just what I need. It’s refreshing and invigorating. Man, my opinions change like seasons…

An EG that’s less astringent than The Whistling Kettle EG Cream. However, over time the price has increased from $20/lb. to $38/lb.

3/22/13 Update: Rishi EG is now $47./lb. There is a 5% discount for 2 or more lbs. Also, note that this tea no longer displays the “Winner Best Tea Earl Grey” award logo.
http://www.rishi-tea.com/product/earl-grey-organic-fair-trade-black-tea/black-tea-blends

I got this EG from my Earl Grey Galore from LiberTEAS. The smell of bergamot is quite strong, smells natural as far as my nostrils told me. First I drank it straight to perceive the taste of the black tea, was ok, not as bold as I usually like but quite nice. Then I added a tbsp of honey & was yummy. The bergamot flavor {not as strong as the scent} remains ‘til the end of the last sip. I’ll definitely buy it.

This tea, not oddly enough, is straight-up Earl Grey. Nothing special, nothing not special. Recommended to drink on cold, sleepy mornings.

I only steeped for 3 minutes as opposed to the recommended 4 minutes. Not too strong, and not bitter as a result.

Very nice tea, nice nose. Slight tannic aftertaste, but not bad.

When I first discovered Rishi several years back this was the first tea that I tried and if I’m out and about and want some tea this is often my choice (most of our coffee shops sell Rishi since they’re local). This certainly isn’t your grocery store EG, this one is bold and hits you in the face with the smell alone and I absolutely love it. I am a huge EG fan and this is probably one of my favorites, it’s one of the few teas that you will almost always find in my massive tea cabinet. There aren’t many teas that get that distinction, I like variety to much.

I do find that when I prepare this that I tend to keep towards the lower side of the suggested time (3 rather than 5 minutes), otherwise this tea tends to get quite strong. I’m all for a strong cup of tea, but with many Rishi varieties they tend to edge towards over strong if I’m not careful.

If you find this one isn’t to your liking try adding a splash of milk, it really mellows out the flavor and makes for an even tastier tea.

With my first sip, I got a nasty mouthful of bergamot. (It was a sample and I suspect it might have been a little old. Maybe the stale bergamot was stronger) But, the tea really mellowed out after and at the last sip, I was craving more. Strongly flavored.

I bought this at my local health foods store for only 2.05 per ounce. I like this Earl Grey. It has a classic taste and I think it tastes best with 1/2 tsp raw cane sugar. I like Twinings better, but I will buy this again.

Wow! This is a bold and very aggressive Earl Grey!

Just open the lid of the jar and you will smell what I mean. I can’t compare the aroma and flavor to bergamot, having never experience the fruit outside of tea, but I might suggest that the strength of the bergamot is overwhelming if this tea isn’t brewed with some care. The Rishi tea company suggests that this be brewed with 8 oz. of water to one teaspoon of tea, I suggest an increase of water in that ratio. I also suggest brewing for a shorter time, for three minutes as opposed to four.

This tea is, for my taste, almost undrinkable without adornment. I recommend both milk and sweetener, even half and half. This softens the aggressive tone of the tea, but never really mellows it out. I wouldn’t recommend lemon, lime, or any additional citrus flavors that some find traditional to an Earl Grey as they will only serve to intensify (by means of complimenting) the already intense bergamot.

I have tried mixing this tea with others: Lapsang, a Kenyan black (whose specifics I have forgotten),an Assam, and anything else I could find at the bottoms of my loose tea containers. This tea quickly overpowered all but the Lapsang, to which it was a strong addition but not wonderful – sort of off kilter.

With such a seemingly negative review, why such a generous rating number? Surprisingly it makes a great iced tea if brought to the desired drinking temperature slowly and adorned with a simple syrup (yes, it was worth the time to prepare the syrup ahead of time) The tea became remarkably invigorating and refreshing. I used old cold tea (not iced) as part of a braising fluid (along with beef stock and a little BBQ sauce) for some pork tenderloins on a lark and I think it has a lot of potential as a cooking aid.

This tea was given to me as a gift, and I don’t think that I would buy it myself, as I prefer a somewhat milder Earl-Grey flavor.

One of the best Earl Grey teas I have tried to date. Definitely a more bold and less flowery variety. This will wake you up and take you through your day like an old friend.

In the interest of full disclosure, I’m an Earl Grey addict. I LOVE Earl Grey. Over the years I have tried dozens of brands both bagged and loose. When I was at WholeFoods the other day I saw the Rishi Loose Leaf Earl Grey and had to give it a try. Opening the bag the nose on this blend was outstanding. I wanted to eat the tea leaves it smelled so good! I quickly grabbed the infuser and filled it with a nice teaspoon full of the beautifully LARGE loose leaf tea and slowly poured in the piping hot water. I sat there watching the infusion anxiously awaiting the first sip. I raised the cup to my lips and took a light sip not knowing what to expect and BAM it hit me, a wonderfully smooth, slightly tangy and extremely well balanced mix of the BEST Earl Grey I’ve ever had. This is hands down the Earl Grey by which all others should be measured. I finished the 3.3oz bag I got from WholeFoods in about a week and promptly ordered a pound when I realized I had but two servings left. This is a tea that will forever have a permanent spot in my cupboard. This is it my friends, don’t waste your time with other brands, you will be met with constant disappointment. Save yourself the time and money and just buy this already!! I was able to save a couple bucks by purchasing on Amazon and saved a bit more by using my free 2-day shipping through Amazon Prime. The bag ordered through Amazon was fresh and well packaged.

I used to like Earl Grey, and I heard that this is the best. I have to admit, it was just OK to me. It made me realize that I don’t enjoy Earl as much as I thought. My main gripe is that it was too perfumey, and the bergamot was overpowering. I enjoyed it, just fine, but I wasn’t blown away.

Rishi’s Earl Grey is the best smelling earl grey tea that I have ever encountered. Taking a big whiff out of the bag brings the citrus aromas of fresh lemon and grapefruit. The tea brews into a dark red/brown tea. The aroma of the tea is muted compared to the unbrewed leaves, but still pleasant and clean. The taste is slightly astringent, with the flavor of the black tea showing through bergamot flavoring. Truely a great cup of earl grey.

I buy this by the pound as we drink it almost daily. I love the aroma. It’s got the perfect amount of bergamot – enough to know its there but not so much it make me gag.

I really like Earl Greys, but this one is just too harsh. Too heavy on the bergamot for my tastes. I’ve experimented with using less tea, lower temps, shorter steepings… hoping I’d find the sweet spot, but this one just isn’t for me.