Earl Grey

Backlog: Yesterday morning, my hubby took me and my daughter and her best friend out for breakfast and the place we visited had a selection of Stash Teas. I didn’t really have high hopes for them at first when I asked them what kind of tea they had, and they could only name one of them (Earl Grey) and I asked them what brand it was and she answered “I have no idea, I’ve never really noticed the brand.” Then my hubby groaned and said “Tea snob” in a not so hushed tone. But at least it wasn’t Lipton Earl Grey, so that was a step in the right direction.

This isn’t a bad Earl Grey (for a bad Earl Grey, try the aforementioned Lipton’s) but it isn’t great either. It kind of makes me sad in a way, because this was one of Steven Smith’s first tea companies, but, of course, they could have changed much since he left. I just had higher hopes for the tea than what it was able to deliver, but it wasn’t terrible. The black tea flavor was pleasant enough although it wasn’t particularly a strong or bold black base, and the bergamot was at a moderate level – I could taste the bergamot, but, it wasn’t the best bergamot I ever tasted, either. I’d rate this as average.

Kuba Kuba with Emily before we went to see the beautifully awful Bing Crosby movie.

and I also had a cup of this, with stevia added, just for variety sake.
After breakfast, I went to starbucks, which is in the same strip mall. I had my 16 oz awesome stainless steel travel cup with me, because at least I can get a decent Chai from there! And I did.

Backlogging: Purchased this while away for a week, but it just caused me to miss my beloved Upton Earl Grey Vanilla. What I miss is the actual black tea part (weird for me to say, but it’s true!). While the bergamot is noticeable, it’s weak overall. Not bad, just “ok”.

had a cup with honey this morning. i think honey really does bring out the bergamot flavor, as opposed to sugar. yay! found another interesting way to drink my tea =]

Had this cup of Earl Grey away from home, from Fabrison’s French Creperie in San Diego, CA.

Even with two teabags of this in my medium-sized cup, there wasn’t enough body here for me to enjoy. At least there was a good dose of bergamot – definitely a sharp, distinct presence in flavor, if not in fullness, and the bergamot never got overpowering or bitter. Overall, nothing special, but at least somewhat passable as an Earl Grey. Smooth and distinct enough to enjoy for a moment. Also more delicious than the croissant I had it with, haha!

This is a decent Earl grey, but it’s not as strong as I would have hoped. The bergamot is not too heavy or bitter, and it’s good. It’s lemony and a little sweet in scent, though the tea itself isn’t sweet without sugar. The black tea in it is a little unremarkable as well, but I like it. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by Stash several times now. Their fruity black teas have all been yummy.

The back of the packet recommended a 3-5 minute steep time. Next time, I’ll go for the full five minutes for a stronger flavor. Not sure what else to say about this one… it’s pretty standard.

Ehh…So I’m traveling for work and all that’s here is a local grocery store with the likes of Lipton, Tetley, and a few Stash selections. I was feeling bergamot, and though it’s a bit generic, the bergamot is actually a bit more present in a citrusy way than I’m used to. This bagged Stash stuff isn’t so bad in a pinch. Now so long as I don’t get cancer from nuking my styrofoam-ish cup of water to boiling, it’ll be a total WIN!

Edit: my rating is more for the latte I made. As just a bagged tea, my rating would probably be in the 70s. A decent not-too-strong Earl Grey, especially if you can pick it up on sale. (A good sale to me is .20/bag as long as the expiration is 6 months out).
Following advice here, used 2 bags brewed with 4, maybe 5 oz boiling water (that is, half way of my 10 oz mug) for 3 min. Filled my Breville Milk Cafe to froth minimum line of whole milk with half tsp agave syrup and a dash of vanilla extract (Costco brand). I ended up with more froth than I needed and may add more syrup another time. This is VERY lightly sweetened but suits my taste. The Breville makes more milk than I would need per single use but I like its function more than the Nespresso Aeroccino Plus. (I know I love my gadgets). I am lactose intolerant, or rather milk is intolerant of me since I quite like it. I am hesitant to try chai lattes and matcha lattes because I want to be sure I can make them perfectly given the price to pay drinking so much milk. I am definitely enjoying this attempt. Hey, just realized I can do this with loose leaf too!

This tastes….different. Hot and plain. I might end up drinking this one with milk. It isn’t bitter, it just doesn’t really have the flavor that Twinings did. It doesn’t have the aroma that the Twinings did either. Not bad…just not the OH-MY-GOD good that I was looking for.

It tastes like tea that has something else in it but you can’t tell what exactly it is. I think that is supposed to be the signature Earl Grey flavor. It just doesn’t taste like much. The more I drink it the more I go “meh”. I mean, Twining’s Lady Grey has more flavor than this. I must try it with milk next time. Maybe that will help.

Edit: With Milk Thoughts

Dark Builder’s Brew: brings out the flavor a little more

Builder’s Brew: the flavor is a little stronger than the first

Dark English: it starts to get creamy here. Not really any more flavor.

English: Nice and creamy. Probably tastes like a very traditional black tea with milk.

Milky: tastes oddly like a weak glass of chocolate milk to me. The flavor is mostly the milk. This would be a very nice cup to give to little kids that want to drink what mommy and daddy are drinking.

Overall, I will probably drink this probably with some milk. I’m going to try it with different sugars to see if that has any effect on the flavor at all. Other than that I am going to share it with my little brother because it is a very boring tea for me but it would be a nice black tea for him. I don’t think I would pick this tea up again unless it really wows me sometime in the close future.

Wonderfully fragrant. One of my faves.

This is certainly not my favorite Earl Grey, the taste is just…off ever so slightly, and I can’t quite put my finger on it. Tim Horton’s Earl Grey is still the best bagged one I’ve had! Though I’ll stick to my DAVIDsTEA Cream of Earl Grey! Mmmmm.

I’ve been drinking this for a while, and I find that the bergamot is very noticable. It took a bit to get used to, but I find I like it now. I find it’s best with a longer steep time and a couple tablespoons of milk. It’s good :)

I haven’t been logging lately, due to doctor’s appointments, and vacation time. But now, it’s time to start again. I had this earl grey at a different beach than where I usually am. It was very nice, and definitely helped with the beauty of Cambria’s ocean. The bergamot essence was very nice, and I enjoyed the unique flavor of this earl grey. Though I would have preferred it to be full leaf tea. The next time I visit Cambria, I will drink this tea.

Opened up the foil packet, and the smell of the black tea and the bergamot kinda whacked me in the nose. Wow, is it strong!

Boiled water and milk and mixed with sugar. I allowed it to steep for the full five minutes in a large batch of liquid. The smell is wonderful and it colors the milky water like light chocolate milk.

The flavor is definitely strong – I am glad I listened to the other reviewers for this tea and I added milk and sugar. I can definitely taste the bergamot in this, and it adds a very interesting flavor to the black tea. Adding the milk really brought the citrus out, while at the same time gentling it ever so slightly.

While not my favorite taste per se, it is pleasant to drink hot.

Just had this at a local coffee shop with frothed milk – called a London Fog. Fantastic!

wasn’t really a big fan of earl grey tea, but lately it has become one of my favorite. what star trek character enjoyed a cup of earl grey tea, hot?

Fragrant, citrusy and light, this reminds me a bit of Lady Grey by Twinings. I like that Stash puts more information on their packages like which varieties of black they use and where they get the bergamot, rather than just “black tea” and “bergamot flavoring”.

I got this through a gift exchange in my music fraternity (yay SAI!).
I’m on my second steep of the first bag. I can taste the bergamot more the second time around. When I first opened it, it had a curious smell that wasn’t like that of Fruit Loops, unlike all other earl greys I’ve tried. The black is different from any other black I have… earthy and dark, I think, of which I’m not as big a fan. Then again, I’m not well-versed in black, because it’s so strong. I’m interested in trying the double bergamot version for comparison.

This morning I added a little milk to my tea as it was steeping. I love the somewhat bitter taste of Earl Grey.