Silky (Classic) Earl Grey

To me, Earl Grey is the father figure of all tea. A solid dude that you can rely on at all times.

Always there to support you, loving you and hugging you when you need to. Keeping things simple and comforting cause you know exactly what to expect.

This Earl is a very good illustration of that. Not all Earl Greys are created equally, they often are unbalanced, bergamot kicking a little too strong.

The balance on this one is perfection! The bergamot is done just right in a non bitter way, leaving plenty of room for the excellent assam base to shine through. It’s creamy without any vanilla flavouring addition.

This is my go to tea of the morning when there’s no time for fuss, knowing I won’t have to compromise on the quality.

Thank you Teajo for giving me a good Papa Earl to rely on :-)

Thanks for the free sample from Teajo!

Not-Tea Notes

It was nice to see this in my mailbox today – such a good day!

In Shakespeare, we all had to prepare the same scene from Richard III. My professor announced today that we were having a surprise “callback” – he was going to pick scene partners out of a hat. We decided that the two best actors would get to pick monologues for our professor to perform for us. As far as I know, none of us have ever seen him act.

I was the last Elizabeth to go, and the universe was on my side – the Richard I was put with happened to be the girl I rehearsed with most often. I won out of all the Elizabeths (and I’m not even really an actor, I just love Shakespeare SO FREAKING MUCH) and so the Richard winner and I performed the whole scene – he was someone I’d worked with too, so we already had a sort of rhythm going, and it was surprisingly different from the first time I’d done it.

And now we get to see my professor do a Don Pedro monologue from Much Ado and a Hal monologue from Henry V… the latter of which he’s never performed in front of people before. Happy spring break, professor! :)

Tea Notes

I smelled this one, and thought “ooh, that’s strong.” I don’t have any straight Earl Greys because I’m not a huge fan of bergamot – I prefer EGCs. But I like to have one in my collection.

I put two heaping teaspoons in my 20oz Amsterdam pot, boiling water, 2 min.

The first cup was surprisingly light. It was a really beautiful Assam base, and it wasn’t overwhelmingly perfumey. The bergamot was supported because the tea itself is of a good quality.

Later cups got stronger, perhaps because it cooled. I thought it might have been due to broken pieces left in the bottom of the pot, but there’s hardly anything there.

It was smooth enough for me to drink straight. I might do milk/sugar next time, just because of personal preference, but it really is a great Earl Grey!

Got it yesterday and actually conducted an EGC tasting last night. Almost forgot this one coz I hadn’t logged it in my catalog yet so I rushed to steep it alongside the 5 EGCs but then i realized this was not an EGC!

No matter, it tastes just as good as one. Or rather, this trumps them all in my book! Many thanks to Piccolo for the very generous sample..but I’m afraid it will not be enough for me, haha. I gotta buy more of this!

Silky – perfectly describes the beautiful taste that coursed through my tastebuds and captivated me (sigh)

order it here:
http://www.teajo.com/product_info.php?cPath=23&products_id=47

Thank you for offering a beautiful EG, Teajo Teas!

update: 2nd steep was still ok. 3rd was not quite but then again, neither were the others. maybe it was because i left them sitting too long? i noticed that with EGs they dont taste so good when cooled and actually become bitter-ish. all of them except for one….which you shall read about in my next tasting note!

I almost forgot I had samples coming to me from Teajo! Thanks for the samples, folks!

This is a very good Earl Grey. Very smooth. Creamy, almost like it has vanilla, though there is no overt vanilla taste. Really strong bergamot but not acidic or bitter. If you are not a bergamot fan, this is not going to be for you.

Ingredients say cacao, but I taste only bergamot and cream.

A really high quality Earl Grey. I’d definitely keep this in my cupboard over other Earls. Maybe it’s the Indian base – I do love Indian black teas.

thank you so much Teajo for a sample of this one! There is enough here for many cups. The dry leaves are as black as they could be. I always thought cream was what made me love an earl grey. But this one is so smooth, it is almost like there is cream here (though there isn’t.) This is a very different earl grey somehow. It’s unique… I guess all earl greys are different. This one is citrusy and bright but very smooth. It kind of reminds me of Fruity Pebbles cereal (awesome, in my opinion!) The second steep reminded me of the lemon part of a firecracker popsicle (awesome again). The black tea base is an assam. I don’t think earl greys usually have an assam base.. I’m not sure. But the base here is perfect for an earl grey flavor. It doesn’t disappear behind the earl grey but it doesn’t overpower it either. I didn’t see how there was safflower or cacao in this though. But I do agree that it is silky! I really really like this one. This one tells me that earl grey creams aren’t the only earl greys I love! This is a straight earl grey I could easily buy a ton of!

This assam base Earl Grey has strong flavor – something I really look for in an EG tea. The dry tea is very fragrant and the black tea is full leaf.

I’ve been tasting a lot of Earl Greys lately and its amazing how they are all different. You honestly need to try each one to know, they are definitely not all the same.

It seems that Earl Grey teas fall into a few categories: light bergamot or strong bergamot and then either more lemony or more orangey tasting. This one is definitely a strong bergamot with a leaning toward lemon flavor. I tend to prefer the orange variety. That being said, this one is really enjoyable and smooth. It does not get bitter and resteeps really well.

Thank you Teajo Teas for this very generous sample. This is a quality Earl Grey and recommend it to people who are looking for a bold, lemon Earl Grey.

So this is the Earl Grey! And it’s a sipdown! (Much needed too, I gotta say. My samples from Courtney came in yesterday and now I’m over 230, with a Butiki order coming in the next few weeks, and some more samples from Sil! Haha. BEST problems to have).

This is a pretty decent Earl Grey. It’s really not that strong but there is a tangy astringency at the end of each sip. It’s enjoyable, but I think I prefer EGC over regular EG’s. And yes, I know I could just ADD cream, but… I’m lazy? Also I guess I’m just used to drinking it plain.

Thanks Teajo Tea for this generous free sample.

The dry tea smells very strongly of bergamot, which I like. Already off to a good start.

The tea tastes like a very smooth Earl Grey. There is a strong bergamot taste but it is not bitter, its very smooth and creamy. I also feel like I am getting notes of vanilla and caramel.

I also would like to say I am happy that Teajo labelled the tea package with the ingredients and the preparation details, so I did not have to look anything up. I wish more tea companies did this.

Got this as a sample from Teajo Teas, thank you very much!!
Drank it for breakfast this morning.

I LOVE Earl Grey. If I have to go somewhere without tea (unlikely) I will seek out Earl Grey at a gas station or whatever. It’s comforting and flavorful and adding milk just makes it more creamy and delicious.

That’s what I did with this one – I added milk. I did two steeps of it and both were good. About 3 min for the first one.

It’s definitely more of the lemony type, but the citrus flavor doesn’t overwhelm the tea, which I appreciate. I don’t like SUPER lemony teas unless they are balanced off by some cookie or pie taste (Lemon Chiffon!).

So I enjoyed this, it was creamy with the milk, so the word “Silky” is not misused here. I would definitely order it!

Me and Earl Grey go together like Jean-Luc Picard and… Earl Grey.

Silky Earl Grey

Sample package label:
“Contents: Whole leaf black Tea, w/Bergamot oil and natural flavors”
“Brewing: 1 teaspoon for 3 minutes 8-oz water @ 212*F”

8-oz water with total dissolved solids (TDS) of 25 ppm, boiled

Introduction: Teajo Teas Earl Grey is made with an Assam base. Most EG teas come from Shi Lanka formerly known as Ceylon. Having a different base tea, was a significant reason for wanting to sample this tea. Our current EG cream has a Ceylon base and I can’t get past the astringency. Also, my wife loves EG teas.

This tea has another fragrance that I can’t identify, which is at least as strong as the oil of bergamot fragrance.

Amber hue

3-min Infusion: A mild lemon taste with another equally strong enjoyable flavor that I can’t identify. I guess it’s the safflower as listed on their website: http://www.teajo.com/product_info.php?cPath=27&products_id=47
In my experience:
– The tartness of citrus bergamia is a common characteristic of most Earl Grey tea.
– Most EG tea is mild- to medium-bodied.

Impression: A full-bodied EG without astringency, bitterness or tartness – Quite an accomplishment!

2nd 3-min Infusion: Nearly identical to the original infusion.

Suggestion: For those like my wife who love the classic EG aroma & flavor, Teajo Teas may also wish to develop another version of their Silky Earl Grey where the other natural ingredients are not as strong as the oil of bergamot – a Silky Classic Earl Grey.

Thanks to Teajo Teas for providing this most generous 10-cup free sample. I will definitely enjoy the rest of it – and that’s not something I thought I would say! Well done!

Based on this very positive first impression of Teajo teas, I would also be interested in tasting their Black Manas and Tropical Mango teas.

I was excited to get the chance to try this Earl Grey because Assams, or an Assam rich blend are my favourite bases for this type of tea, mainly because of the chocolate, or biscuity tones that they often have that nicely support the citrus notes and secondly because they usually have a thicker body to them that I feel better supports the Strong Bergamot Earl Greys which are most often my favourites.

In Silky Earl Grey, Teajo comes close to creating my ideal earl grey. It has a really lovely Assam Base, paired with a heavier sweeter bergamot. I would like just a bit more of a spicier bergamot to create my ideal Earl grey.

Dry Smell
- fairly strong , spicy and sweet bergamot, hint of lemon rind and cocoa.

Brew Colour
– nice, clear, classic amber colour.

Texture
- Tastes quite smooth at first, finishing with a drying effect at the front of the mouth. The tea has a medium bodied mouth feel.

Flavour – A nice balance between a sweet bergamot baked goods taste, sweet red fruit in the tea base, and chocolate undertones. The base tea has enough depth to support the strong flavouring. The re-steep contains a flavour consistent to the first steep, with just a little bit more malty, chocolate tones shining through the lemon pound cake with custard smell and taste. The third steep was sweeter with less citrus notes but still a rich flavour.

Aftertaste – lemon(the taste you get when you drink lemon in hot water), lavender, with bitter sweet chocolate notes and a hint of malt.

This is a really nice strong and fruity Earl Grey with a great deal of flavour and a natural sweetness.

Thanks Piccolo for the chance to try your tea! It has a really lovely base and I look forward to trying some more once I make some room in my cupboard.

Backlog #3: After the whole cherry ordeal, I decided that I was ready to try some of this Earl Grey. The only Assam tea that I have ever had has been in the Twining’s Irish Breakfast so I was expecting something extremely bold that I would need to have with milk.

Oh my god! Was I ever wrong about that!

This tea is utterly fantastic. The tea base is sturdy but not overly bold. It tastes like good tea. But the bergamot is just awesome! It tastes like you took a whole bergamot fruit and just squeezed the juice into your tea. It is fruity and juicy and leaves a clean and fresh taste in your mouth that you get right after you eat a ripe orange.

It is just utterly amazing and unlike any other Earl Grey that I have had.

The only thing is that you have to have it plain. Even if you add just a drop of milk, the tea base disappears and the bergamot turns sour. But if you have it plain it will be just fantastic!

Thank you Teajo Teas for letting me have a sample! I think I’ll have to explore the rest of your Assams if it is anything like this one.

Holy bregamot! That smells really good. It has a great citrus flavour. I don’t taste the cacao, but still smooth and delicious.

Thanks Teajo!

I got this as a sample from Teajo.
Earl Greys with Ceylon (I believe that’s the most common black tea used) are alright…I always taste an astringency with them…even if it’s faint. This uses Assam though. This man, is awesome! It’s got a full body richness with the fabulous elements of normal EG. ) The sample is very generous and when I run out I will definitely order some more! Job well done!!!