The Earl Grey

My daughter’s fiancé brought this tea as a gift when he visited from Northern Ireland recently. He is a big fan of Earl Grey and Lady Grey teas. This is a loose leaf version.

The leaf is of medium size and the aroma when you open the inner pouch is so citrus-y and fresh. This smelled like oranges to me, though the box describes bergamot and lemony flavor. The aroma isn’t too strong and doesn’t have that bathroom cleaner acrid smell that I have found in one or two Earl Greys.

I let it steep for three minutes. I did not add milk or sugar to this one and I find it really doesn’t need anything. If you like milk and sugar I feel sure this tea could handle it. The bergamot is present and has a light, fresh aftertaste. If you love really strong bergamot this probably won’t do it for you, but I am finding it to be a very satisfying mid-morning pot of tea.

I haven’t had one of these in a long, long time. They were the first tea bags that really got me interested in trying different varieties of tea, so I owe them something for where I am now. Anyway, I added some of these to my last Twinings order on a whim. I generally stay away from supermarket tea these days (with the exception of Twinings Whole Leaf Silky Pyraminds, because I think they’re pretty good, and some of their whole leaf loose teas), but it’a always nice to re-visit old friends.

So, yes. This is pretty much how I remember it. A nice strong tea base, and just the right amount of bergamot flavouring for me. I don’t like a lot of Earl Grey varieties because they have far too much bergamot, and I find that a bit “ick”. I like to taste the tea in my Earl Grey — that’s a bih part of the experience for me. There isn’t all that much to say about this — it’s just one of those teas you can rely on. Unexciting, butunchanging, good stuff. I might keep a few of these on hand in the future, just for those days when I need something reassuring. I’m not sure why it is, but this tea is always that to me.

I enjoy this tea. It’s got a nice flavor, nothing artificial. I enjoy it with a touch of sugar, and milk (blasphemy, I know.)

I’m really keen on this, thought I’d try it at home my way after having it at a friends. I find this to be citrusy but not too much and a good amount of bergamot. The teabag form is good when steeped for 4-5 mins, and I like mine with a bit of sugar and tea. A good little afternoon tea.