Lady Grey

This came to me in teabag form…

I am really not a fan, too much bergamot and citrus flavors for me, it’s kind of yucky, not much more to say about it.

Twinings order 7/27

My 1st Lady Grey! I needed something to go w/ lunch (left over spaghetti) and thought this would work. I originally set the timer for 6 min, but based on how quickly the liquor darkened I decided to pull it out at 3. After 3 short min the liquor is very dark brown, but I’m surprised at how light the aroma is. It smells of a smooth black tea w/ a hint of bergamot.

I’m continually amazed by their bagged teas. The base is rather strong, but very smooth. The bergamot is a lot lighter than the Earls I’ve had, but is definitely there. Between the smoothness of the base and the bergamont I’m almost getting an Earl Dreamsicle type flavor. Very good. I’m tempted to give this a 100, but I want to compare it to others 1st.

We spent the night at the parents’ house last night so we could all get up way early this morning for a quick day trip down to Austin… which is four and a half hours away. I finally got home about an hour ago and have much Steepstering to catch up on. Though it might have to wait until tomorrow (or, given that it is after midnight, perhaps I should say ‘later today’).

For some crackmad reason, I didn’t bring any tea to my parents’ so I had to raid my mom’s cupboard. Sadly, this was the only full octane tea she had (most of the rest being herbal or decaf) so I grabbed a couple of bags, some rock sugar, whole milk and boiling water and had a wake-me-up-cup at 6am this morning.

Surprisingly, this was good. Not overly strong but the teabag was likely rather old so that could have played into it. But even with the muted flavor, there was still a nice lemony taste to it. Not lemon peel or lemon rind but sweeter – more like candied lemon perhaps? I’m sure the sugar played in to that but it was still nice. I got hints of bergamot after the lemon, but in my world this is pretty much a lemon tea. And I like it.

Any chance they make a loose version of this? Because I think this would be nice to have around but still prefer having loose teas on hand over bagged.

This was a pretty good light earl grey. I think that the lemon and orange were a little too strong though, overwhelming the bergamont a little.

As far as earl greys go, I like them a little stronger than this.

It might make a good iced tea though.

It is pretty good for a bagged tea, easier to cart around and steep compared to loose leaf.

TSTTB Tea #4!

This was included in the box of bagged selections. I took one for old times sake — I used to drink lots and lots of bagged Twinings in the 1990s!

I came home from school this afternoon craving a cup of tea but quick. I said, why not make that little bag of Lady Grey you have sitting in your cupboard?" I planned to use sugar and a splash of milk because I wasn’t expecting the highest of leaf qualities.

Guess what? It’s completely satisfying and delicious. I wouldn’t call it complex. You taste ORANGE and TEA. But the orange and tea are delightful. The tea is a little astringent, but it’s pleasant. The milk and sugar give it a creamcicle quality that I love.

You know how much I liked it? I liked it so much that I went digging in the traveling tea box to take the OTHER bag that was in there :) (Don’t worry — I’m going to put in some A & D Mt. Gray so people will have some more Earl for tasting).

This tea was such a nice reminder that there are really enjoyable bagged teas out there which are widely available. I am so going to pick up a box of this on my next shopping expedition. Yay traveling teabox!

My Grandma served this to me last night (in bag form). I was completely amazed that it was this good! I’m going to order some loose online now to compare. I loved that the orange and lemon had a nice light balance. In the meantime I picked up some bagged from Target and have made 3 cups already.

BTW – has anyone seen that Target now carries Harney and Sons in tins!!!

A small praise for a loyal companion.

Keeps me from bumping into walls, doors and other people in the morning and effectively makes one consider the pros and cons about having the possible outcome of a burned hand when rushing around with a hot cup.
Keeps the priorities in check – no tea no function.
Forces my brain awake when steeped illegally long.
Kindly cooperated when had to print offset lithography for twelve hours straight without any considerable breaks.
Doesn’t get in the way with its’ taste but stays on the background providing means to survive the everyday life of an art student.
Workers’ tea in a good way: swift to make and always satisfying with the result.
Loyal for what it comes to flavor palette; black, bite of bitterness occasionally, mellow with bergamot and soft and harmonic when treated gently. Honest, basic tea.

Feisty when drank cold accidentally. Then not so enjoyable, the lemon pushes through almost violently.

Simply being there when needed.

This is one of the best Earl Greys I’ve ever tasted, and it’s also my first Lady Grey. (There seems to be an assortment of them out there from different companies.)

The black tea aspect is very mild, hidden under layers of fruit zest. I can barely tell it’s there. The strongest flavor is mostly lemon, but it isn’t tart, just a little tingly. The bergamot shines through just as strongly, adding that classic Victorian flavor. All around, this is a great tea, and I’m really impressed by it, even if it’s bagged.

I think I’m going to embark on an Earl Grey exploration very soon. I’m really starting to get a taste for them. I’m going to add bergamot to my balcony garden soon, as well.

So, I’m living in Japan these days and therefore my drinking this is probably doubly odd. But after my millionth cup of green tea, I found myself craving some earl grey. And, I reasoned to myself, there was no real reason to hold out to find a shop that sold it here. The original point of earl grey was to flavor black tea that wasn’t so fresh, in order to make it drinkable. So I allowed myself to pick up some tea at the grocery store. For variety, I decided to try Lady Grey rather than the standard earl grey.

So this has less of a bergamot bite to it, is less peppery than good earl grey. It’s slightly sweet from the safflower leaves in it, and mild. I actually quite like it, and I’m sure in a blind taste test I’d be fooled by this and prove that my preference for higher end earl grey /lady greys is unnecessary.

Considering how much this cost me in Tokyo (I got the loose tea, so yes it does come in loose tea), it was the convenience of nabbing it at the grocery store alone that kept me from holding out. It’s not cheap here.

On this cool grey July day (yes, cool!) in Tokyo, I am enjoying this with my windows open, before I do yoga. It’s a great afternoon cup of tea, and makes me feel snuggly.

p.s. my canister is prettier in the one in the picture. Yay for Japan.

Strangely, I’ve been craving bergamot a lot lately and I also wanted to try something new, so I picked up a box of this. It was much better than I thought it would be, very satisfying for a bagged tea. Unsweetened, it’s a more fun and mild take on plain old earl grey. The citrus and bergamot really complement each other well and neither flavor is too strong, and I like that I’m actually getting some tea flavor as well. And I definitely have to agree with Uniquity, when you add a little sweetener this definitely tastes a lot like froot loops cereal. This stuff was a pleasant surprise.

I have been sent SO much of this tea in swaps so I thought I’d actually try one tonight. Today has been a bagged tea kind of day. I feel lazy :[
Anyways… The aroma of this tea is actually pretty nice. Smokey citrus is all that comes to mind. The flavor is fresh orange. Not bad for a bagged tea. I actually quite enjoyed it.

We’re at the beach for a week, and I don’t have my usual teas, teapots, kettle, etc. I almost brought them but thought I shouldn’t risk my teapots and didn’t want to use up so much room! I settled for buying the Twinings assortment at a grocery store, with a promise to myself that anywhere and everywhere we go to shop I will look for some special .tea.

This Lady Grey isn’t bad! I added a little sugar. It will do in a pinch, until I get home to my favorites!

I read the adorable letter from Uniquity to Lady Grey & knew I must try this tea!

But after waiting for it to steep and smelling the aroma, I thought I might have made a mistake. This isn’t like Earl Grey at all.

I took a tentative sip. Yuck! The citrus overwhelmed everything else and almost made me gag!

I re-read Uniquity’s letter and thought I might have to write its antithesis. But I decided to add a little bit of milk and sugar before completely giving up hope.

What a difference!! Suddenly, this tea was more than stomachable; it was wonderful!

The lemon complements the bergamot nicely, and now I’m truly enjoying my cup of Lady Grey (who I always mistakenly call Lady Earl Grey). She definitely is much sweeter than her husband and quite forgiving.

Thank you, Uniquity, for writing such a persuasive letter that I couldn’t help but try and love Lady Grey. I followed your steeping instructions and with the addition of a little skim milk & Truvia, I’m a convert.

Sincerely,
CHAroma

I love this tea, it is my go to tea, which I always buy and rebuy. I am not particularly fond of earl grey, any earl grey, but this works so perfectly for me. It is also a great tea to serve non-tea lovers, almost invariably they love it.

I have drunk this from the black box british teabags, the european (rest of europe that is) blue box teabags and the european (or perhaps rest of the world) blue tin loose. It will sound heretical but I think I enjoyed the teabags best. One warning, i think this is one tea which particularly fades with age particularly, don´t stockpile it, buy as recent as possible to consume. I thought the british (black box) teabags were stronger but that the continental (blue) teabags are more aromatic. I love it in any incarnation.

At Strada Cafe, Berkeley – had a steaming hot cup of this. I remember liking this one the last time I had it, but it’s been a while so I wasn’t really sure how it would measure up today. Turns out it was quite tasty! I liked the blend of bergamot with more of a citrus accent, without being overdone. Some natural sweetness to it, unobtrusive black tea base. A very good back-up tea for a cafe setting.

As you may have noticed, I haven’t updated a lot lately, and I will tell you my reasoning: unless I find something particularly interesting the following times I drink something, I most likely will not log it. May give the impression I don’t drink much tea. More like I require VARIETEA. (Har har, look at my pun.) cough Anyways.

Waking up with a cup of bagged Lady Grey, because I needed something light and citrus-y to fill my nostrils and taste buds! It’s very forgiving on steep times and temperatures, and I drink it straight because it never strikes me as bitter or too bold. Personal preference would normally lead me to Irish Breakfast, but this is a lazy morning that requires the power of tea and fruit in one cup, rather than soothing milk that will paralyze my senses until I am prepared to realize that I am, in fact, quite conscious. Today, I am off to Sotheby’s with my college twin, so I have to look lively!

Mmm. After a really disappointing string of Bigelow teas that made me very, very sad, it’s nice to try something good from Twinings! This was the perfect cup to start off my morning. When I opened the little packet, the smell made me smile. It’s a really perky blend of citrus, and it smelled absolutely delicious!

The tea brews up fairly dark, and I have to say, the taste is superior to Twinings’ regular Earl Grey. It’s still got a floral edge to it, but the citrus flavors are more pronounced and a bit more complex. The combination is the perfect blend of soothing and eye-opening. It doesn’t jolt you awake; it coaxes you.

This is the last of the blends in my Twinings variety pack to taste, and I must say, I pretty much enjoyed every flavor in here. I’m looking forward to finishing up the rest of the bags. If loose leaf tea tastes a lot better than this, then I can’t wait!

Earl Grey for the bergamot hater. The citrus keeps the berga-monster from getting out of control. I’m seeing “froot loops” in at least one review, and I understand and appreciate where that comparison came from.

I wasn’t sure what I wanted, and I have a lot of this for some reason, so this is what I’m having. And you know, I actually like it. (I guess there is a reason I have so much of it.) It really is a citrusy take on Earl Grey and a decent one at that. It’s good to keep some bagged tea around for when you need a quick and mindless cup, and this does just the trick.

Surprisingly, this is my first Lady Grey. Thanks to Ellen for this in a swap!

Overall this is a good tea. Differs from Earl Grey in that there is less bergamot flavour and more of a citrous-lemon flavour. I think I prefer Earl Grey though. I heart bergamot!!!