Full-Bodied Earl Grey?
Many years ago when Twinings produced awesome EG, we used to use 1 rounded teaspoon/cup. We also used to brew it a minute longer than unflavored black teas as it was not as full-bodied. In recent years, we also used these same brewing parameters for Rishi EG.
After joining Steepster, we see that many members generally recommend using more tea leaf and shorter infusions to minimize the odds of bitterness & astringency.
About a month ago, I purchased a box of Rishi loose EG tea and was very surprised to see the current recommended instructions were: 1 Tablespoon / 8-oz cup / 212*F / 4 min. After tasting it, my wife agreed that much tea leaf was indeed needed. Consequently, that small box did not last too long. This is certainly one way to increase the sales of EG tea.
How much EG do you use for a 6 to 8-oz cup?
Which brands of EG are full-bodied without needing large amounts of tea?
Looking back at my tasting notes, none of the following excellent examples required a Tablespoon like Rishi!
Organic Earl Grey Black Tea, Arbor Teas – 1 level tsp / 8 z.
Organic Earl Grey, Teas Etc. – 1 level tsp / 8 z.
Silky Earl Grey, Teajo Teas 1 tsp / 8-oz
Earl Grey, The Tea Merchant – 1 heaping tsp
French Earl Grey, The Tea Merchant – 1 heaping tsp
Earl Grey Cream, The Whistling Kettle – 1 heaping tsp / 6-oz.
Earl Grey Cream, Zen Tea – 1 heaping tsp
I like both upton’s egc and the tea merchant’s french earl grey quite a bit. I never use more than a slightly heaping teaspoon for either, in fact for the french EG, when I make iced tea I get quite a bit of mileage out of just the 1 teaspoon.
Harney and Sons Viennese Earl Grey
Per:
1. http://www.harney.com/viennese-earl-grey.html – “medium bodied”
2. http://www.harney.com/earl-grey.html – “The medium bodied tea is lightened by the addition of oolong tea.”
3. http://www.harney.com/earl-grey-supreme.html – “With larger, tippy teas and silver tips this is a lighter bodied tea.”
4. http://www.harney.com/organic-earl-grey.html – “This is a medium bodied black tea. It is not as full bodied as other Earl Greys.”
5. http://www.harney.com/earl-grey-imperial.html – “The medium bodied tea is lightened by the addition of oolong tea.”
While none of these five EG is described as “full-bodied”, it appears the Viennese may be fuller-bodied than the other four. Is that correct?
The only other Harney Earl Grey I have tried is the Earl Grey Supreme, the Viennese is more full bodied as compared to the supreme.
For full bodied, I recommend Steven Smith’s Lord Bergamot. Andrews & Dunhams Mount Grey is pretty full bodied, too.
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