Earl Grey (loose leaf)

This was the first loose leaves tea I bought while I was a student, after I had tasted Marco Polo from my friend, was willing to upgrade from tea-bags filled with bitter dust but did not have the budget to buy high-end product.
It’s largely available, priced very reasonably for 200 g. The tea quality seems quite honorable; the taste is rather good, nothing subtle in this Earl Grey but it provides for a perfectly enjoyable cup.
However I remember scowling a few times at its bitterness when oversteeped. I’ll probably will not buy it again, as I can afford to try hopefully finer ones and do not drink enough to be really interested in a bargain buy. But it is definitely a very good bargain buy to my opinion.

I don’t remember this tea being so……bland. It may have been a bit old, but until I (possibly) get more, I am keeping this review the same. Look out for updates, though not anytime soon.

Color: dark brown, typical black tea.
Smell: A bit fragrent like most Earl Greys, but not strong.

Taste: Dull, just dull. And with a hint of bitter. And boring. And….I have no more to say, really, because this tea didn’t have anything to offer me. Sorry, Twinings.

I never really liked Earl Grey because I used to only sweeten tea with honey and would usually drink this one black and didn’t enjoy it at all. After working in a coffee shop and often smelling the sweet aroma of Early Grey, I got a craving for it and finally tried my own cup. I sweetened it with brown sugar and now this is one of my quick go-to teas in the morning!

I’ve been getting a bit down on my favourite morning brew recently, varying the tea-to-water ratio of my morning Early Grey, and finding the Twinings product to taste a little “papery”.

It finally occured to me that using my twenty-year-old Bodum french press (which was given to me by a friend as an eighteenth birthday present, and is still going strong) might be a contributing factor. A closer look at the filter showed some deterioration of the stainless steel mesh, and I wondered whether some fine particles flaking off the mesh might be contributing to the less-than-satisfactory taste.

This morning I ditched the french press, added one-and-a-quarter teaspoons per cup (250ml) straight into a glass teapot (without the infuser, as I decided it looked a bit suspect too) and steeped for three minutes.

Voila! A much more enjoyable Earl Grey, better than others I’ve had this week. So maybe it was the old french press, or mayble I’m just over Twinings teas. I’d be interested in knowing if anyone else finds Twinings to have a bit of a “papery” or “cardboardy” aftertaste.

I’m enjoying a cup at this very moment. I’m taking it with milk and one, controversial you may say; I do enjoy it with lemon but also sweet and white. The reason for this is one day, when I was in Primary School, I was running into my assembly hall in my wellies and I slipped, landing square on my back and soundly winding myself in the process. I was picked up by the auxiliary nurse who bundled me off to her office and consoled me with a cup of the tea I’m currently sipping. Soothing, sweet and scented; it distracted me so well with it’s aromatic mystery I was quickly repaired and sent off to join my classmates. I’ve felt the same about Earl Grey to this day. It may be relevant to note that I am simultaneously burning French vanilla incense and listening to Rumer. It may not.

I think bergamot is one of the best things that ever happened to tea. Unfortunately, not all of the tea manufacturers have figured out the best ratio between the bergamot and the tea to create a great tasting partnership. Twinings, however, has this relationship down to a science! Their Earl Grey uses bergamot to formulate a bright citrus flavor that is perfectly complemented by a bold, yet unobtrusive tea taste. Even after five minutes of steeping, the flavor is strong and steady without bitterness.

Judge me all you want, but I really like this tea. It’s what I started with when I started drinking tea, and I recently bought some loose leaf.

The flavour is very comforting to me – the tea flavour shines through, and there’s just the right amount of bergamot for me.

very subtle tea and bergamot flavors. Probably lacking to expert tea tasters or the traditional UK tea drinker but is still well balanced, light flavor and pleasant to drink. After trying several other brands this remains my most favorite cuppa. It never fails to satisfy with every cup. It is because of this consistency in sensational flavour i always keep coming back.

When living in the UK, I drank this tea every day. The bergamot is rather strong in this one so I do not let it steep for very long. I’m usually a long steeper by nature. It also tastes much better with hard water than the soft water I am living with now. For me, this is a standard that I can’t go wrong with even if it’s not the best Earl Grey in the world. I definitely prefer it over some of the other supermarket stuff. For the price, it’s good value.

I like this tea for a casual morning breakfast drink. It’s a nice way to start the day. It makes me think of green grass, bright blue skys and a cool sunny day. I find it to be a little bit boring at times though, I’m more of a fruit-tea or exotic flavours type.