Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Fusion Teas
Tea Description:
This soft, highly aromatic bergamot black tea is of the highest quality. The excellent basis of Ceylon and Yunnan is perfectly in tune with the flavoring. A light and pleasant smokey nuance accompanies the typical bergamot citrus flavor. Experience a top-class Earl Grey Tea
Ingredients: Ceylon and Yunnan Black Tea with Bergamot.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Earl Grey Awesomeness!
The combination of Ceylon and Yunnan teas brings a deliciously rich and robust base to this tea. It is full-bodied with notes of spice and earth, a very nicely rounded tea. And I love how the tea interacts with the bergamot. The spice notes are very complementary to the tangy bergamot.
The bergamot flavor might be a little lighter than in some blends – it’s not IN YOUR FACE – but it is not what I’d call subtle either. It is really quite well executed, providing the citrus tones without tasting soapy.
This tea does require a little extra care when it comes to brewing. The first time I steeped it, I did so using the same parameters I would with most other black teas: water brought to a boil, steeped for 2 1/2 minutes in my Breville One-Touch. And while the resulting tea was alright, I just was not satisfied with it. I tend to hold Earl Grey up to a certain standard, and my first infusion of this tea certainly did not live up to that standard.
The second time I infused the tea, I followed the steeping parameters on the package a little more closely, and brought the water to 200°F instead of a full boil, and steeped the tea for just 2 minutes instead of 2 1/2. The difference in taste is remarkable, and elevated the tea from just alright … to ABSOLUTELY AWESOME! If I didn’t make both pots of tea myself, I wouldn’t have believed that they were the same tea!
If you love Earl Grey, you should add this tea on to your “must try” list. It’s really quite remarkable – rich, tangy, slightly sweet and delicious. I don’t know exactly where this Earl Grey would rate in my top tier of Earl Grey teas, but it certainly deserves a place in the top ten, if not the top five! Yes, it’s that good!
Thé des Lords from Le Palais des Thés
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Le Palais des Thés
Tea Description:
Thé des Lords is a wonderful Earl Grey with a pronounced bergamot scent, enhanced with safflower petals. Of all the Earl Grey teas, this one has the strongest bergamot flavor.
Earl Grey is one of the best-loved English teas. It was first created when Charles Grey, 2nd Earl of Falloden and Foreign Secretary of Britain, received an old recipe from a Mandarin Chinese that called for flavoring tea with bergamot.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I’d like to start this review off with a bit of a disclaimer. What I am about to say is in no way intended to offend any of our readers or any other tea drinker. I’m just going to off on a bit of a rant now, but please don’t take any of it personally, as it’s not intended as a personal attack on anyone.
With that said… here goes:
Do you know that there are people out there who do not like Earl Grey tea. How can this be? I don’t get it. When people say to me “I don’t like Earl Grey.” It almost sounds to me like they are saying “I don’t like tea.” Now, granted, every palate is as individual as the person who possesses it, and therefore every person has different likes and dislikes – and that is a good thing. If we all liked the same thing, how boring a world it would be.
However, Earl Grey to me is almost synonymous with Tea itself, and there are just so many Earl Grey offerings out there (it would seem that every tea company has at least one… and for those who don’t, why don’t you?) I just don’t understand how people can dismiss Earl Grey so easily.
Yes bergamot is often mishandled when it comes to flavoring tea, and the end result is a tea that either just doesn’t have enough bergamot, or it has too much bergamot and it ends up tasting soapy or perfume-y. Then again, the quality of the bergamot is just as important as how it’s blended, because a poor quality bergamot can lead to the aforementioned soapy taste just as easily as too much bergamot added to a tea can.
And while I have enjoyed most of the Earl Grey teas that I’ve come across, there are some that I simply DID NOT like. One that comes to mind immediately is one that I drank within the last few months with my meal while dining out. Perhaps what I should say is I attempted to drink this Earl Grey, but I barely could get down the first sip of it. It was terrible. No amount of any addition – honey, sugar, milk, cream – could possibly mask this terrible flavor. I don’t usually like to ask a waitress to take something back, but in this case, I had to. I simply could not drink this tea.
And a bad experience like the one I just mentioned could be the reason why people so easily dismiss Earl Grey. There are bad ones out there. But, I really would like for people to allow themselves the opportunity to experience some good Earl Grey teas, because there are quite a few out there to be experienced!
This Thé des Lords from Le Palais des Thés definitely qualifies as one of the good ones!
It is really good. The bergamot here is perfectly executed, offering a sweet yet tangy citrus flavor that is very clearly focused. It is good and strong, but not too strong. I also taste the lovely tea underneath the flavoring. It doesn’t taste too sweet, it doesn’t taste too tangy, and it does not taste like perfume. It has a slight tongue-tingly sensation that I attribute to the citrus-y taste of this.
A delicious Earl Grey tea, one I’d recommend to those fond of Earl Grey teas. This is excellent!
Rose Earl Grey from Red Leaf Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Red Leaf Tea
Tea Description:
Create your own heaven with rose earl grey tea. The full body of flavor of oil of bergamot that is traditional early grey is captured wonderfully with the addition of rose petals. This tasty blend of rose petals and earl grey offers a smooth and pleasant taste full of satisfying citrus and complementing floral tones. Rose petals not only provide earl grey with additional amazing flavor but with the immune system defense of Vitamin C. Protect yourself and enjoy yourself with rose earl grey. Add a sprig of mint to increase its aromatic qualities and powerful taste or add a dash of lemon to bring out the natural citrus flavor. Put it on ice for cool treat for yourself and guests or serve it warm as a perfect ending to a wonderful meal.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I know I’ve mentioned it before (probably more than once!) – but Red Leaf Tea has such an impressive collection of Earl Grey Teas!
I’ve tried rose infused Earl Grey teas before, but, this one is different from some of the others I’ve tried. The rose essence is very well-defined, providing a strong rose presence in the cup.
The bergamot is also strong, and I like how the floral notes of the rose add definition to the floral notes of the bergamot, allowing the citrus fruit’s sweeter, more exotic side to shine through. I still taste the bright, juicy quality of the tangy fruit, but, I am able taste some of its more botanical qualities here as well.
The rose and bergamot meld together quite nicely, offering a taste that is perfumed without tasting like a bottle of cheap perfume. Instead, this has a heady, aromatic quality that can be tasted – it’s quite sultry and romantic.
A very enjoyable Rose Earl Grey.
Real Earl Grey from Tiger Spring Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Tiger Spring Tea
Tea Description:
Bergamot oil from the citrus fruit grown in the Calabria district in Italy had become popular in the 18th and 19th centuries as a flavouring for gin and snuff. It was brought to Joseph Banks attention who is known to have experimented with flavourings. He is credited with adding it to tea, and it was most likely given the name Earl Grey, since he was the popular Prime Minister of the time. Our Real Earl Grey is scented using natural bergamot oil, rather than the synthetic scents commonly used. As a result it has a more citrusy nose and palate.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
As most of our regular readers are probably well aware of by now, I am a HUGE fan of Earl Grey. So whenever I get a new Earl Grey to try, I’m excited. And whenever I find an Earl Grey that I absolutely love … I find myself not only elated, but also somewhat confused. Why? Because I have a few “favorite” Earl Grey teas, and it seems that this list of favorites is expanding at a continual rate!
This Real Earl Grey from Tiger Spring Tea has earned a spot in my ever-growing list of favorite Earl Grey teas. From what I can glean from the Tiger Spring Tea website, the tea seems to be one that was grown in Kenya, which explains the robust black tea flavor that I taste. It is rich and well-rounded, providing a taste that is strong and smooth, with hints of smokiness in the background that offer an interesting dimension to the overall cup.
But as with any Earl Grey, the important factor is not the tea (although a high quality black tea base IS essential, and Tiger Spring certainly has not overlooked this) but the BERGAMOT. Here, the bergamot tastes very natural. There is a freshness to it, like freshly squeezed citrus juice. It is sweet … it seems to be sweeter than I usually notice with bergamot, and this sweetness offers a pleasing contrast with the tangy notes of the Italian fruit. I also notice that the natural floral notes of the bergamot are different here too.
I usually also notice floral notes with bergamot as well, and I do taste them here too, but, again, it’s different with this Earl Grey. The floral tones are not as noteworthy during the sip, which seems to focus on the sweet yet sour notes of the fruit, but in the aftertaste, which has a lingering floral note that is quite lovely. No soapy/perfume-y tastes here, just vibrant bergamot flavor.
Another favorite for the list!
Earl Grey de la Crème from Red Leaf Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Red Leaf Tea
Tea Description:
It is amazing what just a touch of vanilla flavor can do for the taste buds! This Earl Grey tea includes the classic combination of oil of bergamot with whole leaf premium black tea but takes the traditional blend one step further. With the addition of a touch of vanilla the character of Earl Grey gets a touch of softness that produces a tea that is both sweet and fruity for a perfect taste combination. While the crème smooths out the traditional Earl Grey taste making a cup of tea that can be served for just about any occasion.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
When it comes to Earl Grey, one of my favorite tea purveyors is Red Leaf Tea. They have a HUGE selection of bergamot flavored teas, from the classic Earl Grey black tea to some modern twists on this traditional favorite like Honeybush Earl Grey. It’s a dizzying array of Earl Grey teas!
This Earl Grey de la Crème is a bit closer to the classic than some of the “modern twists” that I mentioned. It has a robust black tea base providing a delicious, rich flavor. The tea is strong and full-bodied, and is a substantial tea that doesn’t allow itself to be masked or obscured by the strong bergamot flavor. And this is, indeed, strongly flavored with the bergamot, which is the way I like it!
The bergamot is tangy and sharp, but to help soften those sharp edges is a touch of vanilla, which adds a sweet creaminess to the overall cup without mellowing the bergamot out to the point of tasting more like a creamsicle than an Earl Grey tea. It is sweet and smooth, but, it still has some of the tangy bergamot qualities that I love in an Earl Grey!
One of the better Earl Grey with creme teas I’ve tried in a long while.