Earl Grey and I have an uneasy relationship. I like good Earl Grey. Not so good Earl Grey? I will have a glass of water, thank you.
Off the table for me are strong bergamot layered on super fruity Ceylon, and artificial bergamot flavor. Too sour! Both of them!
What a nice surprise this Zest Tea Earl Grey is! Zest is all about caffeine, which is the opposite of important to me. I don’t need it. I don’t really want it. But sometimes people do want it or need it. And getting it from tea gives you the added benefit of L-theanine.
Since this is supposed to have more caffeine than a cup of coffee, I expected it to be harsh. I gave the sachet a sniff when I opened the individually wrapped pouch (+1 for freshness) and it was a delightful, uplifting bergamot aroma.
The steeped tea is definitely toned down aroma-wise from the sachet, as is expected, but the tea is still bright and sparkling with cheerful bergamot. The Nilgiri base is pretty smooth with just the right amount of briskness. Most remarkable to me is how balanced the base and the bergamot are.
I drink my tea plain, but I bet this could take milk and sugar if that’s how you roll. Caffeine warriors, rejoice! This tea may be your new love! So I take it back. Zest isn’t all about caffeine. They are all about providing good tasting, good quality tea with extra caffeine kick, smoothed by L-theanine.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Zest Tea
Description
Earl grey has been a popular blend since it was introduced to the British Earl, Charles Grey, in the 1830’s. Most Earl Greys are made with low-quality base teas, but not ours. Zest’s Earl is made with premium Nilgiri Indian black tea blended with a delicious bergamot essential oil.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Earl (Not So) Grey from Banff Tea Company. . . . .
Earl (Not So) Grey from Banff Tea Company is how I recently started my day and let’s just saw it was a GOOD start to the day!
When I saw the part of the name “Not So” I knew there HAD to be a twist to this tea. The twist was the additional of Lavender. According to the company website, “The forgotten, neglected Earl in the kingdom of RoyalTEA.” This tea is an inspired blend of Earl Grey and Lavender with a fairly high level of caffeine and the black tea they used hails from Sri Lanka.
Additional ingredients include Lavender, cornflower petals, and natural flavors. Their Steeping Suggestions were to use one teaspoon (3g) of tea per 6oz cup of water. Steep at 100°C (212°F) for 3-4 minutes.
But many of you know I’m a rebel and like my black teas super strong so I tend to infuse more of the loose leaf for a tad less time. Instead, I did a heaping tablespoon for about 2 to 3 minutes or so. This was a hefty cuppa and I HIGHLY recommend it to those you enjoy creative Earl’s!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Banff Tea Company
Description
The forgotten, neglected Earl in the kingdom of Royal TEA. An inspired blend of Earl Grey and Lavender.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Earl Grey Le Creme from The NecessiTeas. . . .
I know lots of people hate bergamot. They are easy to spot. They almost always refer to it as “blergamot.” You know who you are!
But lots of novice tea drinkers start with Earl Grey and its variations and consider it to be the pinnacle of fine English tea. It is often associated with crumpets and scones and clotted cream, with fine china and linen napkins and lofty classical music playing. Civilized and refined.
My opinion is somewhere in between. A good cup of Earl Grey is very relaxing to me. Citrus scents do seem to lift my spirits and make me smile, but if a cup of tea goes TOO lemon-y or sour, I am not a happy camper and the blerg gets tossed.
This Earl is essenced with bergamot, vanilla, and cream flavors, all on an organic black tea base. It is a very pretty tea with the blue cornflowers mixed in with the deep, rich looking tea leaves. It would be lovely to display on the table in a tea scoop, tea boat, or dainty cup.
Will it get tossed? Not on your life! It has a lovely, smooth, sweet flavor even with no sugar added, though if you like sugar in your tea, a little sprinkle would do no harm to this cup. The bergamot flavor is pretty mild, and the cream scent is right on top and very noticeable even while it is steeping. The vanilla adds sweetness and body.
And get this! I like the resteep even better! Woohoo!
Advertised as an afternoon tea, I definitely wouldn’t hesitate to have this for breakfast, as well. I think the only people who would object to that would be folks who like ultrastrength builder’s tea in the morning, but I can’t take that sort of manhandling in the a.m.
Though out of stock at the time of this writing, hopefully it will be back in stock soon. Otherwise, I might feel guilty about making you want some.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: The NecessiTeas
Description
Our Earl Grey Le Creme is a forgiving indulgence essenced with bergamot, vanilla and cream. Go ahead, treat yourself!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Earl Grey Supreme from Harney & Sons. . . .
I have a friend who is always talking about how I have not truly lived until I have tried Harney & Sons’ Earl Grey Supreme. She will lock eyes with me and tell me I need to go to an Au Bon Pain (or whatever) and get a cup.
She is slightly terrifying.
I grabbed a few-ounce sample while I was on vacation, but lost it. I didn’t tell her this, because I feared repercussions. Luckily, I found it, and today is the day.
This is a very powerful, no-holds-barred bergamot-slam with a smoky underbase.
This is a MANLY sort of Earl Grey.
This is an Earl Grey that strips down to just a pair of suede pants and wrangles animals. Then goes back to his castle and eats boar for dinner and winks at the maids. He sleeps like a log, then wakes up, gets kicked back into gear with this blend, and goes back outside to get some more stuff done.
This Earl Grey does not do his own accounting. This Earl Grey is sort of frustrating to his wife.
This tea will put hair on your chest, whether you want it or not.
I like it, but it’s not for the weak of heart, or the person who doesn’t want to take an express train to Flavor Town. There are probably people who would find it overwhelming.
But if you DO find it overwhelming, for the LOVE OF HEAVEN, don’t tell my friend that. I fear what she would do.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Harney & Sons
Description
For the connoisseur we offer Earl Grey Supreme, which uses a higher grade of teas with the addition of Silver Tips. Most of our customers never go back to our regular Earl Grey once they taste the Supreme. If you love bergamot and fine tea, this is the blend for you!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Always a Classic: Earl Grey from Kent and Sussex
In some ways, it doesn’t get more traditional than Earl Grey tea. Next to English Breakfast black tea, it’s the flavor most people think of when brewing a cup of tea. Earl Grey from Kent and Sussex brews up strong and tart, a full-bodied black tea with a touch of tart bergamot citrus.
Earl Grey is one of those teas that you customize as much or as little as you want, a lot like coffee. Everyone had their preferred blend and balance. You can brew this Earl Grey black without any additives, or brew it with honey and lemon, or add your preferred mix of milk and sugar. Drink it hot, drink it iced, the smooth, crisp taste of Earl Grey works well with them all.
I brewed this tea hot, in my favorite teacup and saucer, and tired the brew black (no additives), and then with a splash of milk. On its own, this tea is a bit too bold for me, with a strong dry, tart mouthfeel that made me pucker. Sometimes I prefer Earl Grey to be tart, especially when the leaves are blended with extra strong bergamot orange flavors, or when you want to top off your cup with a wedge of lemon and sugar. This Earl Grey didn’t have as much citrus in the blend on its own, so I took the cup in a different direction, adding a swirl of milk to help boost the creaminess of the tea.
This is a solid standard to have in your tea cupboard, to brew up in whatever style suits your fancy.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Kent and Sussex
Description:
Delicious Earl Grey! THE GREAT TASTE AWARDS 2007 Award winning Earl Grey. The History of Earl Grey Tea dates back to 1833 the then Earl Grey of Howick Hall the British Prime Minister suspended the price monopoly which the East India Company had until that point enjoyed with its Chinese trading. Originally pure chinese teas were flavoured with fine oils from the Bergamot fruit in an attempt to preserve the tea during the difficult clipper journeys by sea. It was thought that lengthy times at sea could result in tastes of mould and tar. That is how the tea was named and to this day Earl Grey is regarded as one of the very finest flavoured infusions.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
