Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Whittard of Chelsea 1886
Tea Description:
Earl Grey has become a defining flavor of Britain, distinguished by its fragrant taste. Traditionally an afternoon tea, our customers wanted a version strong enough for breakfast. So we created a fine blend of black tea with malty Assam, crisp Ceylon and mellow Kenyan. It is a vigorous blend with a beautiful, delicate bergamot taste.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
There is just something about Earl Grey that … when I encounter a new-to-me Earl Grey (one that I’ve not yet tried), I get all giddy, quite unlike any other flavor of tea. There’s just something about that bergamot that makes me happy.
Occasionally, I’ve been disappointed. Occasionally, I’ll come across one that just doesn’t do the name “Earl Grey” justice. But it is a rare occasion, indeed, and fortunately, today is not such a rare occasion. This Breakfast Earl Grey from Whittard of Chelsea 1886 is lovely!
The aroma is beautiful – although, I must admit that it did scare me just a bit. It is a strong bergamot fragrance, but there is just a hint of … something … there that made it smell a bit more like perfume than like tea. It scared me momentarily, but once the tea was brewed, that worry was over. The aroma of the dry leaf is a tad perfume-y, but the brewed tea smells much more like a proper Earl Grey. Sweet, bergamot-y (which is much now much lighter here in the brewed tea), and possessing a pleasing earthiness from the black tea base.
The black tea base of this Earl Grey is a blend of Assam, Ceylon and Kenyan tea. I know I’ve tasted a lot of Earl Grey teas, and I can’t possibly be expected to remember all the Earl Grey bases I’ve tried up until now (can I? … hope not, because I can’t!) but I don’t remember a blend of these three particular teas used as a base for an Earl Grey. The result is a robust background with malty intonations and a really rich, solid, well-rounded flavor.
The bergamot is rather soft in the presence of this powerful black tea base, but I still find it rather pleasant. Usually, I like my bergamot bold and in-your-face, but, I have also quite enjoyed the softer side of bergamot on occasion. I find that with these particular teas, the citrus-y tones are much more bright and sweet … it’s almost juicy!
There is much more of a fruit note than an “exotic” note, if that makes sense. Yes, I’m aware that bergamot IS a fruit, so indeed it should not be unusual that it actually tastes like fruit, but, bergamot is quite unlike any other fruit that flavors teas that I’ve encountered. Here, it is mellowed somewhat, allowing the distinct fruit tones to express themselves in a different way. As I continue to sip, I notice some floral notes begin to reveal themselves … a taste that becomes more dominate as I reach mid-cup.
What a lovely bergamot experience I’m having with this Breakfast Earl Grey. This is one that all Earl Grey lovers out there should try!
Mint Earl Grey from Red Leaf Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Red Leaf Tea
Tea Description:
Ignite your nostrils with the amazing and captivating aroma of organic mint earl grey tea. The mix of Indian inspired black tea with an Asian inspired mint flair will keep you wanting more of this fabulous tea. Made from bergamot oil, earl grey’s fruit-like flavor blends splendidly with the aromatic and tasteful qualities of mint leaves. With a greenish-blue hue, mint earl grey pleases the eyes as well as the taste buds. The mint stimulates your senses and offers not only its naturally grown freshness but an abundance of essential vitamins. Mint’s satisfying aroma will welcome you and your guests and provide an inviting atmosphere fit for new acquaintances and old friends.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This is a very interesting blend, I don’t think I’ve seen another mint flavored Earl Grey before. But then, I shouldn’t be surprised that the one place TO find a Mint Earl Grey is Red Leaf Tea, as they have the most splendid collection of Earl Grey teas I’ve ever seen. If you like Earl Grey and enjoy a different twist on bergamot now and again, you really should check out Red Leaf Tea!
The black tea base is very pleasant and smooth. It has a richness to it and it’s very flavorful, but as black tea bases go, I find it to be pretty mellow. It isn’t trying to overpower the flavors – which in this case is a really good thing because both mint and bergamot tend to be very aggressive flavors – this tea blend is content to sit back in the background and provide a nice base of flavor while the flavors get all the time in the spotlight.
What I’m finding most interesting about this blend is how well the mint and the bergamot play together. They can both be very strong and sometimes selfish flavors – as I eluded to before – but, here they were flavored with an expert hand and neither ingredient seems to be attempting to overthrow the other. It’s a very harmonious combination of flavors.
The mint is not overly minty. The bergamot is not overdone either – this doesn’t taste soapy or perfume-y. The two ingredients seem to soften the sharper tones of each other to create a softer minty tone and a smooth bergamot taste. The result is a very pleasing taste that is just a little bit different. In this case, different is definitely good!
Premium Earl Grey from Fusion Teas
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.