Wow… I am overwhelmed by the amount of reviews for Earl Grey Bravo! And the extensive array of opinions! Well… here comes my review and opinion to be added to the pile!
Earl Grey reminds me of being a little girl. Though my Dad drinks mostly herbal tea now, he used to always drink a cup of black tea after lunch. I can vividly remember him dunking his teabag in the hot water over and over again, then removing it and straining it against a spoon so that even the last drop fell into the cup. He would then leave the used tea bag on a little plate while he drank his tea. The smell of this tea bag was delicious to me. I have now learned that the tea bag held Earl Grey and that I, in fact, also really enjoy a good cup of Earl Grey!
Brief background being told… This Earl Grey has always been enjoyable to me. The leaves’ appearance is delightful. The dark tea leaves with the blue cornflower petals and the pieces of orange peal contrast beautifully in this blend. The smell is unmistakably sweet and citrusy. It is one of the stronger smelling Earl Greys, the Bergamot is syrupy and robust. I am happy with the smell, the strength and sweetness was just right for me! (It is worth remembering that I have a rather pronounced sweet-tooth…)
As I brewed the 2 teaspoons of leaves, the water turned dark quickly. As with all of the black teas that I have tried from Adagio, if you steep for any longer than 3 minutes, you end up with bitter and undrinkable liquid… The smell of the leaves is maintained as you brew.
The resulting brew has a super strong bergamot flavor (good if you like it, but then again, I can’t imagine someone drinking Earl Grey if the didn’t…) with the black tea popping up once in a while in the background. Definitely more bergamot flavor than black tea flavor… I have to add 1 teaspoon of sugar to this cup in order for it to be drinkable. Simply cannot stomache it if it isn’t sweetened.
I have found that over time, as I have tried more and more teas, this particular blend has tended to float towards the back of my cabinet. But it is still always there! All in all this is the strongest bergamot flavored Earl Grey I have tried. If you are curious, try it! You might be pleasantly surprised!
