I’m back at Tea Central (my house) today with real tea making equipment and a cup that is not composed of paper. I also have more than five minutes to make and drink some tea. Life is good. And, this is the perfect time to take Earl Grey Classic by Fortnum & Mason for a test drive.
When I pried open the lid of the tin, one of the freshest and most natural bergamot aromas that I had ever experienced hit my nose. I hoped that the taste would match this great smell.
Fortnum & Mason doesn’t include detailed brewing instructions on their packaging. After researching the procedures of other fellow Steepsters for this tea, I chose 205 degrees for three minutes as my method of madness.
The brewed liquor also had a fresh bergamot scent, although a little lighter than I expected. The color was golden brown.
The taste was black tea, balanced with bergamot flavor. The freshness of the bergamot scent did carry over into the taste, but the bergamot did not control the total flavor of the tea. Instead, it was a smooth, malty, and full black tea flavor with bergamot blended into the taste. There was no bitterness. The aftertaste was lightly shadowed with bergamot accents.
This is a fine and smooth Earl Grey tea. I would rate the bergamot power 6.5 on a scale of 1 to 10.
One thing that sets this tea apart and above some of the other Earl Grey teas I’ve tasted is the freshness of the bergamot flavor. It’s not as strong as the Rishi Earl Grey (still my favorite Earl Grey), which I would give a 10 on the bergamot power scale. But, this is a very nice tea that I would enjoy in the mornings or afternoons.
Preparation
People who liked this
Comments
Doesn’t look like you can get this in the US any more, and apparently the shipping is very high from the UK. Too bad Williams Sonoma no longer carries it, because I would like to try it.
Actually, I purchased it at our local Williams Sonoma. Have you asked your Williams Sonoma if they would order it for you?
Good idea Stoo. Will give that a try.
If you got a chance then try to taste the Earl Grey blend from “Whittard of Chelsea”…then compare it to Fortnum & Mason
As an update, I did get the Fortnum and Mason at my local Williams Sonoma for 75% off because it was about to go out of date. Nonetheless, I have enjoyed it-I got the best results brewing for 2 minutes 45 seconds. Keemun, I’ll put your suggestion on my list. I love a good Earl Grey Blend!
That’s wonderful, Donna! I’m glad you found it at such a great price and are enjoying it!
Thanks, Keemun. I’ll keep on the lookout for a chance to try that one!
I agree with you that the fragrance does not represent the taste. I just had a bag from the 2023 Advent Calendar, and while it smelt beautiful, I could barely taste any bergamot in the brewed tea. I don’t want to review it yet, based only that one sample, but I was pretty disappointed.
The low fidelity bergamot taste would be disappointing if you prefer the strong stuff. It was a pleasant tea, though. Thanks for your comment!
Doesn’t look like you can get this in the US any more, and apparently the shipping is very high from the UK. Too bad Williams Sonoma no longer carries it, because I would like to try it.
Actually, I purchased it at our local Williams Sonoma. Have you asked your Williams Sonoma if they would order it for you?
Good idea Stoo. Will give that a try.
If you got a chance then try to taste the Earl Grey blend from “Whittard of Chelsea”…then compare it to Fortnum & Mason
As an update, I did get the Fortnum and Mason at my local Williams Sonoma for 75% off because it was about to go out of date. Nonetheless, I have enjoyed it-I got the best results brewing for 2 minutes 45 seconds. Keemun, I’ll put your suggestion on my list. I love a good Earl Grey Blend!
That’s wonderful, Donna! I’m glad you found it at such a great price and are enjoying it!
Thanks, Keemun. I’ll keep on the lookout for a chance to try that one!
I agree with you that the fragrance does not represent the taste. I just had a bag from the 2023 Advent Calendar, and while it smelt beautiful, I could barely taste any bergamot in the brewed tea. I don’t want to review it yet, based only that one sample, but I was pretty disappointed.
The low fidelity bergamot taste would be disappointing if you prefer the strong stuff. It was a pleasant tea, though. Thanks for your comment!