Earl Grey Bravo

Definitely strong bergamot. Also citrusy and powerfully floral. A very thick mouth feel. Good hot and cold. I would probably not choose this over an Earl Grey Creme but this was a good swap. :)

This tea would probably benefit from a shorter steeping time; say, 3 to 4 minutes max. That said, here is my review, at 5:00, as suggested by Adagio.

The nose is classic earl gray. A sharp black tea with a singular bergamot note. The nose is delightful, and just begs you to brew it. It’s one of those teas you stick your nose in, inhale deeply, smile, then go for another, as-deep-as-possible breath. The electric-blue bergamot flowers a visual delight; like miniature blue fire flies in an inky black well.

The taste: It’s classic earl grey. It’s a bit lacking in the bergamot that I so thoroughly enjoy about earl greys. A favorite earl grey of mine is Mariage Frères Earl Grey Imperial. I’m using this as a baseline of comparison. To me, an earl grey should have that little touch of smokiness. Just a hint. Like a man smoking a pipe in the other room. I don’t find that here.

The tea is good. It’s not great. To me, it’s a bit flat—a little too two dimensional. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed it, but I can’t say I’m in love.

I have been very excited to try this tea after a good recommendation from a friend and I’m glad he pointed this one out. Ever since my first cup of Earl Grey I’ve been trying to find one that I really enjoy and I think this one might be it. The cup I’m drinking now has a great bergamot aroma and the taste matches the aroma quite well. The next time I brew this tea I will use less leaf as this time around it is a little on the bitter side because I used too much tea. I used 1.5 tsps in a 12oz. cup @ 208º for 5 minutes. Next time I’ll drop this down to just 1 tsp and see how that does for me. I’ve been finding that 1 tsp for Adagio’s black teas is enough even in a 12oz cup. Perhaps that is the secret to me finding a good balance with these teas.

It’s been a while since I’ve had this tea and I finally ordered some from Adagio. Made a cup first thing this morning and this is STILL my all-time favorite Earl Grey. LOVE. THIS. TEA. If you like Earl Grey and haven’t tried this, you are seriously missing out. It’s just a perfectly balanced, flavorful, delightful Earl Grey. Absolute perfection, and one of my favorite teas from any company. The day Adagio stops making this tea is the day I may actually cry over a tea.

This is an amazing Earl Gray. The first thing you see are the blue cornflowers and orange peels. The scent is wonderfully citrus from the bergemont. I steep mine for about 3-4 minutes and add 1 tsp of honey, which accents the citrus wonderfully.

I’m usually not an Earl Grey fan because usually the tea is so overwhelmed with the oil of bergamot that it gives me a headache. Not so with this tea. I opened up the sample and I thought “wow, this is really strong,” so I flash rinsed it first before making the tea. The tea is lovely. The bergamot is there, but not overpowering. The tea tastes good with or without sugar.

Now, I can be like Captain Picard and say, “Earl Grey, hot.”

I am finding this a passible Earl Grey, but nothing stunning. There is a little bitter note behind the tea, but overall it’s like a standard Earl Grey. I prefer other Earl Grey blends, but this is here now, and is getting me through the afternoon.

“When I say Earl Grey, you say, ‘Yes, please!’”

Earl Grey!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eELH0ivexKA

I don’t have a lot to say about this one. Its a very basic earl grey. Nothing wrong with that, but nothing extraordinary here.

After trying to perfect the optimal way to drink this tea I have succeeded. I love to mix in a tiny bit of hazelnut tea along with this. And it is perfect. Either that, or if I don’t feel lazy I will add in a bit of warm “steamed” milk and a dash of vanilla syrup. Be warned though, you may want to put something into it to curb the bitterness: no matter how much you shorten the brewing time, it still is slightly bitter. Even a tiny bit of sugar helps (please don’t hurt me)