Persian Choice Royal Earl Grey

Tea type
Black Tea
Ingredients
Not available
Flavors
Bergamot, Bread, Floral, Lemon, Malt, Roasted Nuts, Tannin, Umami, Citrus Zest, Citrusy, Earl Grey, Flowers, Orange, Fruity, Leather, Dark Wood, Spicy, Sweet
Sold in
Not available
Caffeine
Not available
Certification
Not available
Edit tea info Last updated by looseTman
Average preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 45 sec 3 g 10 oz / 304 ml

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12 Tasting Notes View all

  • “Sample package label: “Persian Choice Royal Earl Grey” Per: http://www.alvinsofsf.com/persian-choice-royal-earl-grey-tea.html “12oz Box; First Place Winner in the North American Tea Championship....” Read full tasting note
  • “Okay, that… is a nice Earl Grey. There are some tiny tippy light notes like lemon and florals that play through the tannin and malt of the base, which holds its own but really does let the bergamot...” Read full tasting note
    90
  • “A note to only say goodbye. Kiki had this 12oz!! box of full leaf tea when I moved in and it was very fresh and strong, caffeinating, smooth, complex citrus, perhaps the best Earl Grey I’ve ever...” Read full tasting note
  • “Thanks so much for the awesome swap, derk!  The swap was inspired by this tea — an Earl I’d never heard of before.  (Have to try ALL the bergamot.)  The leaves here are larger than is typically...” Read full tasting note
    86

From Alvin’s of San Francisco

“12oz Box; First Place Winner in the North American Tea Championship. Pungent, Robust, Smooth finish, Very complex body”

“Details
In the ancient Persian court, legend says that the ideas of royalty, excellence and the good life evolved around the sacred tea ceremonies where only the very best tea blends were served. Centuries later tea is still a staple of Persian cuisine. We are proud to present Persian Choice Royal Earl Gray Tea, a secret blend prepared in accordance with these ancient sentiments. Made from the absolute highest quality tea leaves from Ceylon, Assam, and Darjeeling, this pungent Earl Grey blend has been transformed into pure royalty. We use the finest tea leaves available to ensure the least bitter taste possible. We blend these exquisite tea leaves with a secret variety of natural and organic extracts. With hints of bergamot and the aroma of a middle eastern spice market our Persian Choice Royal Earl Grey will transform any event into an elegant setting. CERTIFIED ORGANIC, FAIR TRADE, and KOSHER. We are proud to announce that our Persian Choice Royal Earl Grey Tea has won FIRST PLACE in the North American Tea Championship in the Earl Grey Category.”

About Alvin’s of San Francisco View company

Company description not available.

12 Tasting Notes

139 tasting notes

Sample package label: “Persian Choice Royal Earl Grey”

Per: http://www.alvinsofsf.com/persian-choice-royal-earl-grey-tea.html
“12oz Box; First Place Winner in the North American Tea Championship. Pungent, Robust, Smooth finish, Very complex body”

Details (See above)

Thanks to Hovik Azadkhanian at Alvin’s of San Francisco for the recommended brewing instructions: 1 tsp. / 205*F / 8oz.
“Steep Time is around 2 minutes. Again, this part is totally up to you. Many people steep for less time and then re-steep a second time.”

Given my wife’s love of Earl Grey tea and the First Place Earl Grey award in the 2011 North American Tea Championship, we were very interested to taste this tea.

Technique:
8-oz water with total dissolved solids (TDS) of 26 ppm, heated to 212*F and allowed to cool to 205*F – verified with DAVIDsTEA digital thermometer.

1 Tevanna teaspoon, without sweeteners, milk or cream.

This tea has a fresh Bergamot fragrance perhaps with a hint of licorice.

Dry leaf – blackish brown long leaves

Infused Leaf – Bright coppery hue

First cup:
2-min: Smooth, pleasing, balanced, med.-bodied I then steeped it an additional min.
3-min: Smooth, medium- to full-bodied with a fresh mild lemon aroma and a lemon flavor at the finish. No hint of bitterness, astringency, or tartness.
4-min: Now nearly full-bodied

Second cup: 1.5 tsp.. / 205*F / 8oz.
2-min: Smooth, full-bodied with a fresh mild lemon aroma and mild lemon tartness. No hint of bitterness or astringency.

Third cup: 1.5 tsp.. / 205*F / 8oz.
3-min.: Smooth, full-bodied with a fresh mild lemon aroma and mild lemon tartness. No hint of bitterness or astringency.

Impression: This EG is a smooth medium- to full-bodied tea with a fresh mild lemon aroma and without any bitterness or astringency. My cup was empty before I knew it. My wife enjoyed this tea but didn’t find it to be “The EG” she’s been seeking. She prefers a strong black tea base with an equally strong Bergamot aroma and flavor.

Thanks to Hovik Azadkhanian for providing this generous size free sample.

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90
392 tasting notes

Okay, that… is a nice Earl Grey. There are some tiny tippy light notes like lemon and florals that play through the tannin and malt of the base, which holds its own but really does let the bergamot shine. I’m not sure anything can trump Whispering Pines’ Earl Gold Reserve for me now that it’s touched the wrinkles of my soul, but this is truly a nice — classic, traditional — cuppa. 3 good western steeps from 3g in 8oz, but the bergamot was pretty well gone by the third.

My curiosity piqued, I then followed Eric1665’s example and put the other 3g on the stove to see what magic there was to make. Malt came through like whoaaaa — toasty pumpernickel bread and umami roasted nuts. Like a whole different tea. I do think it killed the bergamot, though. Oopy dadie.

Thanks, derk!

Flavors: Bergamot, Bread, Floral, Lemon, Malt, Roasted Nuts, Tannin, Umami

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1599 tasting notes

A note to only say goodbye.

Kiki had this 12oz!! box of full leaf tea when I moved in and it was very fresh and strong, caffeinating, smooth, complex citrus, perhaps the best Earl Grey I’ve ever had. Unfortunately, I never made a note for it. Also unfortunate is that it sat at the top of a shelving unit in the kitchen that is directly below a heating vent in the ceiling, so every winter the tea got blasted by hot air. This summer I realized much of the bergamot had evaporated. Instead of tossing the tea, I made pitchers of cold-brew for Kiki. Made this way, she said it tasted like a light, refreshing Earl Grey.

I wish I had made an actual note because this was a great Earl Grey.

Martin Bednář

This was a great Earl Grey! I still remember first cup fondly. Not sure if available, but their website is still up!
https://persiantea.com/collections/persian-teas

Cameron B.

Twelve ounces?! Dear lord!

Martin Bednář

I will take four at maximum, so if anyone wants to split it up for 3 of us… :D

Leafhopper

LOL, that’s what I was thinking! Even if it was a favourite, 300 g is a lot to get through. (I currently have 250 g of spring 2022 Shan Lin Xi, so I’m not in a position to judge.)

derk

Looks like within the pay few years, the company name switched from Alvin’s of San Francisco to Persian Royal Tea. I’m going to buy another box for Kiki and would be happy to split that 12oz to ship to whomever might want to try it. Let me know.

Cameron B.

I’m interested! Would prefer 2 ounces but will take up to 4 if that’s better for you! ❤

derk

I can gladly accommodate 2oz, Cameron. I’ll let you know when it’s ready to go. And Martin – I will hang onto your portion for our next swap.

Martin Bednář

Thank you in advance!

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86
4256 tasting notes

Thanks so much for the awesome swap, derk!  The swap was inspired by this tea — an Earl I’d never heard of before.  (Have to try ALL the bergamot.)  The leaves here are larger than is typically seen flavored with bergamot so I went with two loose teaspoons for a mug, so as not to spill any leaves all over the place… so it could really be 1 1/2 teaspoons if I was really packing the leaves into the teaspoon. The flavor is lovely this way but I will try it with less leaves next time anyway.   The black tea is brisk enough with two teaspoons, without being overpowering, but I didn’t really expect any astringency from these big leaves.  The bergamot is tasty — bright, strong citrus, sometimes hints of cream occasionally which is unexpected… or maybe I’m just imaginging this/wishing this.  I miss my unnatural as all getout cream EGs.  It’s amazing that some bergamot can be the best tasting flavor ever, but then others can be the most disgusting flavor.  Maybe this isn’t my favorite bergamot ever (it’s great!) but that will be tough to find these days (which is exactly the reason derk offered to send some of this over).  I will certainly enjoy the remainder of this sample! 
Steep #1  // 2 loose teaspoons for full mug // 20 minutes after boiling  // 2 minute steep
Steep #2  // 5 minutes after boiling //  3-4 min
2020 Sipdowns: 34 Teavivre – Moonlight Beauty

derk

You’re welcome :) It is a strong tea. The few times I’ve had it, I’ve used only a teaspoon for a mug. What would you say is your favorite Earl Grey?

Nattie

I was about to ask that too, @derk!

mrmopar

I like Stash Double Earl Grey.

tea-sipper

All my favorites are gone gone gone:
SpecialTeas- Earl Grey de la Creme (probably my favorite of ANY tea ever)
Element – Creme Earl Grey
Zen – original recipe Earl Grey Creme

Nattie

Okay I’m adding everything to my wishlist haha. I’m a sucker for an EG Crème.

tea-sipper

I hate to inform you Nattie, but those teas haven’t been available for years. :/

ashmanra

Earl Grey Supreme by Harney, Earl Grey Royale by The O Dor. (My fave is reblended and I don’t like the new base. I loved Nina’s Earl Grey when it had a Keemun base but I don’t like the Ceylon.)

Nattie

Oh nooo! I saw that the Element one was unavailable but didn’t notice the others. Why must the good EGCs be doomed? ):

Nattie

I totally didn’t see the bit where you said they were gone! Whoops…

Nattie

@ashmanra – I might try the Nina’s EG, I’m not usually a fan of Keemun so I might prefer the Ceylon base

derk

I’d love to try a keemun Earl Grey. If anybody finds one, lmk!

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95
1926 tasting notes

I brewed this tea western. 2 tsp / 300 ml. Ball strainer. 4 minutes.

A tea from derk. Highly rated here, but I will go lower a bit. It is a decent EG for sure, but there is something I miss. More below.

I slept finally fairly well, but not much. Waking up in 8 am sounds much better than 5 though. I wasn!t really sure which tea I wanted, but I wanted something good, if possible black or green. I did not want to make an oolong, which is kind of strange, because I really started to like oolongs recently. Maybe that bad experience with last one changed my mind somehow? I don’t know.

Anyway, I took two teaspoons of this very aromatic tea into my ball strainer. It is very dirty as I was using it very often, so tea stains everywhere, even I washed it in hand and throughly. I should buy a new strainer, maybe some big one, instead of those ball ones. The tea looks pretty! It is indeed with long leaves, no BOP or just some dust. It is full leaves, just curled. That is always a good sign, and honestly, I am not sure if I saw something like that for Earl Grey before.

As I said, it is indeed very aromatic, even derk packed it twice in airtight packs. If she didn’t made it, I think all teas would get slightly EG aroma.

After four minutes of steeping I took the strainer out, and result was copper oclour brew. It was really nice to watch, although it is “only tea”. Aroma was certainly citrusy and mostly the bergamot I notice, but there were also base tea qualities as for example the maltiness.

When sipped, an explosion of citrus fruits came into my mouth, following with malt. As I brewed it probably too strong, it was drying. But the caffeine boost is so amazing now, I am almost shaking, adrenaline bit rushed in my blood as well. Only downside today is that everybody is at home today, but nieces and my brother (they went skiing), so I can’t really focus on school stuff I really need to finish today. Another brother took home office, so I can’t use his big screen, which is annoying because of huge Excel files I need to make. They have around 1300 rows, 10 collums and 4 sheets.

Anyway, this tea just missing one thing I like on my favourite EGs and it is bit smokiness in taste. It isn’t bad, just missing just this one.

TL;DR: Great Earl Grey, high quality leaf, with explosion of citruses and bergamot mostly. I miss bit of smokiness only.

Big thank you derk!

Flavors: Bergamot, Citrus Zest, Citrusy, Malt

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 4 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 10 OZ / 300 ML
Shae

This one sounds so good! If you don’t mind me asking, what is your favorite Earl Grey? I love the idea of some smokiness with the bergamot. I’ve never had that before.

gmathis

I love tea care packages from friends! I coo and paw over them like Gollum and his Precious. Sounds like yours was a real treasure box.

Martin Bednář

Shae: My favourite I found recently (but from tea bag) was Fortnum and Mason EG. Maybe their loose leaf is bit different. My tea bags were quite old as well, so I am not really sure. And first one I really liked was Impra Tea Company, but can’t recall it much, as it was maybe 10 years ago?

gmathis: yeah, just the shipping is nightmare and annoying postal workers even bigger. But derk sent me nice collection of teas and I hope I sent good ones too!

Shae

Martin: I will look for these – thank you! I’ve heard of Fortnum and Mason but not Impra.

Ashmanra: I picked up a tin of this to try but haven’t opened it yet. I don’t think I realized it was a smoky one!

Martin Bednář

I am not really sure if they still exist! I haven’t heard of them in ages and apparently their teas are not available here as well. But as I said, I m not sure if it is smoky at all. And mostly, I do not mean heavily smoked. just a tiny bit :)

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100
4 tasting notes

This is the best Earl Grey I have ever tasted. PERIOD!!!

Flavors: Bergamot, Flowers, Lemon, Orange

Preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 3 min, 30 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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100
1 tasting notes

My husband and I are in love with Persian choice earl grey. We have been drinking it for over 10 years!

Flavors: Bergamot, Fruity, Leather, Lemon

Preparation
Boiling 2 min, 45 sec 1 tsp 12 OZ / 354 ML

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100
1 tasting notes

After searching high &slow for the perfect Earl Grey, I found Persian Choice! Wow what a surprise. We did a full steep Persian style where the tea was heated in a kettle on medium heat for about an hour. We poured about a shot of super dark tea into a cup and added hot water. (25 off boil) what an ejouable cup! Deep bergamot with almost a spiced tone. This is by far the best earl grey I have ever had.

Flavors: Bergamot, Dark Wood, Spicy, Sweet

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 30 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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