Earl Grey Classic

Enjoying my Second Favorite Breakfast in the Whole Wide World: this Earl and a multigrain bagel with cream cheese. The hearty bread and creamy cheese play so nicely off the citrus-y good tea. Also, as I’ve said a zillion times before – this tea has magic properties and puts me in a fantastic mood. :) :) :)

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.

Tea of the morning…..

I have been eyeing this tea for a long time. While overseas ordering from Fortnum was a complete bust, I was able to purchase this one in person at Williams-Sonoma. I guess my curiosity won out over my feelings about the poor experience of ordering directly from them. I am very much willing to try any Earl as long as it is easy to obtain. I just happened to be at the mall this past weekend, so it was not even a special trip. I also picked up some sachets of Harney Organic English Breakfast for travel. I only travel with bagged tea anymore as the rest of the gear is kind of cumbersome. Yes, I have gone soft. Gone are the days of hardcore brewing no matter where I am. Convenience wins out most of the time.

The main reason why this tea intrigued me so was that it was a China black base. In reading the package it calls the base a “predominantly China blend”. I was kind of surprised at the leaf size. It seems pretty smallish like a BOP or even smaller. They are very dark and the smell of bergamot is bright and citrusy. The first pot I made had quite a bit of dust (now wet) in the bottom of my cup, meaning that it made it out of the infuser and then escaped the teapot. I guess I am not super pleased about the leaf quality for the price I paid. In the US it is about $16 for 125g. Lupicia is a much better value, but the shipping kills it for me since their Earl Grey is pretty much the only tea I would rebuy from there right now.

As for taste, it is very good. The tea base does make a rich cup of tea. The bergamot reads a little less bright than Lupicia, but not as musty (sorry about that descriptor, but I can’t think of a better way to describe it) as some Earls. I do like the packaging. Not sure if it would make the rebuy list, yet, but I am glad I finally got around to trying it. It is a good, solid cup of tea. (Rating started at 87)

Usual teapot method.

Edit to add: All of the dust in the bottom of my cup makes it pretty bitter by the end of the pot. I will drink this, but not replace it. Glad I tried it, though. (Rating took a serious hit by the end of the pot. Since the tea I brewed was measured from the top of the tin, I am pretty sure this is as good as it gets. Dust will be worse by the bottom of the tin.)

I’m not a huge fan or Earl Greys, but Tony is, so I like to surprise him with various Earls as they come my way. This one came from my trade with NofarS. I served Tony a cup of it this morning, in place of his usual version, & he said, “You can just leave the rest of that here.”

Winning!

A really good EG, specially with the fresh bergamot smell sneaking out of the tin, once you brew it, it’s not over empowering, just has this refreshing after taste. The black tea base is bold, like a nice wake up slap in the morning.

A friend brought it from her trip to London…my first Earl that I have ever tasted. If I remember properly than I added milk the first couple of times…silly me.
Winter 1992…Bergamot, something that I never smelled before, spread its wings and took me for a ride.
I remember those shiny, moist looking leafs sleeping in the tin.
I always saved that one for breakfast on the weekends…
I should soon buy another tin of this, in particular as my wife is a big Earl-fan.

This one was also on an airplane (bagged variety). It was better then the Royal variety and better then the Earl Grey Tazo. I think if I had some fresh leaf of this one it might be pretty good.

A bergamot tea connoisseur once told me that this is the best brand for Earl Grey Tea but it’s from UK. Fortunately, a year afterward, Williams-Sonoma started carrying this so I get to try this wonderful tea. It’s definitely my favorite Earl Grey Tea along side with Dilmah.

I also used it to flavor ice cream and it was a hit among my friends.

This is my favorite classic Earl Grey tea, the one I always goes to. No competition.

It’s the best earl grey I have ever tasted, and it doesn’t have that awful aftertaste that lingers in your mouth long after taking a zip.

This tea I purchase from Fortnum & Mason, again and again and again and again. Their tea is pricey, but the best.

I love this tea and ever since I could not locate it locally have ordered it in bulk through their Us web site. As of this month I have to order out of their London store with a 25 pound shipping fee – OUCH!!! -I am deciding how to make this worth my while – or is time to try for a new favorite??!!