Earl Grey

Another of the Earl Greys I found while going through my tea collection. I haven’t tried this one before, either.

I steeped this according to the consensus of tasting notes at boiling and for three minutes.

I didn’t get much bergamot fragrance at all from the dry tea, but the try tea was in one of those S&V paper bags. It was nicely taped up still, but the reality is all the S&V dry leaf smells similar to me because of the paper bags and it all smells a little fruity in a berry sort of way. It must be because I had some berry flavored blacks in the group and the strongest aroma shared with all the others.

I don’t get a ton of bergamot after steeping either, but of course, I don’t like heavy bergamot in my Earl Grey so that’s a good thing. The liquor is clear and a cherry wood red color which must be the influence of the Ceylon.

I like the black tea blend in this one. I definitely taste the Assam, but it isn’t overpowering. I taste the darjeeling as well. It’s a very flavorful base and while I wouldn’t call it smooth, it isn’t harsh either, just has a small bit of bite.

And that’s mostly what I taste, at least this time around. I’m not sure I’d identify this as an Earl Grey if I wasn’t told it was. There is a definite floral note to the tea, but not much of a citrus one and the floral could just as easily be something other than bergamot to my tastebuds.

So I’m torn on how to rate this. On the one hand, as a tea, I quite like it. On the other, I’m not sure it lived up to my expectations of an Earl Grey. On the other hand (what other hand? how many hands do I have?), my expectations of an Earl Grey often result in my feeling that the bergamot is too strong (which this isn’t) and is sitting like a lump of tar in my stomach (which this isn’t).

So I’ll split the baby. Earl Grey points: 75. Tea tastiness points: 83. Rating: 79.

OK… I think I’m finally ready to rate this numerically.

The blend here is very well-rounded. It is robust and very bright in flavor. The bergamot is not as strong in this blend as I’ve experienced it in other blends, but, it seems to be “just right” for this tea base. Nothing too overwhelming, just a very smooth, seamless tasting tea. Beautiful.

Delicious Earl Grey. I preferred it at just under the recommended 3 min. steeping time. At 2 min. and 50 seconds, I avoided any bitterness but got plenty of flavor. I gather that people have strong opinions about Earl Greys-some like the Bergamot to being very strong and others like it more subtle. To me this one is just right, but that’s just me. At this point, this one is a favorite, but I haven’t tested that many. Just as with trying to find the perfect pumpkin spice, I also see myself trying many more Earl Grey teas, just out of curiosity.

I love to start the day with Earl Grey! This is the latest tea in my summer project, and it was given to me to review. This is a nice, fragrant tea with a smooth, mild citrus taste. The bergamot is actually pretty light, which makes the black blend the focus of the cup. It’s a matter-of-fact Earl Grey, but a good place to start before moving on to their other variations.

You can read the full review here:
http://wordsabouttea.blogspot.com/2013/06/earl-grey-by-simpson-vail.html

Another of the Earl Grey blends on which I have been binging lately, I actually polished off the last of this before I started on Simpson & Vail’s Extra Aromatic Earl Grey, but forgot to review it. I am now rectifying that oversight. All in all, I think this one compares favorably to the other.

In the glass, this tea blend produces a rich golden liquor. On the nose, I immediately detect a balance of bergamot, honey, malt, and toast. Judging by the nose, this is going to be a very balanced Earl Grey that doesn’t overwhelm the drinker with bergamot. In the mouth, the bergamot is present up front, but is not overpowering. It is quickly balanced by well-rounded notes of honey, malt, and toast. The finish provides a pleasant, soothing balance of bergamot, toast, honey, and malt.

As mentioned earlier, I think this Earl Grey holds up to Simpson & Vail’s Extra Aromatic blend well. It does not display the depth of bergamot flavor of the other blend, but then again, it is not supposed to. This is clearly intended to be a balanced blend and that is exactly what it is. I could see this being a great introductory blend for those curious about Earl Grey, but not wanting something overly tart, spicy, or fruity.

I got this tea (I think it’s this tea! They have a lot of Earl Grey’s!) from wheezybee. Thank you!

It’s super bergamot-y. Really a lot bergamot-y. I’m enjoying it right now, but I’m not sure Earl Grey teas are something I love quite so much anymore.

The base is hearty, and this is definitely a wake-up tea. Perhaps a 2 minute steep would have been better, as this is a little strong.

ooh. Milk. I always used to add milk to my EG teas. Oh yeah. A splash of almond milk and a little maple syrup, and this is really tasty. The tea still feels oversteeped, but I won’t have problems drinking it now. :)