Earl Grey

Whoops: perhaps I really am comparing bergamot with oranges, because it turns out that the Tea Forte Earl Grey filter bag contains orange zest, which the Tazo Earl Grey filter bag lacks!

But does it help? Does the orange improve the flavor? Honestly, the Tea Forte version smells much more like tea (ceylon, I’d guess) than either bergamot or orange! The brew is less strong (in part no doubt due to the smaller amount of tea in the filter bag), less red, and generally less appealing. It does taste pretty good for a grocery store bag tea (faint praise…), but I prefer the Tazo.

I drank both of these brews with light cream, and the Tazo is much creamier and smoother than the Tea Forte. This Earl Grey seems to be geared more for people who dislike bergamot, given that the dried filter bag does not smell like perfume but like tea. My question: do people who dislike bergamot buy Earl Grey tea???

I stand by my earlier evaluation. The Tea Forte Earl Grey is potable, but I will not be purchasing it again.

Thanks for the free sample tea forte. Backlogging. Now i am netural on earl greys. This smells like earl grey only with a bit more orange. I steeped it up. I could really taste the black tea with some bergamot and some orange. This would be good for someone that likes earl grey with more orange. I just thought it was decent.

This was a free sample of loose Earl Grey from Tea Forte. I don’t think I can give this a rating because I really hate Earl Grey tea. I did try a few swallows of this because I am supposed to review it, but I can’t tell you if it is a good Earl Grey or not.

The loose tea leaves smelled like a old man’s cologne. Once brewed it tasted very bitter and actually tasted like someone poured cologne in my tea. I really really don’t like Earl Grey. I had to rinse my mouth out and I can still taste it. Caveat – this is what all Earl Grey’s taste like to me.

I really appreciate the sample from Tea Forte so that I could try it but it’s definitely not my thing.

Link to full review and pics:
http://parkcityvegan.blogspot.com/2010/04/tea-fortes-kati-loose-tea-system-and.html

From the moment at which I remove the pyramid infuser from its cardboard cover, I know there is something different about this Earl Grey. The smell of bergamot is not very strong. In fact, it is hardly present at all. Popping the infuser into my Tea Forte Cafe Cup, I fill the cup with just boiled water and let it steep for four minutes…a happy medium in the 3-5 minute range that was given by Tea Forte’s website!

The tea being now prepared, I take a whiff of the steeping, once again surprised by the smell. It is spicy with a bit of a fruity smell. Intrigued, I go on to try this cup of tea, sip by sip. My first sip is possibly the most astringent Earl Grey I have ever tasted! The bergamot is finally hinted at in the aftertaste, but the tea itself is so incredibly astringent that I wonder if I mistimed this tea. I ditch this cup and prepare to steep a new one.

This second cup I steep for only two and a half minutes. I know this is less than what was suggested, but I figure it is better to be safe. This second cup still smells exactly the first one, which worries me slightly, but I forge onward with this tasting! Still astringent, even after such a short steep time. But it is not as bad as the first cup was. The bergamot flavor is very fake and overdone, which is a bit of a turn-off, considering that this is supposed to be Earl Grey, not cologne.

If hunting for a cup of Earl Grey, this is not the tea to which to turn. I recommend trying a different brand. Sorry, Tea Forte, but this tea needs to go back to the mixing room. On my personal enjoyment scale, I would give it a 45/100.

It’s stronger than most brands’ Earl Grey… the bergamot flavour is overwhelming. Drinking it plain might be better than with milk and sugar, which was what I did just now…

I’ve had this tea quite a few times and it is enjoyable, as Earl Greys go. It is astringent, has a nice black bitterness to it, but for Earl Grey it’s kind of bland. I really don’t get the bold peppery flavors that I get with some other brands. All-in-all this is a good tea, but if I have a choice I will be drinking Bigelow or Twinings over this if we are talking bagged.

I like this tea a lot! And not just because the company is located in the town I was born in. It’s very citrusy and smooth. Some teas are very unforgiving when you over steep them. I HATE bitterness. So the first cup I did my usual 4 min. It was good but almost too….pretty tasting. Don’t know how else to explain it. The cornflowers maybe? Perhaps someone could leave a comment that would shed some light on things. Anyway, the next cup I left for 5 min…..Really good! I may even try for a bit longer next cup. There’s doesn’t seem to be any need to worry about bitterness with this tea. Just full, rich earl grey goodness :)

I have this as a loose leaf. Slightly better than bags, but not the greatest of quality. It’s a strong Earl Grey but I think at this point I’ve had so much I need to take a break. Resteeps well once.

Forgot and oversteeped—but the tea took it well, and didn’t get very bitter. Tasted more flowery than I like, but the tea flavor is nice and rich.

Gave my bag a second brew (for five min this time), and that came out even more flowery. The tea itself wasn’t as flavorful. Aww.

We went out to eat for pretty much every meal while we were travelling and, though I’m generally not big on alcohol, I did end up ordering a cocktail at most restaurants since the mixology/flavour combination element was so appealing! However, I drew the line at alcohol for breakfast (even though it’s Vegas) so I ended up ordering off the tea menu most of the time.

It always makes me sad the tea options in restaurants are so boring. The restaurant where I drank this was just so cool and innovative (I had the most amazing ube french toast), but the teas? Earl Grey. Jasmine. Chamomile. At least it was a “bottomless” pot of tea, though – and for a standard EG I do think Tea Forte has a solid offering. Tannic and kind of coppery with both an aromatic, floral leaning bergamot and a maltier and sort of “autumnal leaf” midsip. It paired well with my breakfast, so I really shouldn’t complain at all.