Silky (Classic) Earl Grey

Backlog #3: After the whole cherry ordeal, I decided that I was ready to try some of this Earl Grey. The only Assam tea that I have ever had has been in the Twining’s Irish Breakfast so I was expecting something extremely bold that I would need to have with milk.

Oh my god! Was I ever wrong about that!

This tea is utterly fantastic. The tea base is sturdy but not overly bold. It tastes like good tea. But the bergamot is just awesome! It tastes like you took a whole bergamot fruit and just squeezed the juice into your tea. It is fruity and juicy and leaves a clean and fresh taste in your mouth that you get right after you eat a ripe orange.

It is just utterly amazing and unlike any other Earl Grey that I have had.

The only thing is that you have to have it plain. Even if you add just a drop of milk, the tea base disappears and the bergamot turns sour. But if you have it plain it will be just fantastic!

Thank you Teajo Teas for letting me have a sample! I think I’ll have to explore the rest of your Assams if it is anything like this one.

Silky Earl Grey

Sample package label:
“Contents: Whole leaf black Tea, w/Bergamot oil and natural flavors”
“Brewing: 1 teaspoon for 3 minutes 8-oz water @ 212*F”

8-oz water with total dissolved solids (TDS) of 25 ppm, boiled

Introduction: Teajo Teas Earl Grey is made with an Assam base. Most EG teas come from Shi Lanka formerly known as Ceylon. Having a different base tea, was a significant reason for wanting to sample this tea. Our current EG cream has a Ceylon base and I can’t get past the astringency. Also, my wife loves EG teas.

This tea has another fragrance that I can’t identify, which is at least as strong as the oil of bergamot fragrance.

Amber hue

3-min Infusion: A mild lemon taste with another equally strong enjoyable flavor that I can’t identify. I guess it’s the safflower as listed on their website: http://www.teajo.com/product_info.php?cPath=27&products_id=47
In my experience:
– The tartness of citrus bergamia is a common characteristic of most Earl Grey tea.
– Most EG tea is mild- to medium-bodied.

Impression: A full-bodied EG without astringency, bitterness or tartness – Quite an accomplishment!

2nd 3-min Infusion: Nearly identical to the original infusion.

Suggestion: For those like my wife who love the classic EG aroma & flavor, Teajo Teas may also wish to develop another version of their Silky Earl Grey where the other natural ingredients are not as strong as the oil of bergamot – a Silky Classic Earl Grey.

Thanks to Teajo Teas for providing this most generous 10-cup free sample. I will definitely enjoy the rest of it – and that’s not something I thought I would say! Well done!

Based on this very positive first impression of Teajo teas, I would also be interested in tasting their Black Manas and Tropical Mango teas.

I was excited to get the chance to try this Earl Grey because Assams, or an Assam rich blend are my favourite bases for this type of tea, mainly because of the chocolate, or biscuity tones that they often have that nicely support the citrus notes and secondly because they usually have a thicker body to them that I feel better supports the Strong Bergamot Earl Greys which are most often my favourites.

In Silky Earl Grey, Teajo comes close to creating my ideal earl grey. It has a really lovely Assam Base, paired with a heavier sweeter bergamot. I would like just a bit more of a spicier bergamot to create my ideal Earl grey.

Dry Smell
- fairly strong , spicy and sweet bergamot, hint of lemon rind and cocoa.

Brew Colour
– nice, clear, classic amber colour.

Texture
- Tastes quite smooth at first, finishing with a drying effect at the front of the mouth. The tea has a medium bodied mouth feel.

Flavour – A nice balance between a sweet bergamot baked goods taste, sweet red fruit in the tea base, and chocolate undertones. The base tea has enough depth to support the strong flavouring. The re-steep contains a flavour consistent to the first steep, with just a little bit more malty, chocolate tones shining through the lemon pound cake with custard smell and taste. The third steep was sweeter with less citrus notes but still a rich flavour.

Aftertaste – lemon(the taste you get when you drink lemon in hot water), lavender, with bitter sweet chocolate notes and a hint of malt.

This is a really nice strong and fruity Earl Grey with a great deal of flavour and a natural sweetness.

Thanks Piccolo for the chance to try your tea! It has a really lovely base and I look forward to trying some more once I make some room in my cupboard.

5/5 (see my bio for more info on my new pared down scale)

It’s been way too hot frankly to want to drink hot black tea (over 100F most days and muggy as a dog’s mouth, blech), aaaand my favorite kettle is still out of commission (they sent me an entirely different model that isn’t nearly as good by mistake…told me I could keep it for my troubles so it works in a pinch but I really miss my good, keep-warm kettle!), but I was boiling water in the kettle to make steamed rice the Thai knuckle method (from It Rains Fishes) and had just enough leftover for a cup of tea. So!

This lives up to the hype! I’m so impressed with how citrusy it manages to be without getting off-balance—it’s got powerful flavor without ever becoming bitter, too tart, or unpleasantly scrubby in terms of mouthfeel. Slick as heck. I think the boldness of the assam works ideally with that sit-up-and-take-notice bright bergamot; the tea’s strength and body handles the acid beautifully. The first citrusy bergamot in an Earl Grey I really dig. One of the best EGs I’ve had period, especially in that increasingly rare category of EGs that taste like straightforward platonic ideal EGs—no vanilla cream flavorings or other unusual tricks up the sleeve, just a gorgeous balance of black tea and bergamot. Yay Steepster for tipping me off to it!

Holy bregamot! That smells really good. It has a great citrus flavour. I don’t taste the cacao, but still smooth and delicious.

Thanks Teajo!

I got this as a sample from Teajo.
Earl Greys with Ceylon (I believe that’s the most common black tea used) are alright…I always taste an astringency with them…even if it’s faint. This uses Assam though. This man, is awesome! It’s got a full body richness with the fabulous elements of normal EG. ) The sample is very generous and when I run out I will definitely order some more! Job well done!!!

I’ve had this sample forever and never tried it. I decided to finally go with it for my morning cup. I must have not used enough leaves, because I could get hints of tea but it was just really weak. I have enough for one more cup, so I will try again soon.

I brewed an afternoon cup of this yesterday and wasn’t really feeling the hot tea thing. I came back to it for dinner and poured it over ice. Yummy. This is awesome cold. This will definitely stay on my wishlist. Thanks again boychik!

Earl Grey is one of those teas that makes me happy, truly, so finding a good one is a singular sort of pleasure…and this is a beautiful Earl Grey. I’m not sure what the “silky” part of the description means, so I’m deciding to translate it simply into “bloody delicious.” It seems accurate.

If you like your EGs with a solid, high-quality layer of bergamot this is one of the very best I’ve ever encountered. I’m not sure why I find it so appealing, but this is the sort of tea you just want to roll around in your mouth and savour every sip…delicious, full-bodied and utterly drinkable – this might just be my favourite (non-creme) EG.

That recommendation is for Earl Grey lovers. Individuals who have long since established a general horror for The Earl know what’s best for themselves in this situation.

Crazy backlog sipdown combo from four days ago. Why I’m posting it now when I’m sleep deprived, I don’t know. I hypothesize it has a lot to do with procrastination and little to do with logic and self-preservation.

When I smelled this one for the first time I was a bit worried; the bergamot is like a slapstick puck up the nose (except my nose and skull remain gratefully intact, could you imagine the actual damage that would do?). Err.. however, I found as long as I didn’t add milk, this would usually turn out to be a pleasantly fresh and fruity evening pick me up. I guess I don’t mind bergamot and Earl Grey teas after all (as long as milk is absent). Possibly a repurchase for the summer season.