The Earl Grey

My daughter’s fiancé brought this tea as a gift when he visited from Northern Ireland recently. He is a big fan of Earl Grey and Lady Grey teas. This is a loose leaf version.

The leaf is of medium size and the aroma when you open the inner pouch is so citrus-y and fresh. This smelled like oranges to me, though the box describes bergamot and lemony flavor. The aroma isn’t too strong and doesn’t have that bathroom cleaner acrid smell that I have found in one or two Earl Greys.

I let it steep for three minutes. I did not add milk or sugar to this one and I find it really doesn’t need anything. If you like milk and sugar I feel sure this tea could handle it. The bergamot is present and has a light, fresh aftertaste. If you love really strong bergamot this probably won’t do it for you, but I am finding it to be a very satisfying mid-morning pot of tea.

A very nice bagged EG. I like to drink it with dinner. Perfectly balanced, and I think I’m getting licorice notes as well.

Apparently it’s been two years since I last drank one of these. It doesn’t feel like that long. Although I don’t seek these out anymore, there’s still something I find very calming and reassuring about a freshly brewed cup of Earl Grey. I think it’s the scent of the bergamot, although not all blends strike me in the same way. There’s something perfect about this one. Even though its bagged, it’s still the best straight EG I’ve tried (bar EG Cream blends, which totally had me at hello.)

Anyway, I gave this one 2.5 minutes in boiling water, no additions. It’s a lovely brisk black tea, with a slightly sharp lemon aftertaste. There’s a tiny hint of the floral about it, but that note is fleeting at best. I know it’s blasphemy to say it, but I generally prefer this one with just a splash of milk.

Drinking this today has reminded me how much I enjoy a good cup of Earl Grey, particularly when I’m feeling anxious, stressed or under the weather. I might actually consider keeping a small box of this around for such occasions, and that’s a revelation for me after nearly three years of drinking loose tea almost exclusively. This one’s a winner.

I enjoy this tea. It’s got a nice flavor, nothing artificial. I enjoy it with a touch of sugar, and milk (blasphemy, I know.)

I’m really keen on this, thought I’d try it at home my way after having it at a friends. I find this to be citrusy but not too much and a good amount of bergamot. The teabag form is good when steeped for 4-5 mins, and I like mine with a bit of sugar and tea. A good little afternoon tea.

My husband returned to UK recently for work and picked up some teabags for me… as I’m currently at my parents’ I took them with me to have a cuppa in the morning.
Twinings has indeed a very fine reputation (I read Martin’s review from a few years ago and I must admit he made a great observation) but as far as the teabags go, they might smell nicely dry, once steeped the tea goes way down in appreciation! Black tea base is quite ordinary and I think the bergamot flavouring doesn’t really come out in taste. Because the flavouring doesn’t seem artificial, my rating of the tea is still above 50.

I receveived a tea bag (one, two, I can not recall) from Izzy – thanks!

Need something simple this morning. This would work I guess. Earl Grey is quite a common, but nice blend.

Interesting that it is considered high quality (by price) here. Getting an Twinings is like buying better things. But this tea should not be there. It is generic black tea with fresh, citrus notes. It does not taste so artificial as the Ahmad I had other day. But still, far from good. Black tea base is bold, but without any taste. It is just cheap something.

Bit above average, because it is not artificial. But tea base is thing to improve.

Quick additional note for this tea.

Found a recipe from Twinings for a Lady Grey and lime iced tea, but I only had Earl Grey in the cupboard. The bergamot goes spectacularly well with the slightly sour lime cordial, I highly recommend trying it with EG.

The recipe is so simple: https://www.twinings.co.uk/blog/2018/july/lady-grey-lime-cooler

if you want a lighter cup of tea brew it for 2 min, if stronger, 3 mins, good to be consumed with or without a splesh of milk added.

I tried the loose leaf version of Twinings’ Earl Grey, and I can assert it is perfect for a morning tea.
The bergamot is a little too subtle for my taste but the tea is very fragrant nonetheless.
The leafs are small and not very high quality, but for the price, I would recommend!