78
drank Earl Grey by Nina's Paris
2201 tasting notes

Sipdown, 243. Thanks to Nina’s Paris for this sample to try!

I decided to request an Earl Grey as a sample to see how it compares to some of my other faves. I am no longer actively looking for the perfect Earl Grey, because I have found it (Lupicia), but I will always welcome new versions to try. I was unsure of how long to steep this one, because the Versailles Rose was good at 3 minutes but the Marie-Antoinette really needed only 2 minutes. I decided that possibly a tad weak was better than bitter, so I went with 2 this time.

This is a tasty Earl. Two minutes worked just fine. That nice, malty-smooth base that I found in the Versailles Rose makes an appearance again, paired with a nicely balanced citrusy bergamot. Not perfumy, nor bitter like citrus pith. I definitely enjoyed drinking my cup, but it didn’t quite stand out to me as particularly distinctive. Which is fine, because it’s still a very tasty tea and a good example of a well-done Earl.

Preparation
Boiling 2 min, 0 sec
looseTman

Hi Dinosara, In your quest to find your favorite EG tea, what was the best organic EG you tasted & how did it compare to Lupicia. Thanks!

Dinosara

I haven’t had too many organic Earl Greys but of the ones I have had my favorite is probably two leaves and a bud… It’s nicely balanced, with a good amount of bergamot that is citrusy and pleasant, and a smooth black tea base. The biggest difference between that one and the Lupicia is the base; the Lupicia is a Keemun and the two leaves and a bud is a Ceylon. I tend to prefer Chinese blacks in general so I prefer the Lupicia but the two leaves and a bud is still a really great tea!

looseTman

I share your preference for Keemun vs. most Ceylon teas. Have you tried any of the following EG: American tea Room, Arbor Teas, DavidsTea, Nectar Fine Teas, Rishi, The Tao of Tea, Teas Etc., Zen Tea? Thanks

Dinosara

Of those I have only tried the cream version of DavidsTea’s and the Rishi… I found the DavidsTeas version to be kind of astringent and bitter with the bergamot, and I found the Rishi to be decent but it has a Yunnan base so it is a little different.

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Comments

looseTman

Hi Dinosara, In your quest to find your favorite EG tea, what was the best organic EG you tasted & how did it compare to Lupicia. Thanks!

Dinosara

I haven’t had too many organic Earl Greys but of the ones I have had my favorite is probably two leaves and a bud… It’s nicely balanced, with a good amount of bergamot that is citrusy and pleasant, and a smooth black tea base. The biggest difference between that one and the Lupicia is the base; the Lupicia is a Keemun and the two leaves and a bud is a Ceylon. I tend to prefer Chinese blacks in general so I prefer the Lupicia but the two leaves and a bud is still a really great tea!

looseTman

I share your preference for Keemun vs. most Ceylon teas. Have you tried any of the following EG: American tea Room, Arbor Teas, DavidsTea, Nectar Fine Teas, Rishi, The Tao of Tea, Teas Etc., Zen Tea? Thanks

Dinosara

Of those I have only tried the cream version of DavidsTea’s and the Rishi… I found the DavidsTeas version to be kind of astringent and bitter with the bergamot, and I found the Rishi to be decent but it has a Yunnan base so it is a little different.

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Bio

I am tea obsessed, with the stash to match. I tend to really enjoy green oolongs, Chinese blacks, and flavored teas with high quality bases, especially florals, bergamot-based teas, and chocolate teas.

In my free time I am a birder, baker, and music/movie/tv addict.

Here are my rating categories, FYI:
100-90: Mind-blowingly good, just right for my palate, and teas that just take me to a happy place.
89-86: I really really like these teas and will keep most of them in the permanent collection, but they’re not quite as spectacular as the top category
85-80: Pretty tasty teas that I enjoy well enough, but definitely won’t rebuy when I run out.
79-70: Teas that I would probably drink again, but only if there were no preferrable options.
69-50: Teas that I don’t really enjoy all that much and wouldn’t drink another cup of.
49 and below: Mega yuck. This tea is just disgusting to me.
Unrated: Usually I feel unqualified to rate these teas because they are types of teas that I tend to not like in general. Sometimes user error or tea brewed under poor conditions.

Location

Ohio, US

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