From Empire Tea Services, I have tried Earl Green, Earl White, De La Creme, and a couple with bergamot as a light touch ingredient. Somehow, I missed a straight black tea Earl Grey.
This like all their versions of Earl Grey is not for the faint hearted bergamot haters. There is absolutely no question what the main ingredient is here. The orange peel turns the flavor slightly away from ‘normal’ but not in a way that would annoy EG lovers. I hate getting an EG that has a bunch of other junk in the mix or so little bergamot I have to check the label. Call it something else if you are going to do that to your tea.
With this one the first cup is Bergamot/Orange with the Ceylon only revealing itself late in the sip as the cup cools. Intense.
The second cup is less intense. It adds a peppery note. The base is more present. Pleasant.
The third cup is lighter and reminds me of Twinings. Halfway through the cup I iced it and it made for a refreshing ending. It might have gone a fourth cup but I didn’t try.
I have learned that ETS blends tend to be very potent when you first open them. Sometimes I mix them with a straight tea for a while other times if you just let them age they will calm down. Today I did neither.
Sounds like a nice EG. We like the earl at home a lot.