This was not a good Earl Grey. I’m starting to wonder if there is a good EG out there for me! Maybe it exists in loose leaf form, or maybe I’m just simply not the Earl Grey drinker. Bigelow’s bag is smells overwhelmingly of bergamot. Like, knock your halfway across the room. It’s a fairly pleasant scent, but I’m not gonna lie – it takes some time to get used to. It brews up fairly dark, darker than the Twinings blend I tried a few days back. And it still smells of bergamot.
This one tastes much more citrus-y than the Twinings blend. It’s not bitter, like the Tazo blend. The bergamot is pretty damn strong, with highlights of both a bracing citrus and floral notes. What I really didn’t like about this tea was its oiliness. If that’s how I can describe it. It coats your mouth, and leaves your lips feeling greasy. It’s not a very pleasant sensation at all. The black tea doesn’t taste like anything special; I think the low grade fannings are completely overwhelmed by the bergamot.
I’m not looking forward to finishing the other two bags that I have. It’s drinkable, but it’s not something that I’d anticipate a cup of on any given day.
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I’m not a big earl grey drinker, but I did try twinings’ bagged version once because I was at the grocery store and desperate for tea and it was one of the worst tea-mistakes of my life.
That does sound rather nasty. If you’d like some recommendations, Twinning’s Lady Grey is much better than their regular Earl Grey and Adagio’s Earl Grey Bravo is nice too (but very citrusy).
If you don’t mind something that isn’t a black tea, Harney & Sons’s Winter White Earl Grey (it has a white tea base) is wonderfully light and refreshing.
I’m not a big earl grey drinker, but I did try twinings’ bagged version once because I was at the grocery store and desperate for tea and it was one of the worst tea-mistakes of my life.
That does sound rather nasty. If you’d like some recommendations, Twinning’s Lady Grey is much better than their regular Earl Grey and Adagio’s Earl Grey Bravo is nice too (but very citrusy).
If you don’t mind something that isn’t a black tea, Harney & Sons’s Winter White Earl Grey (it has a white tea base) is wonderfully light and refreshing.