I should just throw in the towel with Earl Grey, or perhaps I didn’t like Adagio’s blend. Or maybe I brewed it up incorrectly. :(
Whatever the case, this didn’t work for me this morning. This tea smells absolutely delicious – more like a Lady Grey than an actual Grey. I’ve had my nose permanently stuck in it since my Adagio order came in. It’s mouthwatering. And pretty, with the little blues and the dark black of the tea.
And it steeped up to a beautiful amber hue, with a very pleasant smell. Bergamot and citrus and floral.
But the taste left something to be desired for me. It was fairly smooth at the get-go, but then there was a really bitter kick at the end. Very bitter. As in, over-steeped tea, even though I followed the directions that Adagio gave for brewing this baby. Or maybe it was bergamot overload. The bergamot flavor here comes on stronger in the sipping than it does on the nose. Like really, really strong.
I think I need to lower the steeping time on this one significantly. I’m feeling fairly disappointed right now, though. I thought I was going to experience an Earl Grey revelation. As in, “Ahhh, now THIS is what Earl Grey is supposed to be.” I was able to finish the entire cup, but I didn’t enjoy it nearly as much as I hoped I would have. Maybe it’s time for me and Grey to part company – even though I really do love Twining’s Lady Grey.
I’ll keep experimenting with steeping time, though, and see if I can mellow this beast.
(P.S. This is one of the funniest reviews that I’ve read about this tea: http://www.teaviews.com/2007/06/25/review-adagio-earl-grey/ I can’t say my experience was AS bad, but it was disappointing on so many levels.)
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Try another brand or come back to it later. You’re just getting started:) You may find that over time your tastes change. I started adding mint to everything and now I don’t think it’s all that great unless it’s iced… Or Adagio’s cocomint green… YUMMY!
I’d suggest either lowering the steeping time (3.5 or 4 minutes, maybe?) or adding milk. That usually works well for my in terms of reducing the pungency.
Personal tastes aside, a black tea should do fine w/ boiling water, especially if you like other blacks steeped in boiling water. Maybe play w/ the leaf to water ratio as well.
I’m with Jillian – a lower steep time is a good place to start (I think Adagio does insanely long steep times on some of their teas). Milk will work, too, to smooth it out a little. I pretty much can’t drink EG straight – too strong. Cofftea also brings up a good point – try other brands. All EGs are not created equal!
Ohh, if you’ve got a tea place around there that sells Mariage Freres, they’ve got some great EG and EG-like teas. Rushka is one of my favs and their 1854 is good too but a more floral/jasmine-like EG. Pretty much everyone has their own spin to EG so don’t give up just yet!
The whole milk thing has been a thorn in my side for a while, since I’m lactose intolerant. :( I’m always hesitant to add soy since it has its own strong, nutty flavor that I’m afraid will overwhelm the tea. :(
I’m definitely going to lower the steep time, and see if I like it. The black tea in here didn’t seem like the best, either. I would never steep an Earl Grey for five minutes in bagged form (I’ve actually done 1-3 because they can get overwhelming very fast), but since I’m new to the loose leaf steeping, I’m unsure of the time-to-flavor ratios yet.
Mariage Freres is sold at Dean & Deluca, which are all over NYC, so I’ll try and pick up some gourmet French tea!
Most flavored teas aren’t as high quality as unflavored. I typically start with 3:30 for most flavored black and go from there. Mostly though it is personal taste and you’ll just have to play a little to find out what you like best. As a general rule, the larger the pieces of leaves, the more time it can take without getting bitter.
MF also has a Lady Grey that is good. Just tell them you are looking for an EG or Lady EG and they should give you lots of options to choose from.
Not sure what to tell you about the milk substitute. I’ve used non-dairy creamer before so maybe something like that? If you decide you want to go the additive route.
s in stock. Much lighter than typical EG fare.]
I have NO idea what happened there. I swear it wasn’t me. I had much more typed out.
Of course, now I can’t remember what I had typed out. Something about D&D having Harney and Sons tea as well and that you should take a look at their Winter White Earl Grey if they have it in stock.
I LOVE Earl Grey, but I hated Adagio’s version. SpecialTeas’ Earl Grey de la Creme is a great one to start with if you’re just trying Earl Grey for the first time. They also have several other Earl Grey blends that I hear are great, including a new one that’s heavy on the citrus.
@Bethany, that was my first EG and it holds a special place in my heart. So yum!
I agree with your review, but I found this tea takes some tweaking to get a better taste.
Try this: 2.0g of it, 7oz 212F water, steeped for 2.5 min
I love Adagio’s Earl Grey Bravo, however, I too have found that following the brew instructions makes for a not-so-tasty cup of tea. I would definitely suggest the brew instructions that caustiq posted.
This tea is definitely best with just a small teaspoon of tea per cup and boiling at 4 minutes, not 5. It packs a punch, so 5 minutes is much too long, IMO. Hope you’ve tried it again with other prep settings! :)
Try another brand or come back to it later. You’re just getting started:) You may find that over time your tastes change. I started adding mint to everything and now I don’t think it’s all that great unless it’s iced… Or Adagio’s cocomint green… YUMMY!
I’d suggest either lowering the steeping time (3.5 or 4 minutes, maybe?) or adding milk. That usually works well for my in terms of reducing the pungency.
Personal tastes aside, a black tea should do fine w/ boiling water, especially if you like other blacks steeped in boiling water. Maybe play w/ the leaf to water ratio as well.
I’m with Jillian – a lower steep time is a good place to start (I think Adagio does insanely long steep times on some of their teas). Milk will work, too, to smooth it out a little. I pretty much can’t drink EG straight – too strong. Cofftea also brings up a good point – try other brands. All EGs are not created equal!
Ohh, if you’ve got a tea place around there that sells Mariage Freres, they’ve got some great EG and EG-like teas. Rushka is one of my favs and their 1854 is good too but a more floral/jasmine-like EG. Pretty much everyone has their own spin to EG so don’t give up just yet!
The whole milk thing has been a thorn in my side for a while, since I’m lactose intolerant. :( I’m always hesitant to add soy since it has its own strong, nutty flavor that I’m afraid will overwhelm the tea. :(
I’m definitely going to lower the steep time, and see if I like it. The black tea in here didn’t seem like the best, either. I would never steep an Earl Grey for five minutes in bagged form (I’ve actually done 1-3 because they can get overwhelming very fast), but since I’m new to the loose leaf steeping, I’m unsure of the time-to-flavor ratios yet.
Mariage Freres is sold at Dean & Deluca, which are all over NYC, so I’ll try and pick up some gourmet French tea!
Most flavored teas aren’t as high quality as unflavored. I typically start with 3:30 for most flavored black and go from there. Mostly though it is personal taste and you’ll just have to play a little to find out what you like best. As a general rule, the larger the pieces of leaves, the more time it can take without getting bitter.
MF also has a Lady Grey that is good. Just tell them you are looking for an EG or Lady EG and they should give you lots of options to choose from.
Not sure what to tell you about the milk substitute. I’ve used non-dairy creamer before so maybe something like that? If you decide you want to go the additive route.
s in stock. Much lighter than typical EG fare.]
I have NO idea what happened there. I swear it wasn’t me. I had much more typed out.
Of course, now I can’t remember what I had typed out. Something about D&D having Harney and Sons tea as well and that you should take a look at their Winter White Earl Grey if they have it in stock.
I LOVE Earl Grey, but I hated Adagio’s version. SpecialTeas’ Earl Grey de la Creme is a great one to start with if you’re just trying Earl Grey for the first time. They also have several other Earl Grey blends that I hear are great, including a new one that’s heavy on the citrus.
@Bethany, that was my first EG and it holds a special place in my heart. So yum!
I agree with your review, but I found this tea takes some tweaking to get a better taste.
Try this: 2.0g of it, 7oz 212F water, steeped for 2.5 min
I love Adagio’s Earl Grey Bravo, however, I too have found that following the brew instructions makes for a not-so-tasty cup of tea. I would definitely suggest the brew instructions that caustiq posted.
This tea is definitely best with just a small teaspoon of tea per cup and boiling at 4 minutes, not 5. It packs a punch, so 5 minutes is much too long, IMO. Hope you’ve tried it again with other prep settings! :)