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“Another foil-wrapped paper teabag of uncertain age, from the loose-ends bin of a local tea shoppe. Note that this is “Organic” EGS, not Harney’s standard EGS, and this is sold in paper teabags...” Read full tasting note
A blend of black teas from India, scented with natural, lemony bergamot from the Mediterranean. A perfect afternoon tea that can stand alone or be complemented with milk and sugar.
Since 1983 Harney & Sons has been the source for fine teas. We travel the globe to find the best teas and accept only the exceptional. We put our years of experience to work to bring you the best Single-Estate teas, and blends beyond compare.
Another foil-wrapped paper teabag of uncertain age, from the loose-ends bin of a local tea shoppe. Note that this is “Organic” EGS, not Harney’s standard EGS, and this is sold in paper teabags only, while the standard EGS is sold only in silken sachets or as loose leaf. Also, the ingredients differ between the two, “organic” being comprised of black teas from India, whereas the standard EGS is comprised of black tea, oolong tea, and white tea, and the description also mentions “silver tips” without explanation. So I created this new Steepster entry for the Organic EGS, since that is what I have. (The entry for standard EGS might be due for some revision, as the description on their website seems a bit different, though no one has added a note there in recent post-CoVid years.
I steeped the bag Western style in 8 oz. boiling spring water for 3 minutes. The dry leaf had a lovely bergamot aroma, and it had dissipated considerably by the end of steeping. This tastes to me like the quintessential Earl Grey. I loved it! The bergamot flavor was present and perfectly balanced with the malty assam tea base, both very tasty. Very slight astringency, as expected, and a lovely long finish that expressed both tea and bergamot. No bitterness, sourness, or stale cardboard notes. I have a second bag that I will steep for the recommended 5 minutes, and report back on what I find. Meanwhile I can fully recommend this organic earl grey supreme, and rate it as 91. [FOLLOWUP: 5 min. steep. Nicely strong tea, without loss of bergamot taste. Enhanced maltiness from the assam base black, without defects. Retained the long finish, and like the shorter steep, slurping and gurgling the lukewarm tea greatly enhanced the flavors and allowed the assam base to sing. Still just slightly astringent. So 3 min steep or 5 min steep, terrific tea either way is good!]. Among the best EG’s, in my opinion. (And I don’t care one bit about it being “organic” or not.)
Flavors: Astringent, Bergamot, Malty, Tea
I haven’t had the organic version, but of all their plain Earls I like the Earl Grey Supreme best. Victorian London Fog and Diamond Jubilee are good but I don’t feel a need to keep them on hand. I am not usually a huge Earl fan unless the base is Chinese tea. I do like bergamot and other flavors combined, though, on most bases!
@ashmanra, I recall having one of H&S’ plain Earl Greys, but it was before I was making sip-notes and I wasn’t much experienced in the scope of their offerings. I also recently bought a tin of their Paris sachets, which is a jacked-up EG blend having an oolong component like the standard EGS, and you may have a note on if I search through the gazillion reviews of it here on Steepster. But I’ll def keep an eye open for Harney’s standard EGS to try it out! It’s also time for me to revisit Twinings EG, which got me through high school and which I mostly abandoned in 1981 when they switched from bergamot oil to bergamot flavoring, viewing it as a slipping of standards.
We love Paris! I hope you enjoy it, too.