Earl Grey Imperial

Tea type
Black Tea
Ingredients
Bergamot, Black Tea, Oolong Tea
Flavors
Bergamot, Brisk, Citrus, Citrusy, Earl Grey, Malt, Tea, Caramel, Cocoa, Cream, Toast
Sold in
Bulk, Loose Leaf, Sachet
Caffeine
High
Certification
Kosher
Edit tea info Last updated by Teatotaler
Average preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 4 min, 45 sec 3 g 11 oz / 332 ml

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35 Tasting Notes View all

  • “A nice classic Earl Grey. I find that I like the bergamont that Harney uses much more than others I’ve come across thus far. Medium strength, preferring this blend without milk. Solid black...” Read full tasting note
    77
  • “I used this as the base for my London Fog tonight, and hubby – who is very picky about his tea and only likes about three different ones – liked it! I made a pot of this tea and added some...” Read full tasting note
  • “So, for a week, I couldn’t find my metal infuser and I was incredibly frustrated. I finally caved and bought myself a new one on Amazon, plus some Harney & Sons consolation that I had been...” Read full tasting note
    96
  • “Relogging. Rabs knew which Earl Grey B&N SBUX Cafes use so I am transferring my tealog to the correct tea. This tealog occurred the afternoon before the previous tealog. Alicia suggested I try...” Read full tasting note
    63

From Harney & Sons

This tea was in the original five teas that made up our Historic Royal Palace tea line. The tin is a lovely blue that is reminiscent of the sapphires found in the Tower of London’s Crown Jewels. We blended a special Earl Grey for this occasion. It is stronger in body than the Earl Grey Supreme (a nod to our British cousins’ taste for strong teas.) And the lemony bergamot is also stronger than our other Earl Greys.
The medium bodied tea is lightened by the addition of oolong tea.

About Harney & Sons View company

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.

35 Tasting Notes

91
42 tasting notes

Very uplifting spot of tea.

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 5 min, 0 sec

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75
220 tasting notes

This tea is just a smidgen less delicious than my favourite earl grey (Earl Grey Excelsior from t Leaf T, which is notoriously out of stock). The black tea base is light, and the bergamot refreshingly strong. I’m definitely going to pick up a big pretty tin of this for Earl Grey related emergencies.

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 4 min, 0 sec

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70
6 tasting notes

Classic Earl. Can’t go wrong.

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec

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71
115 tasting notes

I have had this Earl Grey many times. The bergamot aroma is strong, and promising, but the liquor does not hold all the bergamot I would like it to. Even still, this is an enjoyable cup of tea.

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec

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90
22 tasting notes

Loved this. Nice, strong bergamot in a lighter black tea base, which I personally really enjoy. I find the H&S bagged teas to be just fine to my liking. Picked up a tin, don’t regret it. Enjoyed with almond milk and a dab of sugar!

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25 tasting notes

A delicious, strong Earl Grey. This has a stronger bergamot aroma than their Earl Grey Supreme and the tea base seems to be slightly stronger as well and perhaps a little maltier and not as floral. It’s so strong it’s instantly leaving brown stains on the inside of my white Harney & Sons mug. I like to drink this tea with breakfast and with a good splash of milk.

So far I have tried 3 blends from Harney & Sons that I would categorize as “Earl Greys” (EG Imperial, EG Supreme and Victorian London Fog) and they have all had considerably stronger tea bases than Harney’s other flavored black teas. Is this accurate or is it just me?

All in all, this is an outstanding Earl Grey with a lot of bergamot flavor and a strong tea base to back it up. It’s wonderful and possibly even better than their Earl Grey Supreme in my mind.

I will definitely repurchase this one when I run out. What an incredible Earl Grey this is!

Flavors: Bergamot, Brisk, Citrus, Citrusy, Earl Grey, Malt, Tea

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec 3 g 10 OZ / 300 ML
ashmanra

I am not a huge fan of bergamot, so Earl Grey Supreme is my favorite of those three with this one maybe in second or tied with Victorian London Fog. I also like Diamond Jubilee which is basically EG Supreme with a little grapefruit flavor added.

So glad you are enjoying these!

Andreastt

Thanks for the comment, ashmanra! I thought I didn’t like Earl Grey at one point because I had mainly had bagged Lipton EG which is terrible, but after I have tried all the high quality Earl Greys that Harney makes, I can safely say that I love Earl Greys. Victorian London Fog is excellent as well. A little lighter on the bergamot than EG Imperial, I think, and with the addition of lavender and a little vanilla. I have not tried Diamond Jubilee but it’s probably very tasty. It sounds like it’s similar to a Lady Grey. Is it mainly bergamot or mainly grapefruit? Or are they equally strong?

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97
16 tasting notes

I found this through a review in the Financial Times, in which the reviewers ranked it the third best Earl Grey tea on the market, behind a Harrods blend, and something from the Rare Tea Company. The scent and flavor of bergamot was pure and bright, while the tea itself was strong without being bitter. I believe H & S add some oolong to this blend, which possibly gives it a smoother flavor than an all-black blend.

Preparation
3 tsp 25 OZ / 750 ML

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95
1048 tasting notes

Here is yet another sample sipdown. I finished this one yesterday evening. As an aside, I love Earl Grey blends from Harney & Sons. I have long felt that they do Earl Grey better than most other vendors. This one did not let me down.

I prepared this tea using a one step Western infusion. I steeped approximately 1 teaspoon of loose leaf material in 8 ounces of 212 F water for 5 minutes. Obviously, I did not attempt any additional infusions.

After infusion, the dark copper tea liquor produced a heady aroma of bergamot underscored by scents of toast, cream, malt, and caramel. In the mouth, the flavor of bergamot was clean, clear, and strong, while supporting notes of toast, cream, malt, caramel, and cocoa were distinctive and well-defined.

As far as I am concerned, this Earl Grey was another winner from Harney & Sons. I enjoyed its powerful bergamot aroma and flavor, as well as the vigor of its tea base. I often find that so many contemporary Earl Grey blends overemphasize the bergamot in order to cover up tea bases that are weak and flavorless. That was certainly not the case here. Though this was very heavy on the bergamot, the tea base still provided enough support in terms of aroma and flavor to keep this blend from coming off as totally one-dimensional and unbalanced. There was a lot to appreciate about it. I think fans of robust Earl Grey blends would be very satisfied with this one.

Flavors: Bergamot, Caramel, Cocoa, Cream, Malt, Toast

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML
ashmanra

My favorite is their Earl Grey Supreme, but I like Diamond Jubilee as well. They are all good.

eastkyteaguy

I actually like this one just a little bit better than the Earl Grey Supreme. I found this one to have more of a bergamot presence, but I found the EG Supreme’s tea base to be stronger and a little more flavorful. They’re both excellent though. Actually, I would say they are two of the best Earl Greys I’ve ever had.

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95
564 tasting notes

Sipdown, although again this was never in my virtual cabinet. This is a very good earl grey, and reliable for everyday drinking. If you’ve been following me for any amount of time at all you probably know that I drink earl grey almost every day. This is one of my favorites, because it’s mild and easy to brew. It is literally impossible to brew this wrong; I have tried, and it has never, ever burned or gotten bitter. One bag will easily make two or three cups of tea, which is also impressive. I would definitely get this one again; Harney’s make some of my favorite black blends and this is one of their better offerings.

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80
64 tasting notes

This is one of the better Earl Grey teas I’ve had, since it’s not too heavy on the bergamot. I really have to be in the mood for it. It’s still snowy and cold here, and I really gravitate toward blacks when that’s the case, but I decided I wanted something with a little flavor, too. This is fitting the bill.

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