Twinings changed Earl Grey tea - How do you feel?

[Gary "Wombat" Robson]

For those who don't know the story, British tea giant Twinings was the company that first marketed Earl Grey tea. They've just changed the formulation, adding more bergamot (more detail on my blog here (http://garyrobson.wordpress.com/2011/09/03/twinings-changes-their-earl-grey-stop-the-presses-or-dont/)). People appear to be coming apart at the seams over this.

How does this affect you? What will you do about it?

[Cicero]

I'll stick to Bushells or Billy Tea.

[Johnny L.A.]

I drink Ahmad tea, or I get my tea from the tea store. Twinings is tea for break rooms and diners.

But I like Earl Grey tea for the bergamot. I don't think I'd mind having more of it.

[Mr. Excellent]

I drink Ahmad tea, or I get my tea from the tea store. Twinings is tea for break rooms and diners.

But I like Earl Grey tea for the bergamot. I don't think I'd mind having more of it.

Agreed on all points, though I'd note Twinings has also added lemon. I have real reservations here.

But yah, Twinings is acceptable, but I prefer to get my tea from a local tea shop. And lapsang souchong is more my thing, anyway. (Though adding bergamot could be neat ...)

[Cicero]

Okay- after reading your blog I need to know why you know so much about tea?

[twickster]

Twinings Earl Grey is my tea of choice, so this concerns me. Luckily, a Doper had a discount offer in the Marketplace last winter, and I stocked up big time -- I should be good for a couple of months anyway.

[Czarcasm]

Moved thread from IMHO to Cafe Society.

[Biffy the Elephant Shrew]

Not a big fan of Earl Grey, but they stock it in the break room at work, so once in a blue moon I have some. Unfortunately it's Bigelow's so I probably won't get a chance to try the new Twinings.

[Gary "Wombat" Robson]

But yah, Twinings is acceptable, but I prefer to get my tea from a local tea shop. And lapsang souchong is more my thing, anyway. (Though adding bergamot could be neat ...)Oooh. Lapsang Souchong with bergamot? I'm going to give that a try. I'll go blend up a bit and then report back and let you know...

Okay- after reading your blog I need to know why you know so much about tea?I own a tea bar. I also can't stand coffee, so I've been drinking tea my whole life.

Moved thread from IMHO to Cafe Society.:smack: Oh, yeah. We enabled polls in Cafe Society. I forgot.

[ricksummon]

Does this mean they're going to have to re-dub all the episodes of ST:TNG?

Tea. Earl Grey. Pre-2011. Hot.

[Mr. Excellent]

Oooh. Lapsang Souchong with bergamot? I'm going to give that a try. I'll go blend up a bit and then report back and let you know...

I own a tea bar. I also can't stand coffee, so I've been drinking tea my whole life.

:smack: Oh, yeah. We enabled polls in Cafe Society. I forgot.

I'm looking forward to hearing how the Post-Apocalyptic Earl Gray works out! (Named thus because, with the smokiness of the lapsang, it should be like Earl Gray that survived some firey holocaust and came out awesome.)

Also: You own a tea bar? Can I be your friend?

[Taomist]

I like Earl Grey <or did; haven't tried the new one yet> but after just a few cups my mouth would take on a very weird feel; it'd start tasting stronger too, which I always associated with the bergamot. So I don't think MORE bergamot is going to taste good to me. But I'm sure I'll try it.

[Cicero]

I bought some ridiculously expensive kettle that sits on the stove and it has a thermometer- when it reaches a certain temperature it is supposed to be okay for green tea, when hotter, it is fine for black tea.

It is a feature I have never used.

[Tapiotar]

If I drink Twinings, I'll go for Lady Gray, rather than Earl Gray.
But my favorite teas come from a local shop where they create their own blends, or from
*WARNING! PRETENTIOUSNESS ALERT!*
Le Palais Des Thés in Paris. They do internet mail order, and have wonderful, wonderful teas. Thé des Moines is my favorite for winter. Thé du Hamman has marvelous, sensual aromas that invoke images of long, langorous lovemaking in the tropics. The cardamom-scented tea I'm going to use in desserts.

[Miss Mapp]

I've never cared much for Twining's Earl Grey, but it doesn't sound like this is a change for the better for me. I don't like the taste of strong bergamot, and prefer milder blends, like Lady Grey or one called Dorian Grey which a friend introduced me to last year.

[Gary "Wombat" Robson]

Does this mean they're going to have to re-dub all the episodes of ST:TNG?
Remember, as much as they'd like you to believe otherwise: not all Earl Grey tea is Twinings. There are many awesome Earl Greys that I personally believe are better than theirs. Like everything else, it's subjective.

I'm going to assume that Picard is the one who taught the replicator what Earl Grey is supposed to taste like, so it's always the formulation he likes anyway.

[chappachula]

I own a tea bar.

is it as popular and accessible as this tea bar in China (http://www.justaskshirley.com/photos/china/wow.htm) ?



(I've always wanted to go there for a nice, relaxing cuppa tea. But, gee whiz, now that they've changed Earl Grey, I suppose it's just not worth the trip......... :) )

[Rhiannon8404]

I don't care because I really, really dislike Earl Grey tea. I don't even like the smell of it.

[Athena]

Remember, as much as they'd like you to believe otherwise: not all Earl Grey tea is Twinings. There are many awesome Earl Greys that I personally believe are better than theirs. Like everything else, it's subjective.

You can't say that without telling us which ones you like better!

[Broomstick]

I have to wonder if they made the change because of the perceived popularity of flavored tea, particularly fruit flavored.

I like subtle bergamot, not hit-you-over-the-head bergamot. Therefore, I anticipate I will be less than thrilled with the change.

[Biffy the Elephant Shrew]

I don't care because I really, really dislike Earl Grey tea. I don't even like the smell of it.

There's an anecdote I read in a bio of XTC about the social differences between Andy Partridge and original drummer Terry Chambers. Partridge gave Chambers a cup of Earl Grey tea and Chambers got angry, thinking Partridge was trying to trick him into drinking perfume.

[typoink]

I'm not quite ready to throw a fit here, but...I don't like this.

The whole point of Twinings Earl Grey is that it's Twinings Earl Grey. You can drink it and feel like you're connected to a rich tradition, and it's always the same, and it's just there.

Even if this new mix tastes better (and it might, Twinings isn't the best Earl Grey I've had) it means that there's no more "real" Twinings Earl Grey. And that's no good!

[Gary "Wombat" Robson]

I'm looking forward to hearing how the Post-Apocalyptic Earl Gray works out! (Named thus because, with the smokiness of the lapsang, it should be like Earl Gray that survived some firey holocaust and came out awesome.) I'm going to be tweaking the recipe a bit, but here's my first report back:

The various strong flavors in this tea hit you at different times. As you bring the cup up to your mouth, the bergamot is the first thing to hit the nose, cutting through the smokiness of the lapsang souchong. When you take the first sip, the bergamot all but disappears, leaving the pine smoke flavor, which fades into the base tea (an organic black Yunnan) as it swirls through your mouth. After you swallow, the bergamot returns, blending with the smoke to create a lingering aftertaste.

I think I'll cut back on the smokiness a bit to highlight the underlying tea, but it's pretty darned close now.

Yes, "Mr. Excellent's Post-Apocalyptic Earl Grey" will be going on the menu at my tea bar.

Also: You own a tea bar? Can I be your friend?Absolutely! You live in D.C., right? If you hop in the car early tomorrow morning, you can be here by mid-afternoon tea time on Monday. There's an art fair down the street, and the weather should be perfect for a cup of tea. If you're a cigar kinda guy, we could enjoy a nice Macanudo Cru Royale and a class of 12-year old Macallan afterward.

is it as popular and accessible as this tea bar in China (http://www.justaskshirley.com/photos/china/wow.htm) ?

(I've always wanted to go there for a nice, relaxing cuppa tea. But, gee whiz, now that they've changed Earl Grey, I suppose it's just not worth the trip......... :) )Oh. My. Goodness. I would definitely go there.

But I seriously doubt they serve anything from Twinings ;)

You can't say that without telling us which ones you like better!Clearly, you didn't read the blog post :D

My favorite Earl Grey is the Ancient Tree Earl Grey from Rishi. Not only do I love it, but it outsells the next most-popular Earl Grey in my tea bar by a four-to-one margin.

[dangermom]

I'm not quite ready to throw a fit here, but...I don't like this.

The whole point of Twinings Earl Grey is that it's Twinings Earl Grey. You can drink it and feel like you're connected to a rich tradition, and it's always the same, and it's just there.

Even if this new mix tastes better (and it might, Twinings isn't the best Earl Grey I've had) it means that there's no more "real" Twinings Earl Grey. And that's no good!

I'm thinking this is a New Coke moment for Twinings. But I don't drink tea and do not care.

[Tapiotar]

is it as popular and accessible as this tea bar in China (http://www.justaskshirley.com/photos/china/wow.htm) ?


Just looking at the photos of the trail made me fee sick with fear, but wow, what an experience! They don't butter the tea there, do they?

[Tapiotar]

For those who don't know the story, British tea giant Twinings was the company that first marketed Earl Grey tea. They've just changed the formulation, adding more bergamot (more detail on my blog here (http://garyrobson.wordpress.com/2011/09/03/twinings-changes-their-earl-grey-stop-the-presses-or-dont/)). People appear to be coming apart at the seams over this.

How does this affect you? What will you do about it?

Gary, I looked at your blog post and website. If I ever get to Montana again, I'll make a point of stopping in your teahouse/bookstore. It looks exactly like my kind of place.

[HIJACK What was that mystery series set in either Montana or Wyoming, protag have Creole, half Native American, fairly violent, slight but beleivable mystical tendences? I sold my copies before a cross-country move, and now I don't remember anymore./HIJACK]

[Huerta88]

My vote was not quite among the options. My vote was "I don't voluntarily drink Earl Grey so I shouldn't care but I do sometimes drink tea and as I posted a couple of years ago a shocking number of offices/cafes stock ONLY Earl Grey as a non-herbal tea so sometimes I get Earl Grey under protest so anything that makes it taste more like my grandmother's linen sachet is an unwelcome development."

[Gary "Wombat" Robson]

My vote was not quite among the options. My vote was "I don't voluntarily drink Earl Grey so I shouldn't care but I do sometimes drink tea and as I posted a couple of years ago a shocking number of offices/cafes stock ONLY Earl Grey as a non-herbal tea so sometimes I get Earl Grey under protest so anything that makes it taste more like my grandmother's linen sachet is an unwelcome development."Sure it is. It's option 8 on the poll. ;)

And as for your herbal teas: see SMBC (http://www.smbc-comics.com/index.php?db=comics&id=2342#comic).

[TruCelt]

I haven't tried it yet, but I absolutely love bergamot,a dn it would be tough to put in too much for my taste.

Dried lemon, on the other hand, is usually not to my taste, so I'll have to try it.

[TBG]

Don't drink tea, so only option for me was "I don't drink tea at all, so I don't care." but even though I don't drink it, I wouldn't say "I don't care" about this. Plenty of things I do like have been ruined when they got all "new and improved" so I feel the pain of anyone upset by this alteration of the formula.

[Cheez_Whia]

I stocked up when they had a super blowout sale on their Earl Grey and English Breakfast 50 packs from England. It'll be awhile before I need any.

[Ann Onimous]

I love tea, although I don't know squat about it. Suddenly, I really want to learn. Gary, as soon as I get back to my computer, you've got one new follower.

For the record, I also liked New Coke. And Crystal Pepsi.

[Gary "Wombat" Robson]

I stocked up when they had a super blowout sale on their Earl Grey and English Breakfast 50 packs from England. It'll be awhile before I need any.Even in their cellophane packaging, if you're going to be storing it for a while, I'd get a good airtight container and put it in a cool room that gets no light (or use one of those resealable silver Mylar bags). Otherwise, you'll start losing freshness in a few months.

[Toucanna]

I had heard that Earl Grey was developed when someone tried bergamot as a cheap substitute for cardamom. So, I tried some black tea with cardamom. Very tasty. I am not going back to EG unless my tea choice is limited to either EG or jasmine tea.

[Der Trihs]

Does this mean they're going to have to re-dub all the episodes of ST:TNG?
No, it just means they'll need to invoke time travel.

Executive on the phone: "Yes, I'm pretty sure I can push the reformulation through..."

<A door behind him silently opens. An angry looking Picard quietly steps out, aiming his phaser at the back of the executive's head...>

[amanset]

Earl Grey is crap. Twinnings are crap. Thus, Twinnings Earl Grey is crap squared.

PG, Tetley or it isn't tea.

Edit:
In fact, I'll go one further. Any tea that is served loose or in individually wrapped bags is by definition shite.

[Gary "Wombat" Robson]

I had heard that Earl Grey was developed when someone tried bergamot as a cheap substitute for cardamom. So, I tried some black tea with cardamom. Very tasty. I am not going back to EG unless my tea choice is limited to either EG or jasmine tea.I've never heard that, and I have a hard time imagining it. Cardamom and bergamot are *very* different. (To most Americans, cardamom-based tea blends are known as "chai.") Do you have a cite for the bergamot/cardamom story?

In fact, I'll go one further. Any tea that is served loose or in individually wrapped bags is by definition shite.I do not understand. If it's not in a teabag, and it's not loose, what's left?

[Ann Onimous]

No, it just means they'll need to invoke time travel.

Executive on the phone: "Yes, I'm pretty sure I can push the reformulation through..."

<A door behind him silently opens. An angry looking Picard quietly steps out, aiming his phaser at the back of the executive's head...>

This is gold, Der Trihs. Pure gold. Thank you! :D

[Swords to Plowshares]

I was under the impression that Twinings reformulated their Earl Grey about 3-4 years ago and decreased the amount of bergamont and whatnot in their tea. I always thought their tea was a bit on the light side, so I kind of approve of this change.

In terms of strength and amount of flavor among Earl Greys, the order was roughly:

Twinings
Bigelow
Tazo

And I thought Bigelow had about the right amount.

[Der Trihs]

This is gold, Der Trihs. Pure gold. Thank you! :D
You're welcome. :D

[Lynn Bodoni]

Earl Grey isn't my preferred taste, but change for the sake of change is rarely good when you have a classic.

For the record, I prefer raspberry sage tea when I can get it, and Bigelow English Teatime every time else.

[Cheez_Whia]

Even in their cellophane packaging, if you're going to be storing it for a while, I'd get a good airtight container and put it in a cool room that gets no light (or use one of those resealable silver Mylar bags). Otherwise, you'll start losing freshness in a few months.

Done! I have a walk in pantry. :)

[gwendee]

Don't drink tea, so only option for me was "I don't drink tea at all, so I don't care." but even though I don't drink it, I wouldn't say "I don't care" about this. Plenty of things I do like have been ruined when they got all "new and improved" so I feel the pain of anyone upset by this alteration of the formula.

I am my no means an expert. Earl Grey is my first choice, and I prefer Twinings over Bigelow, but haven't tried many others. By the time I get around to trying the new formula this thread will no doubt be on page four.

My response to simply reading the thread title was to whine (aloud though I am alone). What is wrong with leaving some things how they are?

[Girl From Mars]

When did they change it? I've always liked Twinings Earl Grey, but have gone off it in the past few months - I put it down to pregnancy, but could this be the real reason?

[amanset]

I've never heard that, and I have a hard time imagining it. Cardamom and bergamot are *very* different. (To most Americans, cardamom-based tea blends are known as "chai.") Do you have a cite for the bergamot/cardamom story?

I do not understand. If it's not in a teabag, and it's not loose, what's left?

Individually wrapped bags != teabags.

I mean the likes of this:

http://www.lindacobrien.com/wp-content/uploads/buy%20twinings%20tea.jpg

Teabags should come in a big box, loosely scattered in said box. Like this:

http://www.thegreatbritishdiet.co.uk/Images/PGTips.jpg

[Lynn Bodoni]

I've tried PG Tips, and I have to say, I didn't really care for it. Maybe the boxes I bought were stale. I dunno. I just prefer raspberry sage, or Bigelow.

Mind you, I love coffee, but it doesn't agree with me, even decaf. So I drink lots of tea.

[banjoDavid]

Target in Chicago carries Stash Double Bergamot Earl Grey.
I like it. I brew it strong, with milk and Splenda, and it keeps me going on my overnight job.
I've had the old familiar Twinings, and I prefer the stronger Stash.
David

[DrFidelius]

I do not care for Earl Grey, regardless of the vendor. I like my tea to taste like tea, and tend towards English Breakfast or Yorkshire (recommended to me by my friend Professor Elemental).
On occasion I will have a souchong or oolong, for variety, but I do not like most flavoured teas or tisanes.

[Bordesley]

In my ever so 'umblist opinion Jackson's of Piccadilly make the finest Earl Grey. Lord Grey apparently gave the recipe to the firm in 1830 and they claim to be continuing to make the original blend today.

Now don't forget, only drink out of a bone-china cup and get Fortnum and Mason's to deliver some of their super baby cakes, absolutely spiffing for tiffin...or of course, scones with damson jam and a dollop of clotted cream, What!

[salinqmind]

Earl Grey tea is special to me because of just a touch of bergamot. (Yes, I'm hoity-toity and drink it from a special Wedgwood china tea cup on a chilly fall afternoon. Cause it's not just a mundane beverage.) I don't see how adding more bergamot is going to make it better. I'll try it, though. If it's too bergamot-y, I can always brew a teabag along with a plain teabag to dilute the taste.

[Magiver]

I use to drink their Earl Gray but it's too Earl Gray for my tastes. I prefer their lapsang souchong tea for flavor. I find their tea bags work just fine for this type of tea and the individual packs hold flavor for a long time.

[Broomstick]

If it's too bergamot-y, I can always brew a teabag along with a plain teabag to dilute the taste.
You hope you can do that - I've tasted some "Earl Grey" teas that were more bergamot than tea, like trying to swallow bad/cheap perfume. Ugh.

[mbh]

Haven't tried the new stuff yet, but probably won't care. I love flavored herbal teas infusions, but with black teas, I generally prefer plain tea.

I'd like to be a connoisseur, but I find that, with enough cream and sugar, I can drink just about anything.

[vix]

I like Twinings, but I've been drinking Stash teas lately. They have a nice Earl Grey.