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). People appear to be coming apart at the seams over this.
How does this affect you? What will you do about it?
I’ll stick to Bushells or Billy Tea.
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 …)
Okay- after reading your blog I need to know why you know so much about tea?
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.
Moved thread from IMHO to Cafe Society.
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.
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.
Does this mean they’re going to have to re-dub all the episodes of ST:TNG?
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
is it as popular and accessible as this tea bar in China ?
(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… 
)
I don’t care because I really, really dislike Earl Grey tea. I don’t even like the smell of it.
You can’t say that without telling us which ones you like better!
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.