I love to have a couple cups of tea during my workday, specifically Earl Grey. I usually buy the Bigelow version, but they were out of it at the grocery last week, so I bought some organic Earl Grey. I just tried it, and it’s awful. It tastes like I brewed myself a steaming cup of garden mulch. I should have known, the box claims it’s from France. What do the French know about tea?
Anyway, I know I’ve tried Twinings before, and I liked it just fine. Are there any really excellent Earl Greys out there I should try, or any other nasty ones I should avoid? I’m also willing to break out of my Earl Grey rut if you give me good reason.
Hooray, when I posted this I was a little afraid that it was such a boring topic that I wouldn’t get any replies.
OK, for immediate triage, I’m to going to replace this organic dreck with some Twinings. I’ll abandon this stuff in the breakroom for the vultures who like to steal other people’s food and beverages. Mwa-ha-ha-haa!
In my experience any time you switch brands of tea (especially Earl Grey) you need some time to get used to the new flavour. The essence of Bergamot seems to vary to a great degree. Some teas have a very mild flavour added, while other have a strong floral nose to them.
I’ve enjoyed Ridgways Earl Grey, but haven’t had it recently. I had gone off tea for a few years. I used to have two cups every morning, and when I had run out of tea, simply skipped the brew for a few days. After the caffiene withdrawal headaches went away, I searched for a decaffienated Earl Grey tea. I found that Ridgways had done one and bought that instead. Well, it took some time to adjust to the flavour of that, but once I acclimated myself to its particular flavour I quite enjoyed it.
BTW, all the above is teabags rather than loose. I much prefer the loose teas, but for the convenience have been using bags instead.
As an alternative to Earl Grey, the Bigelow Constant Comment is also a nice flavoured tea. It has a citrus base to it but also has spices added. I suspect that tea purists would poo-poo the flavoured teas regardeless, but it makes for a nice change.
Also, all our English relatives stock Yorkshire tea…exclusively. They had quite the laugh at our assortment of flavoured teas, then went and grabbed the box that they brought over with them.
Hmmm, will have to check out the Harney and Sons tea…
I love tea. It’s pretty much the only thing I drink so I’m quite picky and can even tell what brand a restaurant is serving by taste alone. Too many teas end up tasting like the wet paper they’re brewed in. I’ve never found another brand as good as Harney. Their green teas are fabulous and the “Dragon Pearl Jasmine” is heaven on earth. If you like black tea, “Big Red Sun” is also very good and one of the less expensive blends. I actually like it better than Earl Grey.
I’ll have to second (or third) the recommendations for Twinings and Stash Earl Grays.
Stash’s Chai is very good, too. I’ve become addicted to their Chai and have a cup almost every afternoon. (I just like to pretend that it’s teatime and I’m British. )
I bought some Tazo Chai and found it kind of off-tasting. Almost like perfume rather then spice. Not a good quality in tea.
I’ve been trying to put my finger on what’s wrong with Tazo Chai and you got it. I have a whole box of it and the spices just taste odd. I should really toss it out.
Stash seems to be one of the better store bought brands, but I’ve only tried their green/white tea blend.
I will do unholy things for Murchie’s Early Grey tea. If you have a friend who lives in the Victoria or Vancouver area, you should ask them to send you a sampler.
Thanks for all the great suggestions! I have a tea ball at home that I hardly ever use, I’m going to snag some of these great loose teas and put it to work.
