# Does Twinnings Put Scents In Its Packaging? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 16, 2013, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-twinnings-put-scents-in-its-packaging/653066 "2013-03-16T00:52:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jormungandr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@Jormungandr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jormungandr)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-twinnings-put-scents-in-its-packaging/653066/1 "2013-03-16T00:52:16Z")
The local supermarket is finally carrying Twinings tea and, wanting to try actual English tea, I decided to buy some Earl Grey. First, my sense of smell isn’t that good. So, when I take the plastic wrap off the box, the smell just hits me. I open the box, grab a packet and I can smell the tea. The tea that’s in an enclosed packet. So, either the tea itself has a\*\* very \*\* strong scent, the package is permeable to scents or Twinnings is adding something. Which is it? ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-twinnings-put-scents-in-its-packaging/653066/2 "2013-03-16T01:07:14Z")
I find Bergamot to be a very strong and vaguely unpleasant flavor/scent, and the packets are not impermeable. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-twinnings-put-scents-in-its-packaging/653066/3 "2013-03-16T01:29:07Z")
It’s simply the nature of Earl Grey to have that strong, perfume-like smell. Like **SeaDragonTattoo** says, you’re smelling the bergamot in the tea itself. ---
**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-twinnings-put-scents-in-its-packaging/653066/4 "2013-03-16T01:57:26Z")
Try ‘English Breakfast’ for a lighter, or ‘Assam’ or ‘Ceylon’ for a stronger tea. Earl Grey I find as unspeakable as the old bastard it was named for. ---
**Author:** ![Rahne\_McCloud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/76d3ee/32.png) [@Rahne\_McCloud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rahne_McCloud)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-twinnings-put-scents-in-its-packaging/653066/5 "2013-03-16T07:05:46Z")
Irish Breakfast is real smooth no matter how you drink it. ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 9:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-twinnings-put-scents-in-its-packaging/653066/6 "2013-03-16T09:29:01Z")
Mmmmmmmm. . .grey tea. Loves me some Earl Grey - hot or cold. Tea in general, really, but I’ve gotten out of the habit. Wish I did better with caffeine, so I didn’t have to go with the decaf. Used to like Twinings quite a bit, but I seem to recall a fuss some time back where they changed the bergamot in the Earl Grey. Don’t know what it’s like now. Might have to pick some up soon. ---
**Author:** ![Tapiotar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3be4f8/32.png) [@Tapiotar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapiotar)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-twinnings-put-scents-in-its-packaging/653066/7 "2013-03-16T10:47:50Z")
Twinings Lady Grey is more subtle than the Earl Grey, and the smell won’t hit you when you open the box. It stays inside the packets. ---
**Author:** ![Jormungandr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@Jormungandr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jormungandr)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-twinnings-put-scents-in-its-packaging/653066/8 "2013-03-16T10:54:52Z")
> [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](#): > > Mmmmmmmm. . .grey tea. > > Loves me some Earl Grey - hot or cold. Tea in general, really, but I’ve gotten out of the habit. Wish I did better with caffeine, so I didn’t have to go with the decaf. Used to like Twinings quite a bit, but I seem to recall a fuss some time back where they changed the bergamot in the Earl Grey. Don’t know what it’s like now. Might have to pick some up soon. The type I bought was the “Classic” version, apparently sort of like Classic Coke, after their disaster with adding twice the bergamont. My store only had this version, so I don’t’ know if the new Coke version is available in the U.S. ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-twinnings-put-scents-in-its-packaging/653066/9 "2013-03-16T11:28:37Z")
> [@Jormungandr](#): > > The type I bought was the “Classic” version, apparently sort of like Classic Coke, after their disaster with adding twice the bergamont. My store only had this version, so I don’t’ know if the new Coke version is available in the U.S. Oh good _GOD!_ If they really, literally, added twice the bergamot, anyone involved with that decision needs their smell/taste/head examined. I LIKE the old Earl Grey a lot, but subtle it wasn’t. Doubling it is questionable at best; insane is closer to the truth of it. Fancy a spot of tea with your bergamot? So far as I can tell, you’ve smelled it, not tasted it. Have you tried it yet? I like it sweet, no milk. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-twinnings-put-scents-in-its-packaging/653066/10 "2013-03-16T12:18:21Z")
Twinings Earl Grey is my favorite. I never ran into the “improved” version – perhaps because I buy a couple of months’ worth at a time from the website? ---
**Author:** ![BlackKnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eb8c5e/32.png) [@BlackKnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlackKnight)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-twinnings-put-scents-in-its-packaging/653066/11 "2013-03-16T14:52:36Z")
I second the suggestion of Lady Grey. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-twinnings-put-scents-in-its-packaging/653066/12 "2013-03-16T14:56:20Z")
> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#): > > It’s simply the nature of Earl Grey to have that strong, perfume-like smell. Like **SeaDragonTattoo** says, you’re smelling the bergamot in the tea itself. I don’t find Twinning to be particularly strong or perfumy. Which is why I like it. Bigelow tastes and smells like potpourri. ---
**Author:** ![Jormungandr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@Jormungandr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jormungandr)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-twinnings-put-scents-in-its-packaging/653066/13 "2013-03-20T02:28:22Z")
> [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](#): > > Oh good _GOD!_ If they really, literally, added twice the bergamot, anyone involved with that decision needs their smell/taste/head examined. I LIKE the old Earl Grey a lot, but subtle it wasn’t. Doubling it is questionable at best; insane is closer to the truth of it. Fancy a spot of tea with your bergamot? > So far as I can tell, you’ve smelled it, not tasted it. Have you tried it yet? I like it sweet, no milk. I finally had a cup. I like it. Most Earl Greys either have too much bergamot (the store has Stash’s Double Bergamot Earl Grey) or too little. This one is balanced. I might stock up the next time I at the store lest they stop stocking it. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-twinnings-put-scents-in-its-packaging/653066/14 "2013-03-20T02:34:54Z")
I also prefer Lady Grey. ---
**Author:** ![Melaleuca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Melaleuca](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melaleuca)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-twinnings-put-scents-in-its-packaging/653066/15 "2013-03-20T06:56:45Z")
I hate hate hate Earl Grey. It tastes weird, and the ‘aftersmell’ - what you can smell/taste on the palate after the swallow - reminds me of dishwashing liquid. My wife and I are great fans of Twining Prince of Wales - a longer, tightly-curled leaf with a smoky flavour. There is only one supermarket brand in Australia that sells it as leaf tea (even Twinings tea-bags are full of dust!), and we couldn’t buy it in Europe - even England [The historic Twinings shop on The Strand doesn’t sell to the public, and Harrods didn’t stock it - we realised afterwards Dodi Fayed’s father still owned it, and still had it in for the PoW]. We were so desperate, that in a French teashop we ordered 100g of “your smokiest blend, s’il vous plaît”. We got what we asked for. It tasted like campfire ashes.