Earl Grey (Long-Leaf Sachet)

I picked up a box of this on one of my trips – with frequent travelling I’ve found one of the best things for me to do is just buy some tea and a mug when I get there, to make hotel stays a bit more homey.

As with my previous experience with these Lipton sachets, I was pleasantly surprised. This is a nice, solid Earl Grey with a good amount of bergamot and some other citrusy notes.

Over time I’ve reduced my steep time for almost all black teas to 3 minutes, and I find that that amount of time does well by this. This is a go to morning tea, at least till the box is gone, as it’s tasty and convenient.

In a word, disgusting.

In several words, it smelled like Lemon Pledge, and it tasted like water with a hint of tea that might have had bergamot passed over it at some point… The slightest dash of skim milk completely overpowered it and rendered it absolutely worthless. No wonder the store I got this at was hawking it on clearance for $1.50 a box. Normally the pyramid bag blends are far superior to anything else this company produces, but in this case, I’d rather drink the regular orange pekoe swill that they peddle than this witch’s brew of cheap nastiness.

0/10; would not recommend to my worst enemy.

This is the first Earl Grey I’ve had in probably fifteen years. From what I understand, it’s not typical of a traditional Earl Grey to have marigold flowers in it. I have reviews (and will review more) of the Lipton pyramid teas. I like them, for a supermarket brand they’re not bad at all (I also tend to find them on sale around here for $1.50 a box).

This tea is delicious hot (I add a little Splenda), with light orange notes. As it cools it does take on a Froot Loops flavor, not sure why that is, but I still find it enjoyable. Sometimes I do double the strength and pour it over ice. It would rival any chain coffee shop ice tea I’ve had. It’s not fancy but it makes a yummy cuppa, isn’t that what tea drinking is all about?

What the what?! Had a hankering for Earl Grey while doing groceries and thought Lipton’s “long leaf” (not full leaf, mind you, but not fannings) option might hold the best promise. Oops. I should have read the package more carefully.

In addition to the strange and unmentioned addition of marigold flowers, the fine print on the front of the box proclaims “natural bergamot flavor and other natural flavors.” The ingredients list is even less revealing, listing only “natural flavors.” But I didn’t read any of that until after having my cuppa.

It was interesting cuppa that initially held promise. Not only was there bergamot flavor (albeit not much), but it felt fresh and bright, unlike many stale mass market Earl Greys I’ve had. The bite of the black tea seemed perfectly paired with the citrus. While too thin for a traditional Earl Grey, it at least tasted good. For a brief, fleeting instant, I thought I’d found boutique loose-leaf flavor at supermarket prices.

And then it all fell apart. As the tea began to cool, it took on the smell and taste of Froot Loops. Forging on, it moved through Froot Loops to Lemon Pledge, settling on “undrinkable” by the last few sips. Now, having finished some time ago, I’m left with the taste of the smell of Play-Doh lingering on my tongue.

Whirlwind psychedelic tour of your suburbanite childhood or grossly subpar supermarket tea? You decide.