Earl Grey

You know, I have gotten to the point with my dissertation that I can actually take the time to write tasting notes again. Turns out that once it’s written and sent off for comments, there’s a lot of waiting around to do.

While I’ve been writing and not posting notes, I have been slowly working on pushing through some older teas and going back to old favorites that I haven’t had in a long time mostly because I get focused on samples and sipdowns. This fits the old favorites category, although it’s not really that old of a tea. A nice morning Earl to start the day.

I just got my order a few days ago from Lupicia, but this tea has been calling my name ever since receiving it. So I finally caved in and decided to try it.

Aroma – not surprising – it’s Earl Grey! It is a very strong fragrance, but that’s not a bad thing. I love the smell of bergamot in the morning! (Yeah, it’s 12:30 pm, but, for me, it’s still morning!) The dry leaves possess a stronger scent than the brewed liquor. The brewed tea is still pleasantly bergamot, but the Keemun tea can also be detected in the scent which adds a slightly earthy note to the aroma.

Initial sip – awesome! Lovely citrus notes, hint of floral. The Keemun base is pleasantly pungent. I love the way the bergamot and Keemun play together in this blend.

As I continue to drink, I note that this is a skillfully flavored Earl Grey tea. Speaking from the standpoint of one who flavored teas for many years, Earl Grey was one of the most difficult (if not the most difficult) flavors to create. This is because there is a fine line between not strong enough, just right, and too perfume-y when it comes to the bergamot. This one is planted firmly in the just right position! Well done!

I don’t know if it’s my favorite Earl Grey, but if it isn’t, I don’t know which one is better, either. It’s really, really good!

Glad to have this earl back in my life. The only earl I have ever craved. I could be very happy if this were the only tea in my cupboard. So very happy to have this back in my cupboard.

Tea of the afternoon……

Something about a good Earl Grey is just so relaxing. I actually have been working on a big project…. I am trying to learn to play the cello in my 40s. Turns out, I need to relax a little to improve my playing, so this is what I need right now (since a glass of wine is not really going to help with my accuracy!). I love the bright bergamot notes in this tea. It just makes me happy.

Usual teapot method.

I’ve been in the mood for an Earl Grey all day – so it was very fortunate that my Happy Bag from Lupicia decided to come in, because this was inside!

Steeped 2 teabags in 500ml. water in the Breville at below parameters.

The smell of the dry leaf was STRONG bergamot. Like, I held it too close to my nose when I sniffed and was bowled over. It smelled great, though, I just hoped it would not be as strong once steeped because that really would have been too much for me.

Thankfully, the smell mellows out in the steeped tea. This is a fantastic Earl Grey! I’m surprised at the fact this is a Keemun base, because I don’t really get any smokiness – just the strong bergamot and black tea in a great balance with each other. I’m drinking this without additives but I think it wouldn’t be bad with milk and sugar, either – in fact when I make it next I’ll try it that way and compare.

This is the first Lupicia tea I’ve ever tried, and it bodes well for the other teas I recieved in my Happy bag – January is going to be a fun month of new tea!

Ahhh, the lovely strong aroma of bergamot. This tea wakes you up with just a whiff of the dry leaves! This really is the best Earl Grey I’ve ever had. It tastes exactly like the tea they serve in Paris. So decadent! So full and well rounded!

This is a completely different experience than the Creme Earl Grey by Element Tea that I just had yesterday. This tea makes that one look like water. The bergamot flavoring in this Lupicia version is much stronger and more flavorful. It’s truly a wonderful and uplifting cuppa. I’m raising the rating a couple points.

And now my whole office smells like a Parisian café. :)

I like a lot of bergomot. This definitely has a lot of bergomot. I can’t say much about the black tea base, it tastes pretty standard to me, but the bergomot is delicious. (Have I mentioned that I love bergomot? I even wear it in my perfumes.)

It is one of those Earl Greys that stands up proud and strong and shouts to you in the morning. I need that.

If you’re not a fan of Earl Grey, this probably won’t be something you want to try. I’m probably going to purchase some of this after my current supply runs out. Can’t be without an Earl Grey!

Traditionally I have NOT been a big fan of Earl Grey. This came in my Lupicia grab bag and it isn’t something I would have chosen for myself but I figured I would try it and I can always give it away to a friend.

Upon opening the bag there is a very strong but pleasant bergamot aroma. I am hopeful although I’m not a huge fan of keemun either so it isn’t a good sign overall. :)

This is pretty good however. I am trying to rate it based on its merits and not my own personal preferences. I decided to add soymilk to it and the bergamot is very strong and citrus-y. I don’t know why but keemuns always taste muddy to me so that’s the least enjoyable part of this in my opinion but it does make a good contrast with the bergamot and is pretty unique. It’s definitely a lot better than most EG’s I’ve had though. I think my favorite is still Lord Bergamot from Steven Smith.

Sample package label: “5201, Earl Grey”

Per: http://www.lupiciausa.com/product_p/13355201.htm:
“Water Measurement: One 5.0 fl.oz (150ml)-cup
Water Temprature: Boiling water
Brewing Time: 2.5-3min.”

Technique:
5-oz water with total dissolved solids (TDS) of 27 ppm, heated to 212*F, 3 min.

1 tea sachet, without sweeteners, milk or cream.

Introduction: Most Earl Grey teas are light- to medium-bodied. While my wife loves the aroma and flavor of a well-balanced EG, she typically does not find them to be strong enough. To compensate, she will increase the amount of tea leaves and/or the brewing time. However, you can only increase those two parameters so much.

Fragrance: This tea has a fresh lemon Earl Grey fragrance combined with the scent of the Keemun base without any hint of artificial additives.

Dry leaf – Dark brown leaves

Liquor – Clear & coppery

Impression: This is a smooth, well-balanced Earl Grey with a fresh mild pleasing lemon aroma combined with a mild classic Keemun aroma. Since I very much enjoy Keemun, I found this EG to also be very enjoyable. Finally, an EG with more body! There was no hint of bitterness or astringency. As the cup cooled, there was a hint of tartness. This Earl Grey resteeps well at 5-6 min.

My wife enjoys Keemun and also enjoyed this tea but didn’t find it to be “The EG” she’s been seeking. To her, it wasn’t special or unique enough. After all the excellent Steepster reviews and recommendations for this EG, I had high hopes this would be “The one”. At this point, it has been 9 Earl Greys & counting! (I’m not including EG cream teas.) Since this tea has a full-bodied Keemun base, I guess she didn’t find the EG aroma and flavor to be sufficient. She is looking for an EG that will make you “sit up and take notice.” A full-bodied EG on Steroids!

Thanks to Lupicia for providing this free sample.

I’m finally getting around to this lovely little sample from one of the book club swaps. I don’t know what black tea base Earl Greys are usually made from, but I can tell that this one is going to be unique from the aroma from the dry leaves alone. They smell of sweet bergamot, with an almost sugariness to the scent. The brewed tea has a perfumey black tea scent from the Keemun, with just a hint of citrus. The flavor is very smooth in the mouth, and has a lightly malty flavor with a sweet orange finish. There is a light and sweet floral aftertaste. This tea is definitely not overwhelming in the bergamot department, I’m actually not getting much of the traditional bergamot flavor at all. It is more of a floral perfumey black tea with a little sweet orange thrown in. I added milk and sweetener, which brought out more of the citrusy flavor, but it is just as good without it. Thank you, CK, for this sample!

-Dry blend has small black tea leaves and twigs.
-Dry leaves smell of sweet bergamot. Tea liquor aroma is of perfumey black tea with a hint of citrus.
-Tea liquor is a clear dark brown color.
-Smooth lightly malty flavor with a sweet orange finish. Light sweet floral aftertaste. Velvety mouthfeel.
-Milk and sweetener optional.
-Good tea. A unique and perfumey Earl Grey. More sweet orange flavor than bergamot.