Earl Grey

My sample was enough to make about 16 ounces of tea on the first steep. I drank eight ounces of it hot and plain. It was one of the best Earl Grey teas I have tried. I added some simple syrup and put it in the refrigerator to chill.

For my “dessert” tonight, I poured the cold sweet tea into my Zoku slush and shake maker. It. Was. Heavenly. The bergamot in this is so nice that instead of getting a mouthful of cologne (which is how some EG makes me feel) I enjoyed a fruity treat with lots of tea flavor.

My friend who had ordered Earl Grey dropped by and I found out that she has only tried the sample so far, as her order has not yet arrived. She loved her sample though! Of the five samples I just received, two are teas that I already own a tin of and have already reviewed, so I passed them on for her to taste!

Earl Grey lovers, this is a very nice tea with pure, natural tasting bergamot and best of all, a great tea base that isn’t covered up by the flavoring! And it is awesome frozen, so if you make tea pops or tea ice, it is a great summer tea!

Thank you Nina’s Paris for this sample tea!

The morning sun was very bright, one of those days when the news reports ‘sun glare’ for drivers and a caution to wear dark glasses to prevent accidents. I laughed when I moved to high altitude Colorado from sea level California and heard traffic news reports of ‘sun glare’. I don’t scoff anymore!

I decided to try a tea that I consider perky.

Earl Grey is one of those tea’s that has a citrus edge reminding one of Summer any time of the year. It’s not too fru-fru for a deep black tea lover like me.

This Earl is light and fresh, almost too light for my taste…but I can imagine that many are looking for just such a lighter bergamot tea. There is no astringency, just fresh, light flavor.

I had issues with Steepster yesterday (when I first tried to log this review) and got the dreaded black screen announcing that I had left the kettle on so I retreated to my blog and wrote some thoughts that had long been brewing in my mind about the meaning of tea in my life.

If you would like to read my latest blog entry… www.teaandincense.com

I’m off today to the Rocky Mountain Tea Festival in Boulder and will write about the adventure with some pictures. Sometimes vendors that we post reviews about are at the festival, and that’s always exciting.

Sipdown, 243. Thanks to Nina’s Paris for this sample to try!

I decided to request an Earl Grey as a sample to see how it compares to some of my other faves. I am no longer actively looking for the perfect Earl Grey, because I have found it (Lupicia), but I will always welcome new versions to try. I was unsure of how long to steep this one, because the Versailles Rose was good at 3 minutes but the Marie-Antoinette really needed only 2 minutes. I decided that possibly a tad weak was better than bitter, so I went with 2 this time.

This is a tasty Earl. Two minutes worked just fine. That nice, malty-smooth base that I found in the Versailles Rose makes an appearance again, paired with a nicely balanced citrusy bergamot. Not perfumy, nor bitter like citrus pith. I definitely enjoyed drinking my cup, but it didn’t quite stand out to me as particularly distinctive. Which is fine, because it’s still a very tasty tea and a good example of a well-done Earl.

A lovely little sample from wheezybee.

Your samples are all in the front, so I’m getting to them first in my sample sipdown month…

This was really nice! I added creamer, and was working while I drank it, so I didn’t pay much attention… but it was good! I mean, it disappeared so fast. :) Definitely something to try when I finally do a Nina’s Paris order.

A sample from a while ago! Sorry about the lateness of this tasting note! I love Earl Grey. This one is certainly a decent one. I think it would be an Earl Grey especially for anyone who doesn’t like their bergamot very strong. The bergamot is nice and bright but not as strong as I like my EGs. I steeped for TWO minutes right after boiling because it seemed like the cup was dark pretty quick. The leaves are kind of small.. but maybe they were just crushed with all my other teas. I hope not! The black tea has a nice boldness, briskness to it but not overpowering…it’s a special kind of black base that I really only see with Nina’s Paris teas. Maybe it is taming the bergamot a bit. The second cup at just boiling for three minutes is somehow even better, even though the bergamot is even less present. The black tea is now very sweet somehow! Not my favorite Earl, but very tasty.

It is my second sample kindly sent by Laurent and Mélanie from Nina’s.

I am an Earl Grey lover, I have at least 8 Earl Grey or Earl Grey variations teas in my cupboard. So I was really happy to have another one to discover.

I didn’t respect the brewing advices of Nina’s because for the first sample I found the tea base light for my palate so I decided to steep 5 minutes.
And I think I have been right.

The bergamot is subtle and delicate and it was really light on the dry leaf scent.It smelled subtle but delicious.

The liquor is beautiful, an amber coulour, translucent, very lovely but I was a little worried because generally when I can see clearly the bottom of my mug it often means the tea base is light and often too light.

This Earl Grey has a very nicely balanced citrusy bergamot, this is really well done.Flavour is really a perfection :natural, not over- perfumy,it’s just as if a very fresh bergamot had been squeezed and added to the tea.

I suspect the keemun used as base is the same as the one used in Thé de Vendôme. I can taste it better here vs the previous sample but it is still a little too light for my taste. I would have prefered a medium-bodied tea but this is really a question with my own tastes.

This Earl Grey is really refreshing and perfectly blended. I would consider it as a Summer Earl Grey.
I imagine it can make a very nice iced-tea as well.

Rainy days and Mondays always get me down. Not really cause I love a rainy night and besides I’m no longer workin’ 9 to 5. Actually even though I am no longer working, DST ‘spring ahead’ still kicks my butt. I’m running on caffeine trying to adjust. I would never make a world traveler. Jet lag would kill me in a matter of days.

I need to be digging into my back log of to be reviewed teas. I have no brain for that today. So I reached for my comfort Earl, then put down the green tin and grabbed the red one instead. This is a very fragrant but not soapy bergamot tea that I find quite smooth for a Ceylon base. Ashmanra found the pre-Ceylon base (that’s Ceylon, not to be confused with Cylon) to be much smoother to her liking. My usual tea has a great deal of bite so this in comparison is much more refined.

This is probably a brand Picard would want in his replicator – stern but refined. We now return you to your regularly scheduled program.

Tea of the morning…..

This one I ordered based on recommendations. I did not get in on the free sample frenzy offered by Laurent, but just jumped in with this one. I mean, it has a Keemun base. It should be a favorite. I did order through Amazon, and purchased 100g in a bag.

The bags can only be temporary storage in my opinion. They are a very heavy plastic, but one side is clear. My 100g came in two bags, and they were not even sealed other than the zip closure. Most companies heat seal them. All in all, it still works out for me because I have more tins lying around than I care to count. It was easy to pull the stickers off of one bag to put on the tin because they were small. To purchase in a tin, the price was going to jump $6 ($5 for the actual tin and a little more in the shipping.)

So far, I do like this one. It has a wonderful base, but I am still trying to wrap my brain around the bergamot. It is pretty mellow. I think I will need a few more tastes before I can place it.

All in all, a good experience. I have been wanting to try it, but so far am not wowed. Usual teapot method.

I promise, I will try to stop personifying my teas! In the meantime, this was a nice Earl Grey with a surprising natural sweetness and slightly fruity notes neither my husband nor I could place. Well worth a second cup!

You can read my full review here:
http://wordsabouttea.blogspot.com/2013/09/earl-grey-by-ninas-paris.html

Sample package: 2” x 2” clear plastic zip-lock – 2 level tsp
Label: “Earl Grey.” (No ingredients listed. No brewing instructions.)

Per http://www.ninasparis.com/en/pro_tea0.html:
“Le Royal EARL GREY
Bergamot from Sicily
The smoothness of Keemun together with the freshness of bergamot. An ancient recipe that was handed down by a high dignitary of China to Earl Charles Grey. A classic that definitely shouldn’t be missed.”

Thanks to Laurent at Nina’s Paris Tea Store USA
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ninas-Paris-Tea-Store-USA/569332199761362
for the recommended brewing instructions:
1 rounded tsp / 195*F / 6oz / 2.5 min.

Technique:
6-oz water with total dissolved solids (TDS) of 22 ppm
Heated to 212*F and allowed to cool to 195*F – verified with DAVIDsTEA digital thermometer
1 rounded teaspoon
Stepped for 2.5 mins.

Introduction: Most EG teas come from Shi Lanka formerly known as Ceylon. Having a Keemun base (a favorite tea of mine), was a significant reason for wanting to sample this tea. Our current EG has a Ceylon base and I can’t get past the astringency. Other primary reason: My wife loves EG.
This tea has a lemony Earl Grey fragrance that’s slightly stronger than the Keemun base.

Amber hue

2.5-min Infusion: My wife noted an initial peppery/thyme-like aroma. I noted that the aroma of the tea was stronger than the light oil of bergamot lemon sent. Some Keemun teas have a smokey aroma. Perhaps this characteristic was competing with the lemon aroma?

Similarly, the taste followed the aroma. The Keemun stands out above the light oil of bergamot lemon flavor. This Earl Grey was very smooth, not at all bitter or astringent with a clean finish.

Impression: A very smooth muted Earl Grey tea.

Suggestions: Perhaps Nina’s Paris might consider adding more of the wonderful Sicilian Bergomot to this very smooth Keemun. Another possibility might be to select a less aromatic Keemun or a Yunnan Dian Hong style black tea instead.

Thanks to Nina’s Paris for providing this free sample.