Extra Bergamot English Earl Grey (TE11S)

I woke up five minutes before class, oops! Grabbed some of this on the way out to have later. This was my favorite of the Earl Greys from my first go around, so I thought it would be nice to have on a morning that started out…not optimally.

So I wrote in my first tasting quote that I love Earl Grey But Moar teas, which is why I thought this stuff was great. This time though….I got soap! I blame Tippy Earl Grey. Or perhaps the water wasn’t hot enough? I was using water cooler water, which I assume does not go all the way up to boiling. It’s kind of tempting to say that going through all of those tastings with the Golden Moon sampler has refined my palate or something, but I refuse to accept the idea that in the space of a couple of weeks my tastes have completely changed regarding Earl Grey.

I guess I’ll bring my rating down. Maybe next time it will taste good again!

In other news I have the Robot Unicorn Attack song stuck in my head. This has nothing to do with my Earl Grey tasting like soap, but it’s not making me feel any better about it.

The Final Sipdown: Day 4
Decupboarding Total: 5

For me, the worst thing about this tea is the end note. There’s something sour/bitter/tacky/acrid/just off about the taste at the end of the sip. From the artificial flavoring, perhaps? From the not-so-stellar leaf quality? I don’t know what it is and, at this point, I don’t care. Because this sample is gone and I will never get it again. Rejoice!

Second tea of the morning… (SRP #25)

Man, I am dragging to day. I was hoping that my fist pot of Keemun would wake me up, but no go. In fact, this one is not helping, either.

As far as the flavor goes, it is good enough. I don’t think this will make the purchase list. The bergamot is strong in this one, but I guess since they were aiming for extra, they hit it in my book. I agree with Cheryl that you can taste the tea in there, but just a little. It is pretty much bergamot tea. Of what I taste in the base, it is a good basic black. I might have to sample their Original Earl Grey next.

Usual teapot method.

Hm. Not a highly rated tea, but I did not find this as offensive as some others did. I actually quite enjoyed it with a heavy dose of milk. :) I had brewed it strong to have a nice milky tea with my breakfast scone. Perfect combo. Tea base was quite nice. Better than the other EGs I’ve sampled from Upton this far. The bergamot was pretty intense. I find myself wondering once again what a real fruit smells like.
Overall, the best of a mediocre bunch. Still have hopes for the Sacher Blend.

Upping the rating of this one, because though the tea does get a little bit lost in this tea, I have found myself growing quite fond of this tea. I love bergamot ever so much & this tea is great for those days when I am craving more bergamot in my earl grey. I’ve even mixed it with a little bit of standard EG and EG lavender with pleasing results. I actually went an ordered an entire tin because with my husband loving this one, my sample bag went rather quickly!

This is considerably better than the Ceylon and yet I’m not wowed. Will have to try this a bit stronger with cream or try making a London Fog, though I’m really not an additives person. Like another Steepsterite below said, it totally smells like Fruit Loops when you open the bag.

**A review of English Earl Grey Tea (Extra Bergamot TE11S) by Upton Tea Imports

This tea is described as being specially blended for those who prefer a richly scented Earl Grey. And this Upton’s most popular Earl Grey and rated “best overall” by Wall Street Journal’s Catalog Critic.

Steeping suggestion:
I placed 2 ¼ g/cup of the leaves into a cup and pour the boiling water in the cup and left to steep for four minutes.
This tea brews a very darkly red color, almost black even. It smells of malt and of citrus (bergamot oil) is very noticeable, in fact too much for me. It is like when you have peeled four or five oranges and placed the skins in a bowl and the air permeates with the smell. It is not a bad smell but drinking this is most noticeable.

It is pungent in smell and taste and it makes me want to add more water to dilute it. As this was a good thought since with the 2nd and 3rd infusion and steeping time for four minutes each time the overall flavor become more tolerable for this tea drinker who takes her tea plain mostly.

I think the extra in the bergamot makes for a bad cup of tea. I should not be thinking to add more water to dilute tea. This makes no sense. The only good that came out of drinking this tea is that I can finally discern the citrus of the bergamot oil, yes it smells of orange peels, a bucket full.
Overall taste: tea is too pungent, to strong, to explosive in the notes placed before you in the cup of tea.

Extra makes me think of that phrase: “too much of a good thing” and this is true in that the off taste cannot be remedied.

I am sorry.

This is the last of my Upton Earl Grey samples that jumped into my cart with last order. Not highly rated on Steepster, but Upton says this is their best selling Earl and has high praises on their website. Last week I tested Stash’s Double Bergamot Earl and found that I was missing the tea in theirs. So hoping Upton comes through …

Well, yea, the bergamot is strong for sure. I do like bergamot, so that isn’t a problem. And yes, the tea is detectable underneath all this bergamot. This is crying out for some cream (but I promised myself not to use it tonight). I bet it would be great with cream (they do suggest it, as do many reviewers on the Upton site.) I’m actually detecting something bitter in the background…is it the tea? or the bergamot?

Honestly, as I’m finishing this cup, it occurs to me that I should take all 3 samples (this, Natural and Supreme) and just mix them in a tin and be done with it. After it’s gone, I’m not sure I really NEED a “plain” Earl Grey. I do love the EGV (having almost gone through 250g since 1-12 … and that explains the 4 lb. weight gain, after discovering the darn Coffeemate stuff, lol). To think I managed to get through Thanksgiving and Christmas without logging food and still losing 7 pounds, it does go back to “don’t drink your calories”, huh? Back to logging today : )

You can check out our video-review here: http://healthyprofessionals.blog.com/2011/06/12/the-tea-show-episode-11-extra-bergamot-english-earl-grey/

Good tea. The bergamot is definitely at the forefront in the tastes but it is still far from overpowering. It is a soft taste rather than sharp, but does not seem to meld perfectly with the other flavors. Quite enjoyable, but not perfectly balanced. Falls into the rather tame, subdued Earl Grey flavors that seem to be the norm with Upton Teas.