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If you like the distinctive flavor of bergamont, but wish it were more pronounced than in the conventional blend, and your not opposed to some extra tannins, then this or Rishi are your Earl Greys of choice. My favorite Earl Grey is made by Revolution, and includes lavender as an ingredient.
Cool visual effect against the dark black tea leaves. If you want to try an Earl with a unique citrus zing, go for Stash Double Bergamont.
However, I have to knock Revolution by trying cut costs by not including a string with their tea bags. Lady Grey by Twinings also tastes great, and includes small blue flowers, which you can see in the loose leaf version.
Of all the Earl Grey's I've tried, this and Rishi's version are the most robust. Of the conventional Earl Grey teas that are relatively easy to find, my favorite is Bigelow's.
I think it includes grapefruit flavoring (just my perception).
Even a few minutes too long results in a bitter, bitter tea, reminiscent of orange pekoe with a strong perfume added. They are socially responsible, based in Portland, and have the motto, "The Reincarnation of Tea". You may like it; apparently the other reviewers so far do, but it is not for me at all.Also, be careful of letting this tea brew too long accidently. It is unclear, though, from their web site, how many of their ingredients are organic or kosher, and they do use some "natural flavors" in their teas--this wording seems a little vague for a super premium tea.***
Note that Earl Grey does contain caffeine.Tazo is an interesting company that makes only super premium teas. So this tea tasted to me like regular black tea with a very, very strong bergamot-like flavor. Tazo is owned by Starbucks. On their web site, Tazo describes the flavor profile of Passion as "floral, lavender, fragrant, spicy, lemon". I am used to drinking super-premium tea that have the real bergamot added, not the essence. I definitely did not care for it, although I love Earl Grey teas in general. Tazo describes the aroma as "citrus, lavender, light smoke". What a letdown.
Their web site is fun and quirky, with a Zen-type focus, definitely worth checking out. ***Tazo's Earl Grey Black Tea is very perfumy. On the paper tea packet, Tazo writes, "a more aromatic version of the Earl's traditional black tea scented with the essence of bergamot"; therein lies the problem---a little too perfumy and scented for me. Even properly brewed, though, this tea cannot, in my opinion, warrant more than three stars.The ingredients in Earl Grey are just black teas and bergamot essence.
But this tea in my opinion added a twist that was needed for Earl Grey Tea. I'm not going to say that I've tasted many Earl Grey teas, because the only other Earl Grey Tea I've tasted is Twinings. I would enjoy drinking the Tea straight up with some sugar, but I like to add a little bit of milk to the tea because I'm used to adding Milk to Black Teas.I recommend this Tea to anyone that is willing to try something new or enjoy Earl Grey with the Tazo Twist. First of all let me say that this is what Black Tea is suppose to TASTE like. As soon as I took a sip of this tea earlier today, I knew that this is one of Tazo's finest tea. Don't get me wrong Earl Grey Tea is fine the way it is, but the scented citrus bergamot added by Tazo makes a difference.
Twinings and Jacksons of Piccadilly both claim to be the first to have commercially blended this tea. Earl Grey is considered to be the second most popular tea in the world. The addition of cream creates a lush sensual brew. Earl Grey tea has an interesting history. The black teas utilized are, as the box states, "the worlds most sought after teas from the high-elevation gardens of Nuwara Eliya, Uva and Dimbula in Sri Lanka and Assam in northeast India." These sumptuous black teas provide the perfect complement to the strong bergamot essence in this blend.
Legend has it that the first tea scented with bergamot oil was presented to Lord Grey from a Chinese mandarin whose son was saved from drowning by one of Lord Grey's men. A topnotch tea blend. The fragrance of Tazo Earl Grey is powerfully floral, in particular lavender, citrus, and the woodsy-malt scent of premium black tea. Tazo shows considerable expertise in the blending of this top quality tea. The flavor of this splendid potion is rich and perfumed.
Traditionally Earl Grey is created from a blend of black teas, usually Chinese and Indian teas, sometimes with a smoky flavor, and scented with the citrus fruit bergamot.
If you like a mild Earl Grey, this may be a bit strong for you. One of my favorites. This is a strongly aromatic version of Earl Grey, scented with citrusy bergamot. I personally love it.
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