My mum is a big Earl Grey drinker, so I got her some loose leaf to wean her off teabags and into the wonderful world of infused teas!
Introducing Earl Grey
Earl Grey tea is one of the cornerstones of British tea drinking. The tea is assumed to be names after Charles Grey, a former British Prime Minister. According to one story, the black tea, flavored with bergamot oil, was gifted to the Prime Minister by a Chinese man, after one of the Lord's men saved his son from drowning. While another story goes that the bergamot flavoring was added to the tea to offset a lime-flavor in the water from the well on Earl Grey's estate.
Whatever the truth, Earl Grey tea has become a cornerstone to British tea culture. Although sometimes seen as a 'posh' tea, it is a firm favorite of my parents who are a huge fan of #twinings #earlgrey #teabags
What is bergamot?
The secret ingredient to Earl Grey, and the thing that gives it the distinct flavour and separates it from #blacktea is #bergamot. I hadn't heard of it before (I hope this isn't just me!) but it is a type of orange that mainly grows in Italy and France. It is said to be a hybrid of lemon and bitter orange, and has a smooth citrus flavor to it.🍊🍋
This tea was also a great excuse to pull out my tea set!
I picked up this gorgeous #teapot at an antique fair, and have since purchased the matching #mugs - I love using it! It makes me feel very proper and fancy making tea! I love how the tea pot is an unusual shape as well - hexagonal rather than the traditional more rounded tea pot.
But back to the tea...
How does the #newenglish tea hold up against twinings?
I won't lie, earl grey is not my go to tea as I prefer to drink the loose leaf Chinese blends but I thought I would give this a go!
The New English Teas Earl Grey was very light and floral. It is quite a smooth and soft flavor but for my taste it was overly floral - meaning that its difficult to drink a lot of it.
Compared to the tea bags it definitely offers a lot more taste notes, and the bergamot comes through strongly so if that's the taste that suits you then you would love it.
⬇️The downsides:
The tea leaves are quite small, so you need to make sure to have a good filter or infuser to prevent having lots of smaller tea 'floaters' in your cup
⬆️The upsides:
The tea is beautifully packaged - the box is gorgeous and holds the tea well meaning it will last and hold its flavor - perfect for a floral tea like this.
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