TeaChat

I really enjoy earl greys, however im new to loose leaf. I used to only drink from dustybags ...so far I've tried the early grey bravo and it was good....so far great... looking foward to try more.

Depends, bergamot EO can be very, VERY strong, or very mild and fragrant. Awhile back I purchased some EG that practically blew out my sinuses. The bergamot was very high quality, but so strong... I store it in a different cupboard because the fragrance is strong enough to smell even within the container, it is getting mellower though, maybe in another 2-3 months...

I always say that Earl Grey was the first tea I ever liked.

It's not so much that I disklike it, rather there are more interesting teas readily available. Also, with the exception of jasmine, I don't really care for scented teas. Something about adding a scent to what should be a good tea makes me wonder if the tea isn't so good in the first place. But that's just me. Having said that, if I were on a roadtrip and we all stopped at a diner that only had bagged Earl Grey, I'd be fine drinking unremarkable tea in the company of great people.

I've pretty much lost my taste for Earl Grey tea, but I do have a bit of a thing for Earl Grey Tea soap. Good stuff.

Add me to the list. Can't stand the stuff.

Glad I'm not the only one who doesn't like Earl Grey. I've gotten some funny looks from some friends who love the stuff.

I don't like most jasmine teas either, but there is one I had that I really liked at a restaurant (which is now closed) a few years ago, and I've been searching for it ever since.

To be bearable, an Earl Grey tea should have only a kiss of bergamot flavour. More than that and it's the equivalent of being walloped over the head by a bergamot bush.

<four Yorkshiremen>

I do remember, when I lived in the north of England during the early 90's, that if you went to a teashop your choices of hot beverage were usually "plain tea" or "Earl Grey" (not counting coffee and Horlicks). If you ordered Earl Grey for yourself and your guest, you would be rewarded by an "Oooh!" of pleasure. In those days we didn't have so much variety.

</four Yorkshiremen>

Speaking of northern coffee, in those days you could also order something off the menu called "milky coffee in a mug". (I used to love the specificity of the "mug" part. You weren't going to get it in a cup with matching saucer, mind!) This turned out to be a mugful of hot milk with a spoonful of instant coffee mixed in. I always thought of it as a Cumbrian Latte. It may have been a humble beverage, but it really hit the spot sometimes.

It was only a few short years after that when the espresso/latte/cappuccino invasion began, Bodum coffee presses began appearing in restaurants and now I'm sure that "milky coffee in a mug" is only a memory. {sigh}

There is a difference between bregamot oiled tea, and tea with bergamot pieces. The former makes me gag the later makes me bored.

MoGa wrote:

tenuki wrote:I like it with lemon and honey, or in a london fog.

We only get fog in London occasionally (and then very, very early in the mornings, perhaps 2 or 3 times a year later in the day). Is that code for 'rarely if ever'?

Although it is true that I rarely drink it the london fog I was refering to was this one..

wikipedia: London Fog (beverage), a hot beverage consisting of steamed milk, vanilla syrup and Earl Grey Tea.

For me personally, there have been more than enough occasions in which the Earl Grey smells better than it tastes. I find it rather odd how I can't stand the smell of English Breakfast leaves but love the taste, and vice versa, every once in a while the taste of Earl Grey is rather average compared to its spectacular smell. I also didn't realize until recently that Earl Grey is classified as a flavored black tea and not a straight one.