Tea Reviews | It's All About The Leaf

Posts Tagged ‘Bergamot’

I love Earl Grey. I used to drink it quite often, but a couple of months ago I came across a couple of EG variations that were bad. They gave Earl Grey a really horrible, perfume filled name. It used to be my favorite variety of tea, so I was excited to try this version from Mighty Leaf in hopes of renewing my faith in Earl Grey.

This is a whole leaf bagged tea which I don’t recall having experienced before. There were a lot of long, dark leaves and very few typical bagged tea sized pieces. The bag smells strongly of bergamot, but not in the perfume sort of way. I am not able to identify the scent of jasmine, but that may be a good thing. I believe my most recent horrible EG experience was with a jasmine EG. As the tea is steeping, the bergamot allows the black tea to shine through in the scent.

I steeped the bag for 4 minutes as suggested by Mighty Leaf and was a bit surprised that the leaves had expanded to fill the entire bag. That is pretty impressive compared to the normal bagged teas I usually have. The taste is of smooth black tea with a nice dose of bergamot. I am once again unable to locate the jasmine, but I’m fine with that. This is possibly one of the best Earl Greys I have had. The flavor is bold, but not overbearing or perfume-like. This tea is great and easy to drink plain, but is equally as good with the addition of milk and sweetener. The tea holds up nicely to the additions and retains a strong black tea base.

You can purchase the Mighty Leaf Organic Earl Grey directly from the Mighty Leaf Tea website.

For those of you that know me, the fact that I am reviewing an Earl Grey tea may seem a bit… strange. For those of you that do NOT know me, you should know that I do not like Earl Grey. I have tasted teas from all over the world, different cultures, countries and hundreds of different blended and flavoured tea, and I could just never get my head around one of the most well known teas, Earl Grey – until now.

I actually broke one of my own rules here on It’s All About The Leaf – the rule that says you can only review teas that you either like, or have never tried before. If you don’t like black teas, and know it, don’t review them.

When I received this tin of Tippy Earl Grey from Golden Moon, my first thought was “Who should get this to review? They should like Earl Greys – because it looks like a good one”. I made the mistake then of cracking the tin open for a sniff – and instantly I knew that I was the one reviewing this one! It smelled like Earl Grey – but not as flowery and had a sweetness about it.

Even with the great scent I was still approached it with a little trepidation – it IS Earl Grey after all, and I don’t LIKE Earl Grey! So I started with a little less than is was called for, and steeped it only for 3 minutes to keep the strength down.

First impressions, smooooooth. Subtle. NOT bitter! NOT flowery! What the heck am I drinking? I am so used to an extremely tannin’y brew that smells and tastes like flowers, that I was momentarily confused! I can smell the Bergamot, I can taste the Bergamot, but it is not like taking a sip of grandma’s perfume, which is my usual reaction to an Earl Grey! It tastes… good!

Golden Moon highlights that this tea is made with a high quality base – and by George they are right! Right from their site:

“How is the Golden Moon Tea Earl Grey better than most Earl Grey teas?

The tea base is of a much higher quality than most Earl Grey tea. Also, our flavor is a good deal more balanced. Most other Earl Grey teas use a very strong Bergamot to cover poor quality tea. Earl Grey tea connoisseurs love our Tippy Earl Grey because of its consistently good taste and high value per cup.”

That is it, that is exactly it. Well balanced with a high quality black tea base. That is what has been missing in my enjoyment of Earl Grey tea since I was a kid! I am really enjoying this tea – cup after cup. No milk required, no sugar required to mask the taste. Even as it cools, it stays balanced and enjoyable.

Bottom line – this is the tea that you want to get back to Earl Grey with. If you don’t like Earl Grey – try it. If you like Earl Grey – try it. The only people that may not enjoy it are ones that like bitter cups of flowers. This is not that, this is a sweet subtle and enjoyable cup of Earl Grey Flavoured Black Tea. Thank you Golden Moon – I cannot WAIT to try other teas from your collection, based on my enjoyment of this!

You can purchase the Tippy Earl Grey directly from the Golden Moon Tea website.

The Mighty Leaf Organic Earl Grey tea is quite a delight. Opening the package to find a silk tea bag is very impressive and allows the customer to use the loose leaf tea without the usual mess and effort. I definitely love the tea pouch style.

The smell of the Organic Earl Grey tea from Mighty Leaf is very pleasant and has a warming aroma; nothing too overpowering and it has a nice blended smell. This makes a great afternoon relaxing tea – nice and light, not too rich in flavour or aftertaste. The smell and taste fit flawlessly in a great cup of tea, mixed with a splash of milk and a cube of sugar.

I truly enjoy my black teas. I love rich blends and light blends; this one from Mighty Leaf is most undoubtedly a great light blend and the colour matches the taste – “Mighty Leaf perfects the classic tea with an elegant, balanced and full flavored cup. Earl Grey himself would be proud”. The classic earl grey tea is one one of my favourites. I love the essences of bergamot and jasmine that is blended in this particular brand.

I steeped this tea a litte longer than my usual standby classics, but the taste and colour did not become too dark or overpowering. It was steeped for about four minutes as recommended on the Mighty Leaf pouch package.

I loved the presentation and the aroma. Some teas you try are great to start with but you can not finish the entire cup as it becomes bitter or the taste changes near the end of the cup, but this is not the case with the Earl Grey Mighty Leaf. Basically, great to the last drop as they say.

You can purchase Mighty Leaf Tea Organic Earl Grey directly from their website.