Twining's Earl Grey Tea

[79spitfire]

I may be committing some great sin here but go ahead and bring this up, anyway.

 

Have you ever tried Earl Grey as iced tea?

 

Purists may want to cast me into a pit of snakes, but Earl Grey served over ice on a hot summer day is pure refreshment!

 

Guilty as charged!

 

The stronger flavor of the Earl Grey blend stands up to ice very nicely, and doesn't end up tasting like a glass of dirty water! My favorite Earl Grey is a locally blended variety. I buy it in bulk in un-marked bags, so I don't have the name handy. I'll check the name of the company when I get some more later this week, or early next.

 

I also dislike tea with either milk or lemon, hot or iced. If I want lemonade, I get lemonade. If I want milk, I get milk (I don't care for milk.) The combos don't do anything for me...

[adam11]

I love Earl Grey, both in decaf and regular version. In any case, milk is obligatory

[Silvermink]

Dear Earl Grey drinkers - do any of you take it with a little milk? it may surprise many that some of the poshest people around do just that. The 'lemon only with EG' is, IMO, a silly rule, and I don't know where it comes from - does anyone?

 

Milk for me, please!

 

I'll have to haunt some of the local British import places and see if I can find some of this UK-market Earl Grey. I've tried it from other makers and it just doesn't taste quite right, somehow.

[estie1948]

I am an Twining's Earl Grey fan (steeped long with one sugar and no milk*, please). Never knew I was getting a "weak version". I also like their English Breakfast tea. Is that a weak version also?

 

Stash Tea (based in Oregon) has a premium Double Bergamot tea, which is very nice, if you can't get the UK Twinings Earl Grey formulation. I discovered it from a local coffee shop in Manila.

 

Thanks for the tip about Stash Tea's Double Bergamot. I've tried some of the Stash teas and enjoyed them but hadn't noticed the Double Bergamot one. Will also have to look about for some of that Tazo.

 

*milk in hot tea -- no offense, but wouldn't that gag a maggot?

[Scribblescrub]

I cannot abide milk in tea. Any tea. I don't generally have sugar in tea either, except Assam.

[Ghost Plane]

It depends on the climate and season that you first tried milk in your tea, I suspect. Childhood in the tropics, I was a lemon and sugar girl. Moved to the UK and milk in tasted lovely Now I vacillate between sugars [saffron sugar is my weakness!] and sugar/milk based on the temperature where I am.

[Scribblescrub]

I think actually it is because milk in general makes me gag. As a child my worst horror was when they tried to make me drink those little bottles of milk at break time. And when they tried to make me eat the bananas and custard served at school dinners. Saffron sugar sounds very interesting, though. I must obtain some and try it out.

[JohnS-MI]

Is this "weaker flavors for export" generally true for Twinings or just their Earl Grey? I'm not fond of bergamot, and not a big Earl grey drinker. I drank Russian Caravan for decades until they discontinued it in the US. I also like their Irish Breakfast, Prince of Wales, and Gunpowder Green (about the only green tea I will drink).

 

When I was in college many years ago I kept a stash of up to 15 different Twinings teas on a closet shelf. Most of those seem to have been discontinued (anyone else remember Indian Breakfast Tea?) and most of what is sold in US stores today seems inferior to the the versions sold on the UK market. I do, occasionally, order loose tea direct from Twinings but the shipping is very expensive. With shipping included I can usually get better prices for comparable (or superior) teas from Mariage Freres.

 

Peets has a Russian Caravan that is very similar to the no longer available Twinings version. Usual disclaimer applies to all brands mentioned.

 

Some of the "old names" became politically incorrect: Ceylon Brekfast, Formosa Oolong, etc.

 

Thanks for the tip on Peet's. I have tried some other brands which turned out to be quite different. I'll try Peet's.

 

I have never ordered direct from the UK. You can order Twinings loose tea from their American distribution center. However, it may be different. I have sensed I enjoy it less in recent years. Not sure if my taste is changing or my tea is changing.

[Ghost Plane]

I think actually it is because milk in general makes me gag. As a child my worst horror was when they tried to make me drink those little bottles of milk at break time. And when they tried to make me eat the bananas and custard served at school dinners. Saffron sugar sounds very interesting, though. I must obtain some and try it out.

 

Try Persian or Arabic shops. It's a totally different flavor - somehow fresh on the tongue. I nibbled a cube once and fell in love immediately.

[Kaych]

I am an Twining's Earl Grey fan (steeped long with one sugar and no milk*, please). Never knew I was getting a "weak version". I also like their English Breakfast tea. Is that a weak version also?

 

Stash Tea (based in Oregon) has a premium Double Bergamot tea, which is very nice, if you can't get the UK Twinings Earl Grey formulation. I discovered it from a local coffee shop in Manila.

 

Thanks for the tip about Stash Tea's Double Bergamot. I've tried some of the Stash teas and enjoyed them but hadn't noticed the Double Bergamot one. Will also have to look about for some of that Tazo.

 

*milk in hot tea -- no offense, but wouldn't that gag a maggot?

 

If you buy it from outside the UK, then yes, it is most likely a weaker version. This is the "International" version and this is the domestic version.

 

Is this "weaker flavors for export" generally true for Twinings or just their Earl Grey? I'm not fond of bergamot, and not a big Earl grey drinker. I drank Russian Caravan for decades until they discontinued it in the US. I also like their Irish Breakfast, Prince of Wales, and Gunpowder Green (about the only green tea I will drink).

 

When I was in college many years ago I kept a stash of up to 15 different Twinings teas on a closet shelf. Most of those seem to have been discontinued (anyone else remember Indian Breakfast Tea?) and most of what is sold in US stores today seems inferior to the the versions sold on the UK market. I do, occasionally, order loose tea direct from Twinings but the shipping is very expensive. With shipping included I can usually get better prices for comparable (or superior) teas from Mariage Freres.

 

Peets has a Russian Caravan that is very similar to the no longer available Twinings version. Usual disclaimer applies to all brands mentioned.

 

Some of the "old names" became politically incorrect: Ceylon Brekfast, Formosa Oolong, etc.

 

Thanks for the tip on Peet's. I have tried some other brands which turned out to be quite different. I'll try Peet's.

 

I have never ordered direct from the UK. You can order Twinings loose tea from their American distribution center. However, it may be different. I have sensed I enjoy it less in recent years. Not sure if my taste is changing or my tea is changing.

 

The loose leaf Twinings from the American distribution center is the international loose leaf unfortunately. Yes, they actually create two separate loose leaf Earl Greys. It would seem the tea is changing, not your taste, as my parents have complained about the same thing. I should ask them if they enjoy the British version better and get back to you guys.

Edited January 1, 2012 by Kaych

[RobReeves]

Take a look here.

Upton Tea

I have a cabinet full of Earl Grey, Lapsang, Rooberos . . .

[Ghost Plane]

Yay! Love new tea sites. <guilty pleasure> :embarrassed_smile:

[WOBentley]

+1 for the Stash Double Bergamot Earl Grey and also a recommendation for their decaf Earl Grey for those times when you don't want the caffeine...usually I am not a fan of decaf but this one is pretty good!

No affiliation except that I live somewhat near them!

[pen2paper]

Enjoyed the Tazo purple very much..

Would definitely like to try Real tea, per the other side of the pond..

Understand that real tea, just across the river, here = a quick split second dip in the pot, with comment, oh, my dear, you've spoilt the tea, then with cosy on top to keep the pot warm.. I refer to it a reading the am news through the tea cup.. My coffee is jested to be a preferable roof sealant.

[ticoun]

i like earl grey tea a lot.

Twinnings Earl Grey is very good stuff, but not as much as the Kusmi Anastasia earl grey. i should really buy a tin of this one, it's just delicious!

[Diego Perez de Ayala]

I feel cheated... But the taste is still there, and it is SO GOOD!

[lanacre]

I think actually it is because milk in general makes me gag. As a child my worst horror was when they tried to make me drink those little bottles of milk at break time. And when they tried to make me eat the bananas and custard served at school dinners. Saffron sugar sounds very interesting, though. I must obtain some and try it out.

Oh that brings back miserable memories, warm quarter pints of milk at break time made me heave. Still can't drink the stuff. Earl Grey and Golden Granulated.

 

Oh and Fortnum and Masons loose leaf Earl Grey, to which I was recently introduced is the best.

Edited January 31, 2012 by lanacre

[ballboy]

A dash of milk in relatively steeped Earl Grey is lovely for my tastes; I have Duchy Originals Organic at present (formulated by Dr Stuarts for The Prince Of Wale's brand.)

Edited January 31, 2012 by ballboy

[sdcurnow]

Folks in North America might want to try teas from Murchies Tea in Vancouver BC. I've been buying my tea from them for decades (and my parents for a few decades before that). Wonderful stuff.

 

Steve C

[Blade Runner]

Since drinking fresh tea in Darjeeling, nothing I've tried in the states comes remotely close to that wonderfully aromatic and flavorful experience.