Earl Grey

Another of the Earl Greys I found while going through my tea collection. I haven’t tried this one before, either.

I steeped this according to the consensus of tasting notes at boiling and for three minutes.

I didn’t get much bergamot fragrance at all from the dry tea, but the try tea was in one of those S&V paper bags. It was nicely taped up still, but the reality is all the S&V dry leaf smells similar to me because of the paper bags and it all smells a little fruity in a berry sort of way. It must be because I had some berry flavored blacks in the group and the strongest aroma shared with all the others.

I don’t get a ton of bergamot after steeping either, but of course, I don’t like heavy bergamot in my Earl Grey so that’s a good thing. The liquor is clear and a cherry wood red color which must be the influence of the Ceylon.

I like the black tea blend in this one. I definitely taste the Assam, but it isn’t overpowering. I taste the darjeeling as well. It’s a very flavorful base and while I wouldn’t call it smooth, it isn’t harsh either, just has a small bit of bite.

And that’s mostly what I taste, at least this time around. I’m not sure I’d identify this as an Earl Grey if I wasn’t told it was. There is a definite floral note to the tea, but not much of a citrus one and the floral could just as easily be something other than bergamot to my tastebuds.

So I’m torn on how to rate this. On the one hand, as a tea, I quite like it. On the other, I’m not sure it lived up to my expectations of an Earl Grey. On the other hand (what other hand? how many hands do I have?), my expectations of an Earl Grey often result in my feeling that the bergamot is too strong (which this isn’t) and is sitting like a lump of tar in my stomach (which this isn’t).

So I’ll split the baby. Earl Grey points: 75. Tea tastiness points: 83. Rating: 79.

OK… I think I’m finally ready to rate this numerically.

The blend here is very well-rounded. It is robust and very bright in flavor. The bergamot is not as strong in this blend as I’ve experienced it in other blends, but, it seems to be “just right” for this tea base. Nothing too overwhelming, just a very smooth, seamless tasting tea. Beautiful.

Delicious Earl Grey. I preferred it at just under the recommended 3 min. steeping time. At 2 min. and 50 seconds, I avoided any bitterness but got plenty of flavor. I gather that people have strong opinions about Earl Greys-some like the Bergamot to being very strong and others like it more subtle. To me this one is just right, but that’s just me. At this point, this one is a favorite, but I haven’t tested that many. Just as with trying to find the perfect pumpkin spice, I also see myself trying many more Earl Grey teas, just out of curiosity.

I love to start the day with Earl Grey! This is the latest tea in my summer project, and it was given to me to review. This is a nice, fragrant tea with a smooth, mild citrus taste. The bergamot is actually pretty light, which makes the black blend the focus of the cup. It’s a matter-of-fact Earl Grey, but a good place to start before moving on to their other variations.

You can read the full review here:
http://wordsabouttea.blogspot.com/2013/06/earl-grey-by-simpson-vail.html

S&V Advent Day 1! I’ll only bother leaving reviews for S&V teas that are new to me, but maybe I’ll attempt to keep up with the advent this year.

I’m drinking this cool with milk and sugar, and it’s a decent EG, if not my favorite. I taste a good deal of bergamot, but it doesn’t do anything to distinguish itself. The base is just okay. I actually prefer the various decaf EGs I’ve tried from them through the years!

Simpson & Vail Advent Day 1

I’ve become more fond of earl greys over time, and this was a good cup. It felt balanced. I prefer stronger flavoring overall, but this one hit an interesting middle ground – I could have gone stronger, but I didn’t feel like I was missing anything just the way it was either. I added nothing, though would consider milk or a latte for it next time.

Simpson & Vail Advent Calendar: Day 1

I ordered this calendar a month-ish ago and hadn’t unboxed it until today, and I was so pleased that it’s an actual hanging calendar! Very fun, and this way it doesn’t take up valuable counter/table space. I also think it’s quite charming that the foil pouches are hand-numbered on the back. It reminds me of the people behind the products!

Anyway, given my dislike of Earl Greys, I’m quite glad that this one is up first and out of the way! I’m not really giving it a fair chance, however, because I’m drinking it after eating some fairly spicy onion pakora, and bergamot + onion is… not great.

OK, I let my mouth cool down a bit… the bergamot is decent, but it’s just never going to be a favorite of mine. The base is quite thin, with juuust a hint of “wet dishrag,” but not enough to be offensive. I’d say this is probably a perfectly serviceable and pleasant Earl Grey if you like ’em!

Advent Calendar 2024 – Day 1

Happy December, tea friends! As usual, so excited to get going on these advent calendars.

This is a bit of a boring pick IMO, but I’m also not generally a plain Earl lover so that might contribute to my lack of enthusiasm. Also, happy to get the boring ones out of the way early on, heh heh…

It’s a nice enough tea, the base is flavorful but it’s not bitter or terribly astringent. Definitely tasting the Chinese black tea, and perhaps some acidic Ceylon and a touch of haylike Darjeeling. The bergamot toes the line between citrus and floral, and doesn’t taste perfumey or fake. A pleasant Earl, but obviously just not suited to my personal tastes.

Alongside, I had the Quince Spread from Day 1 of the Bonne Maman advent on some leftover Thanksgiving rolls, and it was lovely. Definitely a bit sweet for my tastes, but loved the rich honeyed flavor it had.

Advent day 1

I’m only doing 1 tea advent this year, compared to the 5-8 I’ve done in years past. I’m going to be out of town for much of the advent season, but I’ve also found that having so many starts to become more stressful than fun. So, I decided on the S&V advent, along with my Bonne Maman (and 1 toy calendar for my cats).

This is a perfectly ordinary earl grey. Bergamot isn’t too strong, the black base is brisk but not bitter.

Another of the Earl Grey blends on which I have been binging lately, I actually polished off the last of this before I started on Simpson & Vail’s Extra Aromatic Earl Grey, but forgot to review it. I am now rectifying that oversight. All in all, I think this one compares favorably to the other.

In the glass, this tea blend produces a rich golden liquor. On the nose, I immediately detect a balance of bergamot, honey, malt, and toast. Judging by the nose, this is going to be a very balanced Earl Grey that doesn’t overwhelm the drinker with bergamot. In the mouth, the bergamot is present up front, but is not overpowering. It is quickly balanced by well-rounded notes of honey, malt, and toast. The finish provides a pleasant, soothing balance of bergamot, toast, honey, and malt.

As mentioned earlier, I think this Earl Grey holds up to Simpson & Vail’s Extra Aromatic blend well. It does not display the depth of bergamot flavor of the other blend, but then again, it is not supposed to. This is clearly intended to be a balanced blend and that is exactly what it is. I could see this being a great introductory blend for those curious about Earl Grey, but not wanting something overly tart, spicy, or fruity.