Pret A Manger Organic Earl Grey Review

Tea: Ceylon

Type: Tea bag

Additional Ingredients: Organic rose petals

Origin: Sri Lanka

Fair-trade/Organic: Both

Vessel: To go cup

Tea's website

Pret’s take on the Earl’s gift to humanity is pretty solid. Off the bat it seems different than the rest of the chain cafe’s offerings. It’s in that 3d pyramid bag thing that is supposed to simulate loose tea to start. Inside that bag you notice some unusual colors. Instead of black you see various greens, off whites, and what looks like a muted orange. That orange-like color comes from the addition of rose petals. The sip is quite flavorful especially at the end where you tastes the floral notes of the rose. No real harsh black tea taste unless it seeps for too long. It almost has a hint of a green tea taste. This brew by Pret is definitely their own concoction which is a nice change to the generic greys at chains.

Harrods No.42 Earl Grey Review

Tea: Black

Type: Teabag

Additional Ingredients: none

Origin: ?

Vessel: Ceramic mug
Tea's website

Harrods Earl Grey out of the pack smells like a stiff black tea. This is only confirmed by its dark color and taste. Its tagline is "a distinctive tea with a hint of bergamot” and it is pretty much that. Strongly tasting of black tea and maybe a trace of the oil. It has the nice bergamot mouth feeling a little in the after taste but you sure can’t smell it to really taste it in the sip.

Harrods claims to make the perfect cup you should put it in fine china after steeping for 3-5 minutes. I steeped for 3.5 and I wouldn’t recommend much more than that. On the fine china front the closest thing I had readily available was a Merry Christmas ceramic mug with a snowman on it. I’m sure Frosty was feeling pretty posh with this guy in him. 

While it’s a bit strong for my liking it is not a bad cuppa. Keep the steeping down and wait until the miserably moist English winter and you’ll be glad you have a little extra kick in this brew. If it actually snows ever again in London then make sure to break out your Frosty mug for that added ambience that really sticks it to Knightsbridge.

Amanzi Tea Classic Earl Grey Review

Tea: Ura (Sri Lanka) Assam (India)
Type: Loose leaf
Additional Ingredients: None
Origin: Sri Lanka and India
Vessel: Glass cup
Tea's website

Amanzi is a new tea house that at the time of this writing has two London locations. Their store is made to look like a chic tea candy store. After smelling the dry leaves for their Classic Earl Grey I found myself looking for a to let sign cause I wanted to live inside the container. The robust bergamot smell flirts with the nostrils begging to be drank.

The taste of this grey is fantastic. After my last few reviews that were of floral greys I felt like I was home again. It has a beautifully blended straightforward taste that went 1) black tea -check, 2) bergamot -check. This blend shows that you don’t always need more ingredients. The front of the taste is that of a smooth black tea and the end is of bergamot. Business in the front, party in the back.  I’ve never had chewing tobacco but I assume those that do use it love it for the feeling of the nicotine seeping into their checks. Well I had a similar sensation with this tea’s bergamot. If companies started selling earl grey in snuff-like packets I think I would need get serious help.

Amanzi Tea shop has over 150 varieties of tea. Some of them are a bit crazy but I wouldn’t say they take that crown away from T2. They claim to be a tea bar and tea shop. A new take on the traditional cafe. They have a very solid earl grey here that is in the top 10%.

Whittard Extravagant Earl Grey Review

Tea: White tea

Type: Loose leaf

Additional Ingredients: Madagascan vanilla, rose petals, marigold petals, cornflower petals

Origin: China

Vessel: Personal pot

Tea's website

I was about out of Whittard's store when I noticed there was an Extravagant Earl Grey. With a name like that how can you not try it. Seemed like a challenge even.

Store attendant warned that this blend incorporated white tea instead of black and that I was in for some flowers. I decided to man up and give it a go. The attendant let me smell the massive jug it was stored in and my ears perked up. All the smells in this blend are turned up to 11. Super awesome bergamot smell competing with equally strong vanilla and floral scents. It had a lot going on. I was intrigued. Once made the brew had a very light color being that it was a white tea.  

This blend is really the tale of two teas. It does a complete 180 on you. The start has a really amazing light earl grey taste then all the sudden turns on you and you’re in vanillaland. I must say vanillaland is a nicer town than I was expecting it to be. It has a nicely balanced mix to not make you think you’re having a creamsickle from concentrate. It is here you taste the rose, marigold, and cornflower petals. Not really my cup of tea as we say in the tea blogging biz but I do say I felt a tad bit extravagant. Worth a try for sure.

Teaosophy Earl Grey Review

Tea: Black

Type: Teabag

Additional Ingredients: none

Origin: Sri Lanka

Vessel: Ceramic mug
Tea's website

Off the bat Teaosophy’s Earl Grey aims to impress with individually wrapped packets in pyramid boxes. The tea is in a similar shaped tea pyramid that is supposed to "bring you the experience of a tea ball." Well it didn’t- you get to watch tea balls open up and all you get with this brew is hopes it will start tasting better. 

This brew tastes like a more watery lipton tea, you know the packet you get that just says “tea”. It smells like an english breakfast and tastes like a very light one. I can not taste any nodes of bergamot. Having a hard time calling this one a true earl grey. 

Nice presentation indeed but does not excuse for a subpar earl grey. After some time to think on it I bet this sample I had of Teaosophy had staled. Tea stales quicker the more access it has to air. The design of the porus mesh tea pod and non-sealing cardboard packaging decreases the shelf life of this blend. While I can say I can not remember the purchase date of the sample I had, the company should consider design vs shelf life especially because it is sold as an higher end product. 

Celestial Seasonings Victorian Earl Grey Review

Tea: Black
Type: Tea bag
Additional Ingredients: Not known
Vessel: Ceramic mug
Tea's website

Lighter than just a common black tea but doesn't really taste like there is much bergamot. Overall it's a pretty pleasurable cup. The taste of this brew sort of builds up in your mouth. Start of the sip is more watery and as it sits in the mouth you can taste the citrus flavor come out and seep into the sides of the mouth. Pretty nice feeling. Has fruity notes as well. It leaves a lingering taste that invites you back for more. For me I’d like a bit more bergamot taste and less fruity but for a grocery aisle selection that is 100% natural it is a pretty alright choice.

The East India Company Staunton Earl Grey Review

In an initial passing through East Indian Company's store in Covent Garden London I had a sampling of their earl grey which had almost entirely cooled in the pot. It had a very smooth balanced taste with just the right scent of fragrance.

I went back later to have a cup made for me. That one tasted quite a bit different. It gave off a neutral overall scent with a hint of something I had a hard time placing. No bergamot coming through like with some other brews. It has an overall smoky taste to it. Not too much that it makes you cringe but it is pretty much all you experience.  This blend features Neroli oil in addition to the bergamot which may attribute for its smell and was heated up in production to make it smoky. It is a blend that features black teas from both India and Sri Lanka and is based off the original recipe for earl grey. This tea has been around a while as the East India Company was founded in 1600. Oh yea they also were the first to introduce tea to Britian. Thanks for that one. Brew is named in honor of Sir George Staunton who introduced the western world to the Chinese manner of taking black tea.

I was told it's a good blend for iced tea at their store and judging by my first experience with the sample and getting towards the end of the cup I'd say the preferable way to experience it for me is on the cooler side. 

http://www.eicfinefoods.com/products/the-staunton-earl-grey-black-tea-caddy-125g/