Earl Grey Tea from The Jasmine Pearl Tea Merchants

Earl GreyTea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black

Where To Buy:  The Jasmine Pearl Tea Merchants

Tea Description:

The fresh fruitiness of our medium-bodied Earl Grey is sweet, not soapy. Aromatic and balanced, Earl Grey is excellent both hot or served over ice. Traditionally, Earl Grey is made with black tea as a base – we use Chinese Keemun (Qimen), from the Anhui Province in east-central China, and Ceylon, from the major tea-producing island of Sri Lanka.

Learn more about this blend here.

Taster’s Review:

While shopping at Chuck’s Produce, I noticed that they had some Earl Grey tea offered by The Jasmine Pearl Tea Merchants in the bulk section.  I love getting tea in this section because:

  1. The teas are sealed air-tight in tins (not glass or plastic jars).
  2. I can get a sampler size of the tea rather than buying a full 2 – 4 ounces of the tea.
  3. Chuck’s has never let me down when it comes to freshness or quality of products, so I feel confident that I can trust them with tea.

And this Earl Grey is excellent!  I’m glad that I got a little bit of this to try!

When I opened the tin to measure some tea into a small cellophane bag, I was overjoyed by the aroma – a STRONG bergamot fragrance!  It smells amazing.

And I couldn’t wait to try it.  I brewed up a pot later that same evening when I brought it home.  LOVELY!

This is a really wonderful Earl Grey.  I love that the base black tea is a blend of Ceylon and Keemun teas.  This offers a rich, flavorful background that isn’t overly aggressive, but is still bold and full-flavored.  It is a very smooth, well-rounded taste.  It’s not bitter and it’s only very mildly astringent toward the tail.  I like that what little astringency there is here seems to accentuate the tangy qualities of the bergamot flavor.

The bergamot used here is a high quality bergamot.  Full of citrus-y flavor that is highlighted with subtle floral notes, but not at all perfume-ish.  The burst of citrus flavor lasts well into the aftertaste.  The taste buds really perk up from the bright bergamot notes.

So I find that this Earl Grey leaves me in a bit of a quandary.   I have my hierarchy when it comes to Earl Grey.  I have my favorites, to be sure!  But this one is seriously good and it belongs right near the top – at the very least in the top five (if not closer to that number 1 spot!) Should I feel sad that one of my other favorites is becoming displaced by this newcomer, or should I feel overjoyed that I have found a new favorite?  I think the latter rather than the former.

An exceptional Earl Grey – a MUST TRY to those of you who love Earl Grey like I do.