Harrods

Okay, there’s no excuse for me not trying this by now. I bought it in July! And yet the Harrod’s sticker was still across the top of the bag. Sigh.

This is going to sound weird for a vanilla tea, but it smells like a fig newton cookie. It’s slightly fruitier as it starts to brew, but still, fig newton. I’m pretty sure I bought this because it smelled almost alarmingly vanilla-y, too.

Oh, but this is nice. This isn’t the kind of vanilla I was expecting at all. This isn’t sugar-cookie vanilla, but the darker, fruitier tasting stuff usually used in perfumes and rich desserts. Without milk it’s lovely, but when I add milk the flavors intensify even more and it’s almost like drinking custard. Oh my goodness, this is good.

Seriously the best cup of earl grey that I’ve ever had in my life, and perhaps even the best cup of tea period! Had it at a friend’s house when we were having tea, and her boyfriend had brought her a tin from his trip to London. I honestly can’t describe it. The aroma and taste is just aaah so good (as you can see, I’m very eloquent with my words here). I certainly wish these were sold in the USA. Since that day at my friend’s I have been dreaming of another cup. I don’t know when I’ll ever visit London, but when I do, I’m bringing a suitcase of this tea back home with me.

Happy Valentine’s Day! It seemed fitting to drink this today. This is the rosiest tea I’ve ever had, and it ends up tasting somewhere in between perfume and candied rose petals. I think it’s wonderful, but for anyone who likes their rose tea more subtle or doesn’t like perfumey florals it’s probably not the right choice. The taste of this is really comforting to me as I’m watching the snow fall (I wish it wouldn’t, but…).

This is the tea I break out when I’m really having a bad day. Today I had a migraine, so it seemed fitting.

The scent as I open the bag is amazing; it’s like walking into a rose garden. It’s also sweet, like honey. The brewed tea smells almost exactly the same. The taste isn’t as sweet as the smell, which in my opinion is a good thing. The tea is light and floral, absolutely delicious and very calming to me.

I like a strong, fragrant Earl Grey and this is the closest to my “ideal” Earl Grey that I’ve found yet. Picked up the bags in Harrod’s in London…but hope to find a supplier closer to home!

Pretty basic earl grey. Nice flavor, just add a little sugar and milk and you’re good to go.

Hmm.. I can’t seem to find this one so I added it. Thanks to Ellyn for this one! It’s the first one I’m trying out of the package she sent me because it’s the one I’m least sure about. Even though I really wanted to try it! I’m open to trying anything as long as it doesn’t have marshmallows in it.

Hmm.. I can’t seem to find this one so I added it. Thanks to Ellyn for this one! It’s the first one I’m trying out of the package she sent me because it’s the one I’m least sure about. Even though I really wanted to try it! I’m open to trying anything as long as it doesn’t have marshmallows in it.I think I steeped it too long. It’s a bit bitter. It’s an ok tea, but I doubt I would buy it. Pretty glad to have had the chance to taste it, though! I’m going to refrain from rating until I steep up another cup. I’m finding that I need to steep the traditional blacks way less than recommended.

Hmm.. I can’t seem to find this one so I added it. Thanks to Ellyn for this one! It’s the first one I’m trying out of the package she sent me because it’s the one I’m least sure about. Even though I really wanted to try it! I’m open to trying anything as long as it doesn’t have marshmallows in it.I think I steeped it too long. It’s a bit bitter. It’s an ok tea, but I doubt I would buy it. Pretty glad to have had the chance to taste it, though! I’m going to refrain from rating until I steep up another cup. I’m finding that I need to steep the traditional blacks way less than recommended.The smell is a bit heavy. The taste is growing on me.

This is not for me. I have tried it several times and all I get is a bitter malt brew. Not rating it because I am unsure if this is me, how I am brewing or the tea. Putting this up for swaps. Anyone want to try it? I have quite a bit I brought back from London a few months back.

Yes, I’m giving this 100. I’m in love.

Harrods’ description doesn’t do this justice. It doesn’t have a “hint” of bergamot. It’s lousy with bergamot. It also has lots of lovely blue and yellow flowers.

If you want a light Earl Grey, this isn’t it. It’s heavy on the bergamot. Just like I like it. I picked it up loose in London. It’s very smooth tasting, but gets bitter very quickly if you oversteep.

Seriously folks, yum.

It is the first second flush Darjeeling I have (well, I don’t know which flush the Fortnum and Mason FTGFOP is so that one doesn’t count). The dry tea is dark coloured, has a ‘very ripen fruit dried’ smell. For the first time I steeped with boiling water, it was kind of nice but a bit too much astrigency for me. It’s probably against the rule but the second time I had it with lower temp water, the smell of liquid is mild but delightful, the taste is smooth with a constant sweetness back of the throat. Very mild astrigency if there’s any. The steeped leaves smell very floral and sweet. I think next time I might increase temp a little bit to extract the full flavour.

This is a nice Early Grey. Nothing too spectacular about it, but also nothing particularly bad either.

Took a big mug of this around today. I forget about this one but I actually really like it. See previous notes.

Ooohhh my this complimented vanilla bean cheesecake very nicely. Bleh…. Too much cheesecake D:

Thank you Ellyn!
I didn’t really know if this tea would turn out for me. But it did :] And it made a wonderful first cup after yoga. The flavors are nice. I’m getting sweet, malty and almost a dark chocolatey\toffee kind of flavor. It has a bit of astringency to it but it’s still good. I enjoyed it. Thanks again!

Had a cup of this at the airport with my boss who ordered an Earl Grey and received this.
I am not a great fan of breakfast teas and I really felt that this one really had nothing special; the leaves quality seemed quite ok, it was not really bitter, but there also wasn’t anything that might approach a wow factor.
If I was really in the mood of a breakfast tea, this would not be it.