Earl Grey Green

Another from Teabox B! I didn’t find any bergamot here at all, but now I know Adagio’s green tea base is just as loveable as Adagio’s black tea base. I REALLY like their bases, so their flavors aren’t hiding any terrible teas. Which is bad, because I’d love to try everything from Adagio. It’s a nice flavor of green tea, with something creamy about it. But this rating is for an EARL green and not the base!

I cold brewed this one and it was so disgusting. bleh. I had to throw away the whole thing :(

In a word: underwhelming. There’s an unfortunate combination of the green tea base not being very flavorful (presumably because it was chosen to be flavored), but the added earl grey flavor is also quite weak. It’s not unpleasant to drink, it’s just… boring.

Not a bad tea, but the combination of the astringency of the tea and the bergamot makes for a somewhat bitter drink with a very dry mouthfeel. Mixed with a mellower green tea it is quite nice.

This sample has been hanging around for over two years, possibly longer.

Several things are happening as I work on this sipdown challenge in earnest. My tea storage areas look neater, teas in pouches are being repackaged into tins as tins get emptied, and my box of samples and small amounts is not a rip roaring mess anymore. I decided today was a good day to finally relieve that box of one more sample, even though it isn’t in cupboard and therefore doesn’t count as a sipdown.

Because it was individually wrapped I got out a mug thinking I was doing a sachet, but remembered right before tearing it open (had to get scissors actually) that a lot of these were loose leaf, and this one was, too. Pulled out a steeper and made it for my lunch cuppa.

Considering the age, this has held up extremely well. I am not a bergamot lover with the exception of a few really well-loved blends, but this was pretty decent. I could still taste plenty of bergamot but it didn’t smack me in the face, and the green base still had presence. A few bits of broken leaf made it past the steeper so the last sip got tossed but overall it wasn’t terribly bitter and had enough flavor to pair well with food. If I were just sipping for pleasure with nothing to eat, I think I would prefer something like Anastasia White to satisfy any bergamot with light tea craving.

Surprised to see the low ratings for this tea. I‘m enjoying this one way more than I expected. I’ve tried other green Earl Greys which left me wanting to wash out my mouth with soap. This tea has a bright, invigorating flavor with notes of orange, mint, and cardamom. The green tea base lets the pure bergamot flavoring shine through. My favorite way to steep it is by adding a little bit to spent green tea leaves.

Another tea from the leap year order.

This one I decided to try straight. I’m not usually one to add much to green teas unless they are heavily flavored. so I wanted this straight. It’s… well I can taste the green tea, that’s for sure. I’m getting the grassy notes that I would expect from a green blend, but the bergamot is pretty subtle if present at all. In this case, though, I feel that may be a good thing. I don’t think a bitey bergamot would mesh well with the grassy green. I could be wrong. I don’t know if I’ve had a green EG before? Not sure. This seems different.

There is a floral note to this but it is pretty weak. Actually, the tea as a whole is mild. It tastes like average green tea. That’s about it. The more I drink it the less I taste any amount of Earl Grey in it. Perhaps I brewed it too weak? I used 1.5tsp/12oz/2min/180F, so I followed the directions. Maybe I will add a bit more leaf to this next time. I’ll hold off on any final judgement until I can fiddle with the brew a bit.

I like it for what it’s worth. It’s light but flavorful. It’s a good tea when you can’t decide exactly what you want.

This is another one from Adagio’s Earl Grey sampler that I thought I wouldn’t like. I was glad to be proven wrong. The Earl Grey flavor was milder with this one, which I think is the right decision for a green tea. It was very balanced, a nicely flavored green tea.

This is actually surprisingly good. Usually I’m a devotee of traditional black earl greys, but this one has the same bergamot flavor I love with a much lighter base. The green tea isn’t overly flavorful, but it’s also very hard to burn. I know I mention this in a lot my reviews, but resilient teas always get extra points from me. Do I have an automatic tea maker to baby my teas with? Yes. Am I frequently forgetful and clumsy when I make tea on my own? Also yes. I’m also generally not a fan of teas with orange peel (they always taste bitter to me), but this one is not overwhelming. The tea is not overly acidic, either. This is definitely not the best flavored green I’ve had, but it’s a great way to try out an EG with a different base.