I admit it, I'm a tea snob. Tea isn't a beverage for me, it's an event, starting from boiling the water to when the last drop vanishes down my oesophagus.
And as a snob, I don't buy bagged teas, I buy loose leaf. So I normally wouldn't have drank this tea, except that I filched a couple of complimentary bags while waiting interminably at the local dealership (OK, I drank one at the dealership and stole 3, one for each hour I was kept waiting).
On the matter of taste, I find it very good. The Bigelow EG appeared to be very strong in color and taste.
Tea bag teas are usually cut very fine so the tea bags can be packed flat, and because finely cut leaves have more surface area than big leaves, you don't need to steep the tea as long. In fact the instructions say to steep only 1-2 minutes as opposed to the usual 3-4 mins.
To me, Earl Grey taste has two components, the tea taste and the bergamot taste, and it takes a lot of skill to blend and make a tea that has a pleasing combination of the two tastes.
Taylors and Harrogate has a mild tea and bergamot taste. Whole Foods loose leaf has a strong bergamot taste. Your run of the mill EG usually has a strong tea taste that overshadows the bergamot and you don't taste it at all. Bigelow has a very strong tea taste, but it doesn't overwhelm the bergamot, which you taste at the end. So I like it very much, because I've never had a strong tea that didn't overwhelm the bergamot. And it's definitely not a mild tea, it's very robust and strong. It's not a light handshake, it's a full body hug and kisses on both cheeks when you drink this.
In conclusion, if you want a very strongly flavored Earl Grey with a strong tea taste, but also a strong hint of bergamot, this is it, I'll definitely buy some (because I think they have security cameras in the waiting area).
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