I grew up in a family of tea drinkers; and although I now tend to have a lot of coffee while I'm at work, I still drink almost exclusively tea when I'm at home. I generally prefer loose leaf teas - that way I know I'll get "the real thing," whereas tea bags tend to contain merely the leftovers of a harvest; little crumbs too poor in aromatic and other content to otherwise pass quality control standards.

The exception are Bigelow teas: and first and foremost among those their flagship, Ruth Bigelow's original "Constant Comment" with its recipe of black tea, orange grind and holiday spices (primarily cinnamon). Created by Mrs. Bigelow on the basis of an old colonial recipe over half a century ago, the blend soon became so popular among her friends that their "constant comments" of approval prompted Ruth and husband David Bigelow to found their own tea company. Since then, "Constant Comment" has long become a true classic ... and if you love tea, it is indeed the perfect refreshment; whether or not it's Christmas time. (E.g., it also makes for great iced tea in summer; particularly if you add a bit of lemon.)

If you're making more than a single cup of tea, and unless you like your tea *very* weak, you may want to rethink the company's measuring directions - based on the the "one bag per cup" ratio, you'll likely need two or more bags for an entire pot (depending on size), even when steeping an extra minute or two. That said, though ... wanna come over for a cuppa?

My husband and I both love Twinings Earl Grey Tea. In the grocery store you can only buy little boxes, and often times they are out of it. I've searched other sites, and stores looking for the best price. This, hands down, is it.

I was hesitant to order this tea because there were only a few reviews at the time. One reviewer said the tea was "tasteless" and another cited poor packaging affecting the freshness.

I'm glad I took the chance because I disagree on both counts. The taste is excellent which is, of course, the most important factor. I love strong, aromatic, flavorful tea and this does not disappoint. I had to add just a teeny bit more (a more rounded teaspoon for one cup) than with the tea I normally drink, Twinings Irish Breakfast, but that is insignificant since this Davidson's tea is half the price. I love that it is organic since I drink a lot of tea.

I also thought the packaging was adequate. It is similar to the packaging used for the organic Ruta Maya coffee that I buy and I have never had a problem with freshness. Of course it is best to make sure you press out all of the air before resealing the top...I usually tap it on the counter to settle the contents then bend the top over on itself while leaning over on it, then seal it. As it reduces in size putting a rubber band around it helps just in case you didn't get the seal completely closed. I keep a small quantity of the tea in an old Twinings tin so that I don't have to open the original package so often.

I am very happy to have found this tea. I still love the Twinings but it is just too expensive with three people in my family always drinking tea.

Twinings invented Earl Grey blend tea. It is a very light and refreshing blend. The bergamont flavor (derived from a type of Mediterr. orange, not an herb as the last reviewer stated) is not very overpowering at all. It is not as caffeine heavy as some of Twinings other blends (English Breakfast, Irish Breakfast). If you like this blend, you will also enjoy Lady Grey (which adds a little lemony flavor to the blend). They also sell this tea as a loose leaf. Cant beat Amazon's price either.

Now, as to the tea itself. This is EXTREMELY fine jasmine tea. Rishi's offering uses "dragon pearls" of excellent quality--Chinese green tea leaves that are hand-rolled into little...well, pearls. The pearls are then scented, over the course of several days, with fresh jasmine blossoms--20 lbs. of fresh jasmine blossoms are used to scent each pound of tea. This is excellent, absolutely delicious tea that, excepting the word "jasmine," has virtually nothing to do with cheaper grades of tea that are scented chemically with perfumes. It scents the whole room as it brews. :)
Bearing in mind that there are no bargains to be found for top-grade tea--it's never cheap--Amazon has the best price I've yet found for Rishi Jasmine Pearls, especially if your order qualifies for free shipping. It can and should be infused three times, which might take some of the sting out of purchasing, the health benefits of green tea providing the final push.
Rishi Dragon Pearls are now a part of my parents' daily routine. In addition, I made a gift of a can to a friend's mom--that can went all the way to Russia and was, predictably, received with delight and appreciation. A cousin in California, on my recommendation, went a bit hog-wild and bought four cans from Amazon--she's now a fan, too. I doubt there are any better green jasmine pearls to be found. (Seven Cups, an online purveyor of top-grade Chinese tea, has white jasmine pearls that are equally fine but very different--I like both).
Incidentally, try to brew this tea in glass as the unfurling of the pearls is extremely beautiful to watch.

Update: I just bought a new can and noticed that the brewing instructions are radically different. The suggested brewing times remain the same (3 - 4 minutes), but the amount of leaf has TRIPLED to one tablespoon and the suggested brewing temperature has decreased by 10º to 180º. Frankly, given that I get excellent results with the suggestions that are still posted on the Rishi Web site (steeping for a good minute less, though), I decided that the only concession I'll make is to drop the temperature to 185º, leaving everything else the same (the correct brewing temperature can be had very easily: pour boiling water into a large Pyrex measuring cup, then pour over the leaves). A higher concentration of scented leaf would likely gag me (as in the case of the brewing instructions for Rishi's Osthmanthus Silver Needle), plus the original instructions are MUCH more cost-effective. Tea preferences, however, are very much a matter of taste, so play with the suggested parameters, if you're so inclined, to determine yours. Keep in mind, though, that jasmine tea can become bitter if mishandled (this just passed on to me by Austin at Seven Cups), so play safe!

The jasmine flavor is rich and sweet, all by itself. The amount of work that goes into creating each of these lovely pearls is astounding (hence the price!). Once you have tried this tea, all other jasmine green teas will pale in comparison. The flavor is so concentrated, you only need to use a scant teaspoon of pearls for each cup of tea that you brew, so these two cannisters will last for some time. I hope you try this tea, as I know you will not be disappointed.

If you are on a tight budget, as I am, then I think this Earl Grey is fine. For the same price, I prefer Bigelow. For Pete's sake, stay away from Lipton's black tea. (I can't speak as to their green tea.) I used to drink Lipton tea as we get the bags free at work. Once I tried Twinings and then Bigelow, there was no going back. The Lipton teas are bitter tasting in comparison.

If you are able to splurge once in a while, try Mountain Rose Herbs brand of Earl Grey. The difference will blow you away. The bergamot really stands out in this tea, I mean REALLY. I haven't seen it offered online here at Amazon. I had to order it directly from Mountain Rose and it was $11 for one pound plus shipping. The tea is organic, kosher and fair trade certified! Their website is here:[...]

So, if you like Twinings, try Bigelow, which is the same price, but a tad better. If you are able to splurge, try Mountain Rose...but be warned, it will spoil you for other teas forever.

This is amazing it feels like the real deal. When my hubby isnt arround it is my best friend. I highly suggest this if you want a realistic feel and it does feel real. omg need more

:wtf2:

I used to be a coffee drinker. I was raised on the stuff. Being up first in the morning meant I filled the electric pot and got it going. My mother did not emerge until the pot finished, some 20 minutes later. I started drinking it myself when I got my first job at the ski lift. We got hot drinks for free, and I was soon hooked. Some years later, I realized I wasn't really drinking coffee. I was lacing it with so much sugar and creme that it wasn't really coffee at all. I got headaches if I didn't get my fix, every couple hours, every day.

So, as a health benefit, I switched to tea. I began with Lipton, but soon experimented with all sorts of flavors. When I hit on the Earl Grey, that was it for me. It's a mild form of the English Breakfast Tea, laced with a bit of Bergamot which may be the reason it is palatable any time, day or night. I prefer Twinings, although I have used competitor's out of curiosity, or availability, I always go back to Twinings Earl Grey. I am definitely hooked again, but with no ill side effects. I generally drink 2 big mugs in the morning, yearn for more in late afternoon, and top of my evening the same way it began.

Try it. You'll like it.

What? My husband brews an excellent Earl Grey.

I first tasted this tea way back in the late 70's, when I worked at a specialty restaurant. Now I use it in my secret recipe iced tea, it adds a flavor that no one can identify, but one that they can't seem to get enough of! It's also good hot, with cream and sugar. The taste is like lemon and nutmeg. I've tried other brands, but Twinings is the richest in flavor.

I enjoy a good cup of tea and my absolute favorite is Earl Grey. Twinings Early Grey is among the best on the market, alongside Rishi loose leaf. A traditional English tea, Earl Grey is a black tea whose principle flavor is from the rind of bergamot oranges. Although there are various accounts of its origin, it is most likely was an Indian recipe (China is also a commonly attributed with creating the recipe) which made its way to England in the early 1800s. Named after Lord Grey, the tea is a flavorful black tea that is best served nearly boiling hot with or without lemon. It is NOT served with cream.

Twinings is one of the oldest conveyors of Earl Grey and still use the same recipe as they have for well over a hundred years (soon to be two-hundred). Their tea is also endorsed by the 6th Earl Grey and his signature appears on their packaging. Not that this means the tea is superior because of any endorsement; in this case the tea speaks for itself.

While I do prefer loose leaf teas, these tea bags provide nearly the same flavor profile as the loose variety and will not disappoint the Earl Grey enthusiast. If you've never tried Twinings, you owe it to yourself to do so. Enjoy!

I have tried three varieties of Earl Grey now and I am amazed and somewhat pleased by how different they all are as it allows for different tastes. Twinings has a light, bright slightly citrus flavor that I love. Bigelow Earl Grey, to me, is comparitively flat. Drinkable, but not the delight that Twinings is.
You actually can tell the difference on opening the box, from the smell. I smell very little on opening Bigelow. I also tried Stash Earl Grey and was nearly choked tp death by a strong perfume stench that spoke neither of tea or of citrus. I did try it, a couple of times, and threw the balance of it away.

I usually drink the tea iced, no sugar and sometimes with a squeeze of lime. I cannot imagine using sugar, not needed. My feeling on hot drinking is that perhaps a small spoon of sugar would be nice, but certainly not milk, partly because of the light flavor of the tea, but mostly because the milk does not compliment the citrus note.

There are a great many Earl Grey teas on the market but, for my money, Twinings is the best. When I'm not able to brew it from loose tea I turn to bags -- and, although not as full-flavored, the resulting cup is quite satisfactory.

Ah... Earl Grey... one of the finest black teas. Being a Star Trek fan (Star Trek The Next Generation), I was first introduced to Earl Grey by Picard's famous quote, "Tea. Earl Grey. Hot." Being curious, I popped out a tea bag of coincidentally Twining's Earl Grey and brewed the tea. Ah... the first sip of Earl Grey was heavenly. It can soothe like camomile and it is also quite strong. The great smell of the tea comes from the oil of bergamont which I might add smells great on a cold winter day.

Twining's Earl Grey has a great balance of black teas and the bergamont oil. Bigelow's balance seems to be tipped more towards the bergamont side. Twinings is a great company and they certainly know their teas. I've been drinking Earl Grey everyday (like Picard) which provides me a time to relax and stray away from the rigors of life.

Earl Grey is an unusual type of tea because it is flavored with the herb Bergamot which has a distinctive flavor. If you haven't tasted it before, I'd recommend you order a cup or try a smaller sized package because you might not like it. It can, however, grow on you. I like it very much; it's one of my very favorite teas. It's quite popular in England both at breakfast and at tea time. It is almost always available if you are out having high or afternoon tea. It's made with black tea, so it, of course, has caffeine--though now it is available in decaf as well through Amazon etc. This box has a large quantity of tea bags of high quality tea. There are other brands, but Twinings is a good one (though not my very favorite, it's right up there). Using bags is, of course, more convenient, but frankly, I prefer loose tea with which you can vary the strength as you wish. I have friends who make it by the pot. Those wanting weaker tea just pour it off earlier. I like it stronger. On the other hand, you can put a bag in a mug, stick in the microwave, and have tea in a few minutes. Enjoy! Hope you like the Bergamot!

Personally, I like St. Dalfour's earl grey tea better, but Twinings is good. Amazon ran a terrific promotion on this product in February and I bought a case. My advice: Look for Amazon's promotions on this product--get on their email list--their February deal beat the best prices at our local stores by a wide margin.

Bench racing is bench racing... what a fuxking waste of bandwidth... And for what its worth - i think the 135 is an extremely capable well sorted car - its just hilarious how important being a hair faster is to some... I feel bad for you when two years comes by and cars then make our cars look like iron weights with people flintstoning their way around... Seriously - its a car - you drive it and you appreciate it... if you got your bimmer to simply talk **** to others and "defend you cars honor" then you wasted 40k and should be driving a mini van...

I have driven and "played" with many a N54 - they have their moments and so does a Z or a miata or any other car tailored for an enthusiast... if you cant appreciate a sports car when you see one - then you are less an enthusiast more a car-bigot... I am sure if you actually owned a 370 - you would be in here defending your investment to the teeth... (just like a lot of people do in here)...

Dont even start with me on the whole mod for mod nonesense - seriously? "mod for mod my d!ck is bigger than yours" - thats all i hear in these forums... People need to grow the **** up and learn to not only appreciate the things that they own...

shush, keep your Nissan boy racing talk out of our Bavarian Motors and tea thread.

I've never tried this NASA brand. Is it an Earl Grey?

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).

I have a cafe and this product moves very quickly. People really like the brand, "Twinings". Having the subscribe and save is a nice benefit for a busy business owner. One less thing that I have to inventory weekly.

Where are my skittles? Sorry, red head > this thread, so I had to leave a bit early.

Grey. Earl Grey. A Dignified, Notable, Elegant, Unique tea with Bergamot flavoring. Unforgettable. Exceptional.

Unsweeetend, or with sugar, it is exceptional.

Add cream and sugar if you want a "Chai experience."

Save the box after there are no more teabags and (I'm serious)use it as a sachet to add its fragrance to a drawer of linens or even just your kitchen shelf. But DO buy a replacement -- how can anyone go without Earl Grey tea??!!!

I recently gave up coffee & made the switch to teas. I've tried all the usual suspects. Lipton & other grocery blends were bitter or weak. I purchased the loose tea leaves from Amazon at a fair price & quick shipping. English friends suggested PJ Tips Tea, which we ordered from another online site. Twinning's blows it away. The Earl Grey & Irish Blend are great both on the pallet & to the nose.

Earl Grey is my favorite blend of tea by far - no competition there. The biggest secret with this tea once given to Earl Grey of Hoswick Hall (British Prime Minister in 1830 - 1834) by a Chinese manadarin, reportedly in gratitude after the earl saved his life, is to get just the right doseage of bergamot oil, a rather intense, tangy scent derived from the bergamot orange (which in turn is a cross between the pear lemon and the sour orange; the latter is native to South Vietnam, and its oil was probably the recipe's original ingredient). Using too much bergamot oil can easily obscure the black tea's natural flavor - but with Twinings you just can't go wrong, because the original Earl Grey turned to this very company for a match to the quickly dwindling supply he had received from his Chinese friend.

(From the Twinings website: "When the mandarin's tasty gift began to run out, Earl Grey asked his tea merchants, Twinings, to match it for him. Twinings unique blend was the Grey family's long-standing favourite. When guests inquired about it, they were directed to Twinings on the Strand, where they would ask for Earl Grey's tea by name.")

Unless you insist on having *all* your tea with cream or milk, I recommend having this one without any kind of milk products: not only does the original recipe not call for such an addition; in my mind it just plain ruins the blend's particular flavor. (But that's just me, of course.) Whichever way you have it, though, if scented teas are your kind of thing, Twinings Earl Grey should be right up your alley.

Red head > Red Zed?


:crying:

:icon18:

Yes

Dreamer = skittle?

Fair enough. I have a redhead here too, so I guess we're even. I ate your skittles though.

:mad:

lol

<3

holy fvck you guys type fast :)

And think, they only use one hand.

fuuuuu:bowrofl:

And two fingers.

Other ones are busy doing more important things.