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highly recommended |
Hand blended in small batches, Tazo Tea delivers a steaming brew unlike anything you've ever tasted. Tazo's Earl Grey features a a blend of fine black teas from India and Sri Lanka flavored with the essence of bergamot. As with all black teas, Earl Grey is made from the fully fermented leaf of the Camelia Sinensis and contains caffeine.
Earl Grey, Hot 
This is a strongly aromatic version of Earl Grey, scented with citrusy bergamot. If you like a mild Earl Grey, this may be a bit strong for you. I personally love it. One of my favorites.
Tasty, sprightly and delicious!
Earl Grey is supposedly the second most popular tea in the world. Traditionally Earl Grey is created from a blend of black teas, usually Chinese and Indian teas, sometimes with a smokey flavor, and scented with the citrus fruit bergamot. Earl Grey tea has an interesting history. Legend has it that the first tea scented with bergamot oil was presented to Lord Grey from a Chinese mandarin whose son was saved from drowning by one of Lord Grey's men. Twinings and Jacksons of Piccadilly both claim to be the first to have commercially blended this tea.
Tazo shows considerable expertise in the blend of this top quality tea. The black teas utilized are as the box states "the worlds most sought after teas from the high-elevation gardens of Nuwara Eliya, Uva and Dimbula in Sri Lanka and Assam in northeast India." They provide the perfect complement to the strong bergamot essence in this blend. The fragrance is powerfully floral, in particular lavender, citrus, and the woodsy-malt scent of premium black tea. The flavor of this splendid potion is rich and perfumed. A tasty sensual delight!
Earl Grey is traditionally served black, sometimes with lemon. I prefer it with cream. On a warning note, if you keep this tea in the cupboard for too long it will get old--the taste becomes very thin and harsh. Brew it from fresh teabags and you won't be disappointed!
Earl Grey Kicked Up A Notch
First of all let me say that this is what Black Tea is suppose to TASTE like. As soon as I took a sip of this tea earlier today, I knew that this is one of Tazo's finest tea. I'm not going to say that I've tasted many Earl Grey teas, because the only other Earl Grey Tea I've tasted is Twinings. But this tea in my opinion added a twist that was needed for Earl Grey Tea. Don't get me wrong Earl Grey Tea is fine the way it is, but the scented citrus bergamot added by Tazo makes a difference.
I would enjoy drinking the Tea straight up with some sugar, but I like to add a little bit of milk to the tea because I'm used to adding Milk to Black Teas.
I recommend this Tea to anyone that is willing to try something new or enjoy Earl Grey with the Tazo Twist.
Robust Earl Grey 
Of all the Earl Grey's I've tried, this and Rishi's version are the most robust. If you like the distinctive flavor of bergamont, but wish it were more pronounced than in the conventional blend, and your not opposed to some extra tannins, then this or Rishi are your Earl Greys of choice. Of the conventional Earl Grey teas that are relatively easy to find, my favorite is Bigelow's. My favorite Earl Grey is made by Revolution, and includes lavender as an ingredient. However, I have to knock Revolution by trying cut costs by not including a string with their tea bags. If you want to try an Earl with a unique citrus zing, go for Stash Double Bergamont. I think it includes grapefruit flavoring (just my perception). Lady Grey by Twinings also tastes great, and includes small blue flowers, which you can see in the loose leaf version. Cool visual effect against the dark black tea leaves.
Perfumy disappointment 
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Tazo's Earl Grey Black Tea is very perfumy. I am used to drinking super-premium tea that have the real bergamot added, not the essence. So this tea tasted to me like regular black tea with a very, very strong bergamot-like flavor. I definitely did not care for it, although I love Earl Grey teas in general. On the paper tea packet, Tazo writes, "a more aromatic version of the Earl's traditional black tea scented with the essence of bergamot"; therein lies the problem---a little too perfumy and scented for me. On their web site, Tazo describes the flavor profile of Passion as "floral, lavender, fragrant, spicy, lemon". Tazo describes the aroma as "citrus, lavender, light smoke". You may like it; apparently the other reviewers so far do, but it is not for me at all.
Also, be careful of letting this tea brew too long accidently. Even a few minutes too long results in a bitter, bitter tea, reminiscent of orange pekoe with a strong perfume added. What a letdown! Even properly brewed, though, this tea cannot, in my opinion, warrant more than three stars.
The ingredients in Earl Grey are just black teas and bergamot essence. Note that Earl Grey does contain caffeine.
Tazo is an interesting company that makes only super premium teas. They are socially responsible, based in Portland, and have the motto, "The Reincarnation of Tea". Tazo is owned by Starbucks. Their web site is fun and quirky, with a Zen-type focus, definitely worth checking out. It is unclear, though, from their web site, how many of their ingredients are organic or kosher, and they do use some "natural flavors" in their teas--this wording seems a little vague for a super premium tea.
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Teas & Tisanes
tazo earl, bags, earl, grey, tazo, tea
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based on 5 reviews
