This week, I noticed there were only five teas left from my friend royal_teacups left to review, and four of them were classic blends. So I decided that Part 15 would focus on the remaining Continental classics. Spoiler alert: none of the four got rave reviews, but none of them were bad, either. The first two were underwhelming. The second two were enjoyable, but not spectacular. A truly middle-of-the-road set of reviews. We’re sitting pretty much in the middle of the bell curve this week!

Earl Grey, Øgo (Denmark)

Due to language differences, I struggled to find out much about this brand. (One thing that did intrigue me was that I found a collecting site that lists a number of this brand’s tea bags! Unfortunately, I also found it listed in a Danish study about tea brands that have excessive levels of fluoride.) However, it’s definitely a straightforward Earl Grey, with just black tea and bergamot.

I didn’t get much smell from the tea bag itself, and honestly, the steeped liquid didn’t have much of an aroma, either. That being said, aroma isn’t a 1:1 correlation with overall taste. However, in this case, the lack of aroma corresponded with a bland overall flavor. Not only did I not taste much bergamot, but the tea itself didn’t have much in the way of flavor. Even with a five-minute steep, this tea tastes weak.  

As I encounter underwhelming teas, it’s worth noting that even if I don’t think a tea is particularly good, it may still be drinkable. This Earl Grey is definitely drinkable, even though it’s bland. There have been a few cups of Earl Grey in this challenge I couldn’t even finish; this isn’t one of them. However, it would be more of a tea I’d grab if I didn’t have many other options, rather than being something I’d seek out.

Earl Grey Organic, 365 Økologi (Denmark)

The 365 Økologi (Organic) brand is part of the 365 Discount chain in Denmark, focused on providing organic products at reasonable prices. Due to my inability to read Danish and the inevitable limitations of translation apps, I struggled to find much detail about this blend online. However, I can tell that it’s a no-frills tea bag with just black tea and bergamot.

The tea bag and the infused liquid are both tea-forward, and I’m not detecting much bergamot in either aroma. The bag steeps quickly, and the final beverage is quite dark after just a few minutes. It’s so dark that it could almost pass for coffee. Unfortunately, when I tasted it, I could not detect much bergamot at all. 

While I’ve been a tea bag snob in the past, throughout this challenge, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by many of the bagged teas I’ve tasted. It’s been convincing me to reconsider my snobbishness. Unfortunately, this tea is an example of why I was resistant to tea bags in the first place. It certainly wasn’t the worst tea I’ve tasted for this project, but it definitely didn’t inspire me.

Earl Grey, Since 1836 (Germany)

This blend from Since 1836 has a robust, tea-forward aroma in both the dry cup and steeped liquor. The instructions told me to steep for 3-5 minutes, and I went for the maximum time. However, even though I generally prefer a longer infusion time, I think this one would benefit better from 3 or 4 minutes. The body is quite full and dark. I’m not opposed to that, but my personal preference is translucence in the cup; this tea is opaque.

Although I was skeptical based on the opacity of this tea, I found the flavor quite enjoyable. This blend is an example of why, while the scent is an important part of the overall experience, it’s not necessarily a predictor about the overall taste. The tea-forward nature of the aroma was so strong that I thought the tea was going to taste bitter, but I was wrong. This actually was very well-balanced, with tea and bergamot in harmony.

Ultimately, this was an enjoyable tea, though it didn’t blow my mind. I’m glad I had the opportunity to try it, and while I wouldn’t be disappointed if someone served it to me, I wouldn’t go out of my way to purchase it, either. But if it’s available in your area and you want a straightforward Earl Grey, you should try this.

Earl Grey, Life by Follis (Sweden)

I’ll close with another perfectly enjoyable blend. The Earl Grey by Life by Follis has a tea-heavy scent on both the dry cup and steeped liquor. The liquid has a medium body, which I prefer. Their website lists organic black tea and natural bergamot for the Earl Grey blend. 

Earlier in this challenge, I was blown away by the differences between natural and artificial bergamot. I haven’t become a snob about it; I know one of the blends on my best-of list uses artificial bergamot (but that won’t be revealed until the end of the project). Still, there’s something special about natural bergamot, and I can see how it makes a difference here. Based on a currency converter, this is a fairly middle-of-the-road tea in terms of price. It’s not extravagant, but the natural bergamot does make it feel a little more luxurious.

I wish I could end on a more spectacular review. I don’t find any particular faults in this tea, but it also doesn’t rock my world. It’s simply another Earl Grey that is lovely to drink, but I don’t feel disappointed that I don’t have regular access to it. I’m glad I got the chance to give it a try, especially because it’s not available in the United States. But I won’t be figuring out how to import it from Sweden, either.

By the Numbers

With just two teas left to taste in August, I’m 70% of the way done with my tea tastings! I don’t see myself getting to the 75% mark by the end of the month, but that’s not an issue. I’m still going to end August on schedule.   

The distribution hasn’t changed much, though I’ve continued to seek out more green and tisane blends, so you will probably see more of those reflected in the pie chart soon! Most of what I added to my queue in August is in the Special Variation category, so I’m interested to see how that proportion changes. While I try not to over-buy in one category, there were some irresistibly interesting options.

I’m planning on another post soon, because I want to update right when I hit the August milestone. Plus, I’m trying to get the blogging more in sync with the tasting. I think it would feel odd to finish the tastings and still have four posts to write! 

Support the Project

Read previous installments here:

The Earl Grey Year Part 1: Four Classics

The Earl Grey Year Part 2: Four Florals

The Earl Grey Year Part 3: Four More Classics

The Earl Grey Year Part 4: Greens and Tisanes

The Earl Grey Year Part 5: Cremes and Special Variations

The Earl Grey Year Part 6: Classics and Florals

The Earl Grey Year Part 7: Classics and Special Variations

The Earl Grey Year Part 8: Cremes and Variations Part 2

The Earl Grey Year Part 9 : Four More Florals

The Earl Grey Year Part 10: Halfway Point

The Earl Grey Year Part 11: Kusmi Tea

The Earl Grey Year Part 12: Cremes and Classics

The Earl Grey Year Part 13: Four More Special Variations

The Earl Grey Year Part 14: Tisanes and Classics

Enjoying this series? You can support my tea wishlist here, or contact me if you have samples you want to share!

You can also connect with me at the MyTeaPal app, where I’m posting under the username @haikuallyson. 

Project References

Note: This is an ongoing list of all the reading I have done so far for this project. The bibliographic entries here are not necessarily cited in this specific post.

American Chemical Society. (1965). “Bergamot Joins Lineup Of Synthetic Oils: Glidden process breaks down ß-pinene, back-blends components.” Chemical & Engineering News Archive 43 (33), 24-25. DOI: 10.1021/cen-v043n033.p024a 

Avila-Sosa, Raúl et. al.  “Bergamot (Citrus bergamia) Oils.” Essential Oils in Food Preservation, Flavor and Safety. Ed. Preedy, V.R. (2015). Elsevier Science & Technology. pp. 247-252. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-416641-7.00027-4

Di Giacomi, Angelo and Giovanni Dugo. “Origin, History, and Diffusion.” Citrus bergamia: Bergamot and Its Derivatives. Ed. Dugo, Giovanni and Ivana Bonaccorsi. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2013. pp. 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1201/b15375

Dugo, Giovanni and Ivana Bonaccorsi. “Composition of Leaf Oils.” Citrus bergamia: Bergamot and Its Derivatives. Ed. Dugo, Giovanni and Ivana Bonaccorsi. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2013. pp. 227-236. https://doi.org/10.1201/b15375

Galper, Amy. (December 14, 2022.) “Shelf Life of Essential Oils.” Cliganic. https://www.cliganic.com/blogs/the-essentials/essential-oils-shelf-life 

Heale, Christopher. (n.d.) “A Guide to the Tea Grading System.” Herbs & Kettles. https://www.herbsandkettles.com/blogs/blog/a-guide-to-the-tea-grading-system 

Lo Curto, Rosario. “Uses of Juice and By-Products.” Citrus bergamia: Bergamot and Its Derivatives. Ed. Dugo, Giovanni and Ivana Bonaccorsi. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2013. pp. 531-542. https://doi.org/10.1201/b15375

Nishida, Kei.  “What Does Astringency Mean for Tea Drinking?” (n.d.) Japanese GreenTea Co. https://www.japanesegreentea.in/blogs/japanese-green-tea-lovers-in-india/what-does-astringency-mean-for-tea-drinking 

Petite Histoire. (July 7, 2023).  “The [Complete & Complex] Guide to Natural vs. Synthetic Fragrance: What’s the Difference?” https://nyc.ph/blogs/inspiration/the-complete-guide-to-natural-vs-synthetic-fragrance

Rosen, Diana. (November 3, 2020). “New – Coffee Leaf Arabica tea.” TeaSmart. https://www.teasmart.com/article_201106.html 
Twinings. (n.d.) “What is Bergamot?” https://twinings.co.uk/blogs/news/what-is-bergamot