Republic of Tea Earl Greyer Black Tea Review

A Very Smooth Earl Grey Tea with a Mild Spice

Summary : This Earl Grey tea from the Republic of Tea is smooth, lacks any sort of a bitter taste to it, and has a mild spice to it. If you enjoy more "sedate" Earl Grey teas, than you'll certainly enjoy this one.

Review : I was in the mood for something spicy this evening. And when I think of spicy teas, my mind immeidately leaps to two different types of teas...Earl Grey or Chai teas. And so in a desperate frame of mind to get my spicy kick tonight, I dove into my tea samplers and the first one that emerged was a Earl Grey tea from the Republic of Tea called Earl Greyer.

This chai tea from the Republic of Tea contains the following ingredients : Fine black tea leaves blended with oil of bergamot.

Here is how the Republic of Tea describes this tea : "More of a Good Thing Tea - Bergamot orange is a citrus fruit native to northern Italy. Our exceptional blend of this classic tea uses a superior, light Ceylon leaf combined with top-grade, pure bergamot oil. Recognized as the best tasting Earl Grey available."

Straight out of the bag the tea came in I had high hopes indeed for this tea, which really didn't surprise me, despite being a bagged tea. While this is a bagged tea, Republic of Tea always uses quality leaves, and compared to "generic supermarket brands" there really is no comparison in terms of quality. Hence, to be greeted by the rather pleasant and strong fragrance of an Earl Grey tea was both uplifting if not exactly surprising.

Now admittedly, at first, the tea surprised me a bit in terms of flavor. I've had many Earl Grey teas and usually enjoy them all to one degree or another, simply because I can't get enough spice in my life. However, Earl Grey teas come in many different "flavors" if you will, sometimes with cinnamon, or pepper, added to the tea. This particular tea, I noticed after reading the ingredients, had nothing added to it beyond the standard Bergamot Oil (one common trait in all/or at least most quality Earl Grey teas). Thus, this tea would best be characterized as a "Traditional Earl Grey" tea.

Due to the lack of anything added to this tea to add that extra "spice" to it, this tea isn't especially spicy. Don't get me wrong, there is some mild spice to it, but it in no way compares to a Earl Grey tea with pepper added to it. Whether or not this is a good thing or a bad thing depends really on what you are searching for in your Earl Grey tea. And since I was in a "spicy mood" tonight, the lack of spice was, admittedly, a touch disappointing.

However, that lack of spice in no way really detracts of my view of this tea. While not particularly spicy, this tea is exceptionally smooth, and unlike many Earl Grey teas, you can REALLY taste the Bergamot Oil. Indeed, I discovered that the oil itself actually lingers on the lips and tongue, a new experience indeed. And the lack of any sort of lip puckering moments (in other words, no bitterness), allows this tea to go down smoothly and effortlessly.

So what's the verdict? I liked it. It won't be my favorite Earl Grey tea, simply because I'm a spice snob. But, in terms of traditional Earl Grey teas, this is, by far, the best one I've had. As such, I give it four stars. But if spicy Earl Grey teas aren't your thing and you prefer the more traditional Earl Grey teas, such as this one, I wouldn't hesitate to give this tea a five star rating.

Recommendation : Yes. While the mild spice level of the tea will be disappointing to those searching for a spicy tea, those who prefer a more traditional Earl Grey will simply adore this tea as it is very flavorful and exceptionally smooth.

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