Earl Grey

My first thought was, "Earl Grey is so common; everyone knows what it tastes like, why bother reviewing this one?"  But when I tasted it, I was brought back to a trip I took to England one summer, during which I discovered my love for tea.  This tea is made by Bigelow, and if you prepare it exactly the way I describe, you will taste the flavors I enjoyed every morning while visiting England.

Flavor:  Earl Grey has a light flavor- not as heavy as a traditional breakfast tea.  Its distinctive taste comes from oil of bergamot, which comes from a tree in the citrus family.  Its a difficult flavor to describe, but if I hadn't looked it up, I never would have guessed by taste that bergamot was related to citrus.  The flavor seems somewhat nutty with a hint at flowers.  Bigelow's version of Earl Grey has a pleasant and light bergamot taste which is not too over-powering, yet not too light.

Suggested Additions:  The people in England who introduced me to tea always served it with two heaping spoonsful of sugar and enough milk to create a light tan-coffee color.  If you do it exactly this way, you will taste the flavor that started my exploration of teas.  If you want to vary the taste a bit, try alternative types of sweeteners, or use cream, half-and-half, soy milk, almond milk, or other non-dairy creamer.  Some people just drink it black.  There are so many ways to drink Earl Grey that I cannot list them all here.  I have also had it iced, and that is refreshing on a hot summer morning.

Ingredients:  The box is missing, and the bag does not contain an ingredients list.  My guess would be:  black tea, oil of bergamot, some sort of soy lecithin-based preservative to maintain freshness.

EDIT:  A quick search online has turned up an ingredients list:  black tea, natural oil of bergamot.

Purpose:  Earl Grey is one of my favorite teas, so my reason for drinking it would be out of habit on days when I need a strong amount of caffeine.  Also for those days when I get nostalgic about my visit to England.

Note:  My hosts served me in England with a heavily sweetened tea, and usually when I prepare my own tea, I use much less sweetener than the way I was taught.  When I served a friend of mine, I used one not-heaping spoonful of sugar, and this person still found it to be unusually sweet.  Remember that additions to tea should be based on your own personal preferences and not how you are "supposed" to do it.