Taylors of Harrogate Earl Grey Tea Review
A mid-year Earl Grey? Don’t mind if I do! This week, I am brewing up a nice cup of Taylors of Harrogate Earl Grey tea. This tea brand is pretty well-known in the UK and is actually part of the same brand as Yorkshire Tea!
But don’t let that put you off.
I always go into each tea review session with an open mind so I can truly enjoy the flavours. I urge you to do the same. You might just find that Taylors of Harrogate Earl Grey is a delicious and tasty beverage. In my review below, learn about the flavour, aroma, brew instructions and ingredients of this tea.
Taylors of Harrogate Earl Grey at a Glance
Izzy's Rating
3.1/5
- Blend: Black tea with natural bergamot flavouring
- Flavour: Astringent black tea with citrusy bergamot
This is a pleasant Earl Grey but it is incredibly drying and brisk! If you want an Earl Grey to wash down heavy desserts and sweet treats, this is the one for you.
Full Review – Earl Grey Teabags
Izzy's Rating
3.1/5
- Type: Tagged paper filter teabag
- Tea: Black tea (Rainforest Alliance Certified)
- Additives: Natural bergamot flavouring
- Flavour Notes: Strong, astringent, smooth, zingy bergamot
- Aroma: Bright, brisk, soft bergamot, warm
- Milk or Lemon: Milk or lemon, sugar or honey
- Where to Buy: Amazon or UK supermarkets
You can buy this tea as either teabags or loose leaf – I have the teabag version. Opening the paper packet, it’s bright! The black tea has a good brisk aroma with a classic soft bergamot note. It’s very pleasant and beautifully executed, but nothing extraordinary.
Once brewed (instructions below), you’ll have a cup of dark yet warm brown tea. The aroma coming from the teacup is warm and brisk, hinting at a black tea with good strength. The bergamot notes are still present albeit soft. They add a nice sweetness too.
As for the flavour, be prepared! From that very first sip, Taylors of Harrogate Earl Grey is super drying with a bright astringency. Even though it’s smooth as it flows over your tongue and has a consistent, zesty bergamot note, that astringency really takes centre stage.
It’s drying, cleansing, and invigorating – a much brighter version of a classic Earl Grey. In my opinion, this blend is best consumed with milk to soften the astringency and perhaps a teaspoon of sugar if you need extra sweetness.
How to Brew Earl Grey Teas
Use boiling water – fill your kettle up rather than re-boiling what has been left sitting in there – and let one teabag steep for four minutes per cup. You can brew for an additional minute if you like a strong tea to add plenty of milk to.
These are the instructions from Taylors of Harrogate and I don’t have much else to add! Four minutes produces a good strength and it is quite drying without milk, but still totally drinkable if you like your tea black.
If you don’t add sweetness to your tea (sugar, honey or sweetener), then consider having a small, sweet snack with this cuppa. It will really help balance the astringency and you have the added bonus of cleansing your mouth between each bite.
Why Buy from Taylors of Harrogate?
Taylors of Harrogate are a British brand that sells both coffee and tea. Their coffee is nice, but I think their tea is better. Every Taylors of Harrogate tea that I have tried has been full of flavour and nicely presented. Even when the flavours aren’t to my taste, it is undeniable that the tea is of a good quality for a teabag.
The packaging is entirely biodegradable, just paper and string, however this brand doesn’t use unbleached paper for the teabags. See Clipper Earl Grey for an example of unbleached paper.
As you can see from my photos, this tea uses flavouring rather than bergamot oils – you can identify bergamot flavouring by off-white flecks amidst the black tea leaves. The black tea itself comes from various countries rather than a single origin, but all the tea estate that Taylors of Harrogate uses for this tea are Rainforest Alliance Certified.
I also like that Taylors of Harrogate are widely available. In the UK, you can easily find them online or just grab a box when you next head to the supermarket. Alternatively, I have found Taylors of Harrogate on Amazon internationally, with shipping both to the UK and the US.
Summary
Overall, this is a pleasant tea. The astringency and briskness of the black tea combined with classic zesty bergamot creates a simple yet effective Earl Grey. It is very refreshing and could be nice with afternoon tea. Will it rate highly on my Best Earl Grey Tea UK list? Perhaps not, but I certainly recommend giving it a try and I will never say no when I’m offered a cup.
Tea Recommendation
If astringent Earl Grey teas are your jam, then I recommend exploring Novus Earl Grey next. This is another British brand that produces a solid Earl Grey blend. They mix black tea with bergamot and malva flowers for a pop of colour too.