It’s a good start to the week when I can add another Earl Grey tea review to my collection. This review of Two Spoons Tea Earl Grey is the 34th Earl Grey review on the blog to date! I was kindly sent a small sampler of this tea by the guys over at Two Spoons Tea. However, I’m not being paid to review and my regular readers will know that I’m never anything but honest. If this tea is bad, you’ll hear about it!
Spoilers: it’s not bad at all.
In the full tea review below, you’ll find out what this Earl Grey tastes like, the best way to brew it, a little info about the Two Spoons Tea brand, and a link to try it out for yourself.
Two Spoons Tea Earl Grey at a Glance
Izzy’s Rating
- Blend: Ceylon (Sri Lankan) black tea with natural bergamot flavouring
- Flavour: A very simple and smooth black tea with notes of citrus rind
This is a very respectable Earl Grey with a good balance of smooth black tea and citrusy bergamot notes. It has just the right level of astringency to be bright and refreshing with or without milk.
Full Review – Earl Grey Tea Pillows
- Type: Tagged biodegradable tea sachet (square “pillow”)
- Tea: High-grown Ceylon black tea
- Additives: Natural bergamot flavouring
- Flavour Notes: Smooth, astringent, citrus rind
- Aroma: Bright, bergamot, tannins
- Milk or Lemon: Either, with sugar or honey to taste
- Where to Buy: Two Spoons Tea
The initial aroma from the dried tea leaves… is nothing. Absolutely nothing. I opened the packet fresh yet there was no aroma whatsoever! It’s unusual to find a completely scentless dry tea, but it’s happened before. Sometimes, it just needs a little hot water to wake it up.
Following the brewing instructions given by Two Spoons Tea (details below), the scent finally emerged. The hot cup of earl grey has a smooth and bright aroma with distinct notes of bergamot and tannin-rich black tea. The citrus gives it an almost cleansing profile and the presence of the black tea tannins promises a caffeine hit.
And wow, the flavour is pretty amazing for a tea that was initially scentless!
The silky Ceylon black tea creates a smooth and astringent base, while the bergamot adds subtle citrus rind notes – not as sweet as citrus fruit flesh, and not as sharp as just the peel, but lightly scented and crisp like the white rind that’s sandwiched in-between.
It’s simple yet very well-executed. A faultless classic.
How to Brew Earl Grey
I find that the key with Earl Grey is to brew it a little less than you would a standard cup of black tea or an English Breakfast blend. Two Spoons Tea suggests a 2-minute brew so that’s what I followed for my review.
1 pillow teabag holds 2.5g of tea leaves. Brew the teabag in freshly boiled water from the kettle. If you like your tea light and without milk, brew for 1 to 2 minutes. If you like to add milk to your Earl Grey, brew for 2 minutes and let it steep for a while longer if it’s not strong enough for your tastes.
The astringency and refreshing citrusy note of Earl Grey make it ideal for sipping alongside a sweet indulgence. Just don’t drink it too late into the evening, as the black tea in this blend can deliver quite the caffeine kick.
Why Two Spoons Tea?
I love to champion independent British tea companies – and that’s exactly what Two Spoons Tea is. Based in Buckinghamshire (that’s the inspo behind their tasty Bucks Blend), they have a great range of classic tea options and interesting herbal and fruit concoctions too.
They send their tea in biodegradable packaging. You have the choice of loose leaf or “pillow” teabags for most of their flavours. I received the teabags in my sample pack. The teabag material is actually made of cornstarch, even though it feels like plastic. It can go in the food waste bin to be commercially composted.
As for this specific tea blend, their Earl Grey is made with high-grown Ceylon black tea. These particular leaves, grown in Sri Lanka, have a brightness and astringency that works so well in an Earl Grey. The bergamot that Two Spoons Tea uses is a natural flavouring. This is better than an artificial flavouring, of course, but not quite as good as real bergamot oils. Unfortunately, the real bergamot oils are quite expensive for a daily Earl Grey blend!
Summary
This is a delicious and nicely made Earl Grey tea. If you’re keen to support small British businesses and want to ensure your tea is both high-quality and packed in biodegradable materials, you should definitely try it!
Check the price of this Earl Grey at Two Spoons Tea’s official website using the button below.
Tea Recommendation
Two Spoons Tea Earl Grey uses black tea grown in Sri Lanka. If exploring different tea origins interests you, or you just want to know more about how the growing region can impact tea flavour notes, I highly recommend checking out the Teapro Black Tea Exploration box. You can buy it as a one-off or subscribe to receive a different tea box each month that helps you learn about all manner of tea types and varieties!
