Oh hello, new tea review! Yes, it’s Monday and I’ve got a great tea review ready for you. I always feel a little nostalgic when I review an earl grey blend, like New English Teas Earl Grey. My first ever tea review on the blog was an earl grey!
Anyway. New English Teas is a new brand for me on the blog but I know they are quite popular here in the UK and especially in the USA. They sell their tea in cute tins mostly – you can see below that I’ve got the Alice in Wonderland themed ones (I have a bit of an obsession) but you can find the same tea leaves in other tea tin designs.
New English Teas Earl Grey at a Glance
- Blend: Ceylon black tea with bergamot flavouring
- Flavour: Fake bergamot (but not entirely unpleasant) with light and fragrant black tea
The typically light notes of Ceylon tea work well as the base for this earl grey, however the artificial bergamot flavouring is slightly too much – it’s one drop away from tasting like lemon toilet cleaner. Overall, a nice but not great earl grey tea.
Full Review – Earl Grey by New English Teas
- Type: Loose leaf mini caddy
- Tea: Ceylon black tea
- Additives: Bergamot flavouring
- Flavour Notes: Floral, fake bergamot, light tea notes
- Aroma: Lime, chemical citrus, floral, astringent
- Milk or Lemon: Either
- Where to Buy: New English Teas or Amazon
I love tea tins! I have so many by now, but this little round earl grey tea tin now has a permanent place on my shelf. When you first open it, there’s a very strong citrus smell. It’s closer to limes than lemon or bergamot, and it’s so strong that it’s almost chemical-like. The tea is hidden beneath this aroma.
Once brewed, you’re left with a light and bright tea liquid. It’s that gorgeous golden amber colour that indicates the tea is going to taste amazing.
The bergamot in the aroma settles down a little once it has brewed. You’ll find more defined floral notes and smooth astringency from the Ceylon tea. The flavour reflects that – the bergamot is artificial and floral but it doesn’t quite overpower the light and satisfying black tea beneath it.
Overall, this tea is pleasant to drink and it’s undeniably an earl grey. The black tea base is superb but the bergamot flavouring lets it down – it’s just a bit too much.
How to Brew Loose Leaf Earl Grey
This is a black tea, so boil your kettle and pour it over the tea leaves as soon as it has finished boiling – your water will be around 95°C by the time it hits your cup. I used 2g of loose leaf (a generous teaspoon) to brew a small 200ml teacup.
My brew time stopped at around 3 minutes, and this was perfect for drinking without milk. This Ceylon tea is really quite light, and I’d advise you skip the milk altogether… but if you insist, try brewing 2 teaspoons for 5 minutes so at least it will be a bit darker.
I like to eat biscuits with my earl grey, but it’s a good afternoon tea in general so you can pair it will any snack or light lunch.
Why New English Teas?
Compared to the likes of Twinings and Whittard from my Best Earl Grey Tea List, New English Teas are a really new tea brand. They were established in 1985 and they mainly create tea tins, tea caddies, and tea gifts. You’ve probably seen their tea tins at the airport and at service stations – they’re pretty popular with tourists.
So, it’s actually quite surprising to see that the leaf quality and flavour of the tea was so good! Similar tea brands (I’m not naming names) would take advantage of their unknowing tourist audience and sell poor quality, cheap tea… but not New English Teas.
In fact, New English Teas Earl Grey is one of the best earl greys I’ve tasted within this price range. Check out my Tea Review Index to browse all the earl grey teas I’ve tried over the years, for comparison.
Summary
This tea is quite nice, but not amazing. I really like that it’s sold in a cute tea tin and for that, it’s totally worth the cost. You can usually find it on Amazon (both in the US and UK) or in numerous stores like TK Maxx.
Tea Recommendation
If you like the sound of New English Teas Earl Grey, then I recommend you try Janat Muscat tea next. It’s a smooth black tea flavoured with muscat grapes. It’s a really nice combination and I think any earl grey lover will adore it too.