Oh my stars and garters! My commercial for Earl Grey tea has occasioned people sending me gifts of tea in the mail. THIS KIND OF BEHAVIOR IS HIGHLY ENCOURAGED!
The tea above was a gift from my old friend Jessi Lijewski and arrived on my doorstep a few mornings ago. Within the envelope was, as you can see, five types of tea. I repaired to my kitchen and commenced brewing.
My normal loose leaf Earl Grey brand is Twinings.
Twinings Earl Grey Tea, Loose Tea, 3.53-Ounce Tins (Pack of 6)
Twinings (pronounced as to rhyme with the sound that makes me avoid upper-class toy shops, not to rhyme with what Mr. Sheen claims to be doing all the time) is old, established, and traditional. It's a 300 year old brand started by a tea merchant in London. It has hints of citrus and a heady bergamot twinge. I let it brew while I'm getting ready for work, splash in some cream, and drink it as I commute. It's a pleasant way to start one's day.
If I were call upon to employ a musical metaphor, if Twinings were J.S. Bach, the Intelligentsia brand would be Erik Satie. Both are elegant, astonishingly perfect in their technical blends without sacrificing one mote of beauty, and, in spite of their difference in time, somehow end up with undeniable similarities. Oddly enough, the Intellgentsia brand was first known for its coffee, but has branched out to fine tea, while Twinings is known for its tea, but has lately branched out to fine coffee.
I enjoyed the Intelligentsia brand very much. The citrus flavor is a bit more pronounced and the "nose" is fantastic. The aroma richly infuses your kitchen as the leaves infuse the water. It is a very exciting tea.
You can enjoy either tea in your own home by ordering them from their website or, indeed, wherever fine teas are sold. I would highly recommend you do so. I have an array of four other teas which I am looking forward to sampling.
I go for Upton. My current regulars are Baker Street Afternoon Blend and Mincing Lane Breakfast Blend. I drink one or the other most every morning with demerara sugar and milk. The Baker Street is a variation of Russian Caravan style teas which include a variable amount of Lapsang Souchoung, unique for its smokiness, which I love. The Mincing has a nice maltiness from the Yunan and punch from the Assam.
ReplyDeleteI also tend to keep on hand a jasmine green and an oolong of some stripe or another.