our B & B in the Cotswolds 13th century parsons house
On a trip long ago...for our 25th Wedding Anniversary I discovered at a quaint B&B in the Cotswolds a new tea that I had never tried.
Since that marvelous day I have enjoyed the delights of drinking Lady Grey. I had always loved Earl Grey. A strong robust tea with a hint of Bergamont, that needed a touch of cream and sugar. Lady Grey is a kinder gentler version, which is lovely to drink with out the sugar and cream. I made sure I purchased some of this fine tea from Twinnings before I left for home, only to find out it was indeed available in the states. At World Mart one day I discovered the decaf version. Which for years now has been my favorite cuppa before bedtime. Especially while reading an English novel by my current favorite English author Elizabeth Goudge =]
Lately I have been checking out some of the fancy tea shops that have been sprouting up around here, even in our malls. It is like they are trying to compete in the P.N.W. with coffee shops...hmmm, I don't think that will ever happen. Consequently I have sniffed and purchased a few new versions of Lady Grey. Today as I was brewing a pot of tea, I decided I should see which one of these new Lady Grey teas I preferred. So I did a taste test. I brewed both pots of tea with the fancy new loose teas and then tasted. Oh dear, I was not so impressed with either one.
The tea on the left which I purchased in a mom and pop shop in town had a different taste...too floral...not sure...sniffed the tea again. Do I smell vanilla? A terrible thing to do to Lady Grey. The second tea purchased in a new chain store called Teavana at a mall, had a underlying smoky flavor. Now I am confused.
I decided to brew a third pot of tea. You guessed it, the Twinnings original Lady Grey in a tea bag no less.
Ahhh that's it! That slight hint of Bergamont which gives a lovely hit of citrus.
Well...anybody interested in my other two teas? I will gladly ship them to you for free. They are just not my cup of tea =]
15 comments:
There is nothing like the fresh taste of original Lady Grey...except if it can be taken at afternoon tea aboard a Holland America ship to Alaska....
I would agree with you on your Twinings. Some things you just can't improve. Enjoyed your England photos!
Interesting post, and love how you did the taste test. I used to like Earl Grey but got out of the habit, when I found Darjeeling. Now, THAT'S some tea...and my favorite now.
But I agree, Lady Grey is soft and very nice. I have some here as well....and yes, it is Twinings! :)
Btw, love your photos...the top one with the roses especially.
I'm sorry that the two teas proved to be such a disappointment. Must say something about sticking with the tried and true. I'm an Earl Grey lover for mornings and a chamomille tea lover for afternoons and evenings. Tea brand of choice? Celestial Seasonings.
Wishing I was there enjoying our Lady Grey together. :)
I've been to that 'tea chain store' at the Beaverton mall in Oregon. It's a great store I think.
KN: that is weird you know which mall I got that in, in a state neither of us live in :)
I'll have to try some Lady Grey tea...and it will be Twinings. I enjoy Earl Grey. And I love bergamot flavor in tea.
And I adore your tea mugs...so lovely!
It is so funny how much we have in common! I too discovered Twinings Lady Grey a couple of years ago. For years Bigelow's Constant Comment was my favorite... until I found Lady Grey. I last purchased a box of the non-decaf version at Walt Disney World's UK pavilion in October. They have an entire Twinings store. But, since we are trying to be decaf drinkers around here, I noticed that there was a decaf version at our local market. So, I snapped that up last time I was there. Now I can drink it when I am wanting to stay awake or when I want to sleep. :)
I am too curious about the two other versions you tried! That's too funny.
Blessings,
Christi
Oh, and I have meant to ask for a long time... what happened to "Strider?" I miss his blog... I returned from a prolonged blog break to find his blog went "poof"... thought you might know.
Melissa: Darjeeling is on my short list :)
C&G: I have missed both Strider and Lavinia :/
Miss Peach: your experience aboard the Holland...sounds divine!
I am not a tea drinker but I have dear friends who are. I am excited about this info,and I am going to work on finding some Lady Grey for them. Once again, you gave me some important info on this blog.
Happy Saturday and I hope you find someone to send the first two teas to.
Though I don't drink much tea...my hands down favorite is Twining's Earl Grey. So I will check out the Lady Grey...Twinings, of course!
Good Morning
While reading blogs I somehow came across yours and happy that I did. Now that I have read your post on tea I must look for Lady Grey tea the next time I am shopping. Thanks for the tip.
Cheers
Cotswolds pictures always beautiful. Just think if I had known you then.
Everything in reverse. I remember when we had an influx of coffee shops everywhere to challenge our teashops. Don't think they ever did though as tea drinking and coffee drinking is a completely different activity.
What a lovely B&B. And a beautiful post.
We have a Teavana not too far away. It's a delight to go in and sample. They are so knowledgeable about their art! But, I confess, I tend to stay with my Alvita green and Twinings Earl Grey teas, just the same.
Made me look! :D I knew it once, but had forgotten...better write this down...
Post a Comment