Tea Blog

Name: Organic Earl Grey Black & Green Tea

Brand: Stash Tea

Type: Black and green tea, flavored

Form: Paper tea bag

Review: I confess to being highly suspicious of Stash’s Organic Earl Grey Black & Green Tea. For one thing, every tea company going has their own version, and all claim that their blend is somehow “special”. I’m also suspicious of blending black and green teas together.

Fortunately, I was in for a pleasant surprise.

This tea is a blend of organic green and black Assam teas, flavored with natural oil of bergamot. The tea brews up to a light, pretty brown with a fairly light body. The tea itself is smooth, with a hint of non-offensive bitterness (perhaps from the green tea) and a slightly astringent finish. The bergamot flavor is relatively mild and combines with the teas to create a tasty cup of Earl Grey. While it doesn’t compete with some of the more expensive loose-leaf Earl Greys, it is distinctly better than many paper-bagged varieties, and the fact that it is organic is a major plus in my book.

Recommendation: If you like a mild, smooth Earl Grey, this one’s for you. I think it’s delicious, but if you want something stronger, look elsewhere. This could be a great “staple” Earl Grey to have around the house or office as it is unlikely to offend anyone.

Preparation Tips: Because of the presence of green tea in this blend, I’d recommend taking the water temperature down just a smidge: Try brewing at 200F. This is a pretty forgiving tea, incidentally. I put a teabag in my cup and left it to brew for a bit. Unfortunately, I forgot about it and let it sit for a good long while. I figured the tea was ruined, but I gave it a sip and it tasted just fine. Still, a shorter steep, between 1.5 and 3 minutes produces a better cup of tea.

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