"Claimed by some to be the 'original' Earl Grey recipe, Jacksons is certainly one of the best..." Stephen’s Teaview: 9/10 Your Reviews: 5.3/10 3 reader reviews | Add your review »

It’s no secret - I love Earl Grey tea. There’s something about that delightful blend of smoky - but not too smoky - tea leaves with that cirtusy - but not too citrusy - oil of bergamot essence that just gets my cheeks tingling. The problem is, its darned hard to find a decent Earl Grey blend. To date the most consistently-pleasing and widely-available brand I’ve found has been Twinings Earl Grey, and that’s been my ol’ standby for several years running.

Recently a friend of mine mentioned that he’d gotten a tin of Jacksons of Piccadilly Earl Grey for his girlfriend, and that she’d gone bonkers over the blend. Sounded interesting. A quick Google search revealed that Jacksons of Piccadilly actually claimed to have invented Earl Grey (or Earl’s Grey, as they call it), going so far as to claim that theirs is the only “true blend.” So of course, I had to try it.

One snag, however. No one seemed to sell it anymore.

I checked countless tea shops, online and off, British and American, and not a one of them carried Jacksons Earl Grey. Many that had in the past now said it was “discontinued.” A phone call to Jacksons headquarters confirmed this. I did, however, after much much MUCH searching, manage to find ONE online retailer who seemed to have a good-sized stash of Jacksons Earl Grey left. No, I’m not going to say who, because - as I’m about to reveal - I’m now addicted to the stuff, and I may need to re-up my supplies soon!

Anyway, let’s just say this - Jacksons blend is (1) unlike any Earl Grey blend I’ve had before and (2) is extremely, extremely delicious. I say this with one tiny caveat. One out of every 4 or 5 brews comes out rather bland. I don’t know if this is because the tea is just variable, or if its “tempermental” (i.e. doesn’t react well to over/understeeping, too hot or too cool water, etc.). However, when everything “clicks” this is quite possibly one of the best cups of Earl Grey you’ll ever taste.

The bergamot aroma is really quite faint in the blend, leading you to expect a more smoky and muted flavor. But the result is quite surprising: a deliciously fruity, almost sweet, tinge which is decidedly bergamot in nature but truly is quite different from the “bergamot” taste you’ll find in most other blends. Its not overpowering - it literally just dances on the very tip of your tongue and then fades into a crisp, delicious sip of tea.

Its beyond me why any company would discontinue a blend as delicious as this, particularly a blend which is currently so popular, and which they claim to have invented! I don’t know what the odds are of convincing them to bring this back into production, but I’d certainly sign the petition.

In the meantime, I’ll be jealously guarding my personal stash of Jacksons Earl Grey.

It really is a cruel irony that I only discovered this tea after it was discontinued.

Sigh.

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