Soapy flavour in Ahmad Earl Grey?

Laitinen Saku kirjoitti:

A reason may be that the tea was packed in 2003 so it was pretty old stuff...

Do you taste cilantro as being soapy?

--scott

I think Ahmad Earl Grey is one of the best formulations on the market. In the past others have given positive reviews. The leaves have a strong perfumed soap smell. The pungency disappears in the brew with mint aftertaste. The blend of strong oriental black teas takes over which I brew for short time. My current 500g box is years old and an occasional cup is about it. If the aftertaste is that strong then I suspect a misblend. It is possible they changed formulations. I'm no big fan of the flavoring but I think in any case one could argue there is a soapy aftertaste with any bergamot. I have some ETN1 which I haven't opened and I'm not that curious. If you don't like one EG there are others.

Jim

Lait> I fell in love with Ahmad's Earl Grey some years ago. It was teabags

That's not the best Earl Grey I have ever drunk, but I also appreciate it a lot.

A 250 g box never lasted more than a month at my place, and it survives a maximum of 2 days if I forget it at work. That's really the best quality among brands they sell in supermarkets. And they seem quite constant. I always get it in sealed metal cans.

What is exactly a *packet* ? Loose leaves packaged at the shop ? They may have been exposed to light or air.

Kuri

Ahmad at the local Arabic stores comes in shrinkwrap,cardboard,foil around penny/gram. I didn't know they used tins. Just about every other Arabic brand comes in tins. If you ever visit Kuri I'll be glad to give you all my once opened, once used various commercial brands of EG. It's like Jasmine, you have to keep some around because someone will show off their tea prowness because that's all they've seen on the shelves.

Jim

kuri wrote:

kuri kirjoitti:

It is a normal factory-made package packed in Sri Lanka. The best-before-date is January 1st, 2006. Quite soon. I should have checked the date before buying, three year-old tea is rather dated. I think that it must be the bergamot oil that tastes soapy in my mouth when combined in old tea leaves nearing their best-before date. Most other brands seem to have shorter shelf life here, Twinings tea bags seem to be the norm in Finnish tea "culture". I found and bought a fresher metal can and am now enjoying much fresher taste.

SL

Space Cowboy kirjoitti:

Yes, Ahmad is available in tins (metal cans) at least here in Finland. Earl Greys are nice to drink sometimes, but I agree with you in that advanced tea enthusiasts tend to prefer unflavoured teas. My favourite afternoon/evening teas are all light Chinese black and oolong teas, but for breakfast I like the stronger British style blends. Twinings Irish Breakfast was one of the strongest blends that I have ever tasted. It was a great "kickstart" for a cold winter day.

SL

My current favorite Irish tea is Bewley's Cliiper Gold tea. It is a blend of Kenyan. It's amazing how stout it taste considering the origin. It is as red in color as any Yunnan Red which makes it doubly amazing. I like scented teas but I do it myself with tisanes like dried flowers and fruits. So does Finland have problems with elves,ghosts,invisible people,aliens like Iceland? What is a 'cold winter day' that close to the Artic circle?

Jim

Lait> Space Cowboy kirjoitti:

Space Cowboy kirjoitti:

-15 degrees Celsius, mostly in January or February. Now it's still warm by our standards, +6 C. No, i'm afraid we do not have such supernatural phenomena here, but game hunting is popular. We have wolves, moose and bears that are sometimes attacking trekkers in the forests.

I recently saw INVESTIGATION INTO THE INVISIBLE WORLD on the Sundance channel:

Okay every country has their wackos including government officials whose public works have to be sensitive to the local beliefs and the Catholic church still tolerates idolatry. Nothing better for tourism than a cottage industry promoting old beliefs with new age twists and turns for lost soulless people with too much money to spend.

Jim

snipped-for-privacy@b> > So does Finland have problems with

snipped-by-goblins

Not speaking to that particular tv show, but I know for a fact there are people in Iceland still following the old ways. There are more following the religion of consumerism it is true. I for one appreciate the old stories and I like to see where the trolls turned to stone. Iceland has been an attraction for New Agers though for many years...I remember solstice celebrations in the 80s that were mostly outlanders. It doesn't seem to me that most Icelanders are incredibly pious about any religion though, except the religion of living well (as in hedonism...er...in a good way).

Melinda

I also recently saw the 73 cult classic The Wicker Man:

Jim

Mel> except the religion of living well (as in hedonism...er...in a good way). >

Perhaps it's the power of suggestion working here, but I just noticed a soapy hint to some yunnan gold I just brewed up. Marlene

I have a tin of Ahmad Earl Grey that I bought at T.J. Maxx (a discount store in the USA) last week. I've made three or four pots and not noticed any problem with the flavor; in fact it's pretty damn good. My guess is you got a bad batch.

I've also a tin of Ahmad "English Afternoon" also purchased at T.J. Maxx a few months ago; its ingredient list is identical to that of the Earl Grey but the bergamot scent is less strong. Haven't seen "English Tea No1" though.

stePH

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