I mentioned my early love of Twinings Earl Grey a month or so ago. So when we were in London and someone mentioned that the original Twinings store a) still exists and b) has a bit of a museum going on, I knew I had to drag my darling there. It turned out not to be a hardship because it was pretty central. It’s a teeny little place, with a narrow entry and some old tea-related paraphernalia at the back. At the front, they have a big pick-n-mix area… and some exclusive teas. I had to be careful because a) suitcase and b) customs. Which was sad because the beautiful fancy tins were not heat-sealed. So I ended up getting teabags of some tea which I thought was exclusive to the shop but turns out to be just a fancy collection. So, London Strand Earl Grey in pyramid bags…

2.5 min steeping

1 tsp sugar

Strong scent in the box, and when steeped, although not overwhelmingly orange-y.

Has an odd aftertaste. This is the first time I have agreed with people that it kind of tastes like dishwashing liquid!

CUE PANIC. Could I have found a terrible Earl Grey, and from the Twinings Discovery Collection no less??

Thankfully, no. It turned out that the weird aftertaste wasn’t the tea… it was the Parisian water that made up the cup of tea. Because when we made it in a wee village in southern Germany, called Beubenreuth, it was far nicer. Still not my favourite cup of, but very drinkable.

Twinings says that it has a “sunny twist of citrus flavours and lemon peel [added] to the deep, black China tea and bergamot flavour blend.”