When trying to decide which tea to review first, I stood in front of my tea cupboard horrified. When did I get so much…and where do I start?!? I returned to the site, browsed a bit, and realized that Lady Grey did not have a review. I had my answer, the first tea I would review would be Lady Grey by Twinings. But before I get into the review, I want to touch on my background with Lady Grey.

Several years ago I decided that I wanted to become a tea drinker. Being  inexperienced in the ways of tea, I thought that tea only came in a bag and that my local grocery store was the only place to get it. I would buy anything that sounded good, take it home, pour boiling water on it,  leave it for 10 to 15 minutes, and then add almost as much sugar as water. Not surprisingly, it all tasted horrid. I gave up on tea for a bit. At work a year or so later, my friend gave me a Twinings tea bag. It was not terrible. I went to the store seeking it out, they did not have it, but they did have a sampler box with Irish Breakfast, Earl Grey, English Breakfast and Lady Grey. I picked it up. I followed the brew instructions on the Lady Grey, added some milk and sugar…….and I liked it. Actually, I didn’t like it….I loved it. So Lady Grey is the tea that made me like tea, which is why I wanted to give her a review on this site.

Lady Grey is an unassuming tea bag, wrapped in a pretty blue wrapper. She is also available as a loose leaf tea, but I have not had the pleasure of enjoying her that way yet. Through the bag you can see the tiny pieces of tea, and little white pieces, which I am guessing are the orange peel or lemon peel bits. The smell of citrus is evident, with the lemon, orange, and classic bergamot mixing together with the smell of a simple black tea.

I usually brew the tea bag at a little under boiling. I get distracted easily, so I tend to scorch my teas into an undrinkable mess. The slightly cooler water has saved my tea more than a few times. Also, I typically drink at the office, where boiling water is not easy to come by. I brew for about three minutes. I always enjoy watching the first 30 to 40 seconds. The clear water slowly starts to infuse with the tea. For Lady Grey, the tea initially causes red-brown swirls in the water, eventually causing the cup to be a lovely ruddy brown. The smell as the tea steeps is all citrus, but not in a Lemon Pledge kind of way, in a freshly zested lemon for lemon curd kind of way.

Twinings describes this tea as:

Unique to Twinings, Lady Grey is Earl Grey’s elegant cousin. Her tea has the same light and delicate taste of bergamot, but with added hints of oranges and lemons.

We like this black tea best in the afternoon with a biscuit or a slice of cake. The fresh, bright flavour will instantly take you to a sunnier place.

While Lady Grey is very drinkable on her own, I like her best with a little milk and honey. Sugar is also good depending on my mood. I tend to use Tea Honey by Savannah Bee Co. because it sweetens the tea without overpowering the subtle flavors that make tea so good. I like the milk because it makes the tea cool enough for me to start drinking right away. If milk is not your thing, but you want to get to drinking, I have used ice on teas that milk is not appropriate. Just beware; some ice is not made from filtered water, and it will mess up your tea (if you are neurotic about filtered water).

I’m not quite sure how to describe Lady Grey. Delicious is the first word that comes to mind. If I was only allowed to drink one type of tea for the rest of my life, I would most likely pick this tea. She is just as good when taking the first hot sip, as when drinking the last cold sip an hour later. It is a mellow tea, with a pleasant taste that is recognizable as earl grey, but with an added citrus note. The lemon in this tea really shines, so if you are not a fan of lemon, this may not be the tea for you (but I still think you should give it a try).

I would have to agree with Twinings, this tea goes great with a treat. I love homemade lemon shortbread with Lady Grey. Although she is a relatively cheap cuppa, I love her, and so do many others….some so much they have even written poetry about her. So if you are on the hunt  for a light, citrus tea, why not give Lady Grey by Twinings a chance?