ABSOLUTELY EARL GREY
*Our current batch of this popular tea tastes & looks different than usual. The bergamot notes in our blend are typically more oriented to notes of zesty orange, with a light floral undertone. At the moment, this tea leans more to a bright lemony character, accompanied by stronger floral, lavender-like notes. The dry tea leaves are also smaller, but also a bit puffier in appearance than usual.
Premium quality, organic tea is like fine wine—it changes from batch to batch & season to season. Rainfall patterns & temperature variations cause changes to the taste of ingredients, & to the appearance of tea leaves. This is a plus overall, because it reflects a high quality, fresh, seasonal product grown in harmony with nature, & showcases the use of natural ingredients. We do not use any artificial flavourings.
However, this batch of IMPERIAL EARL GREY is showing a much more significant change than previous batches. The key factor responsible for this is climate change. Rising heat levels & stronger dry spells followed by unusually heavy rains are fundamentally altering the taste of ingredients, as well as the appearance of tea leaves. Plants are being subjected to severe stresses as they respond to these unusual climatic conditions, & that ends up being reflected in the taste & visual appearance of the tea leaves. For over a decade, we've been hearing from farmers about increasing difficulties due to climate change, & observing significant changes in tea's taste & leaf appearance. Differences from harvest to harvest used to be subtle. However, the longer-term effects of increasingly extreme weather patterns are causing the differences to become even more pronounced.
If you love this tea & purchase it regularly, we recommend purchasing a smaller quantity of this batch, in case it's not your cup of tea! As tea is a food product, it is not refundable, so it's best to stock up once you know for sure you're a fan of this batch.
We will continue to update this page with details about how future batches of this tea taste. Check back to find out more about how the next batch tastes, once it is available.
In the event you fall in love with this version, we recommend purchasing more soon, as climate change is having unpredictable effects on harvests, so we don't yet know what the next batch will reveal in terms of aroma & taste.
We are not in a position to offer free samples at this time, but if you'd like to try it before you buy a larger quantity, a mini-tin is a great trial size to purchase for only $4.99.
The history behind this blend: we are renowned for our IMPERIAL EARL GREY, made with the highest quality natural, organic ingredients. The signature ingredient that is responsible for the characteristic aroma of this classic tea is bergamot—a small, pear-shaped citrus fruit. Essence extracted from the peel of the fruit is infused into black tea. This is the authentic way that this tea was made originally, & our IMPERIAL EARL GREY still contains real bergamot essence. The result is a tea that has a truer, fresher & more "real" citrus taste. We pair organic bergamot with high quality organic black tea that has a smooth, satisfyingly rich taste for the ultimate Earl Grey experience. When we originally released this tea, we called the blend Canton Orange. The reason is that we were paying homage to where this tea is believed to have been invented. Originally, the tea was said to have been made with a type of bergamot that came from what was referred to as "Canton" province, now known as Guangdong province.
Nowadays, it's very rare to encounter Earl Grey tea made without the use of artificial flavours, as artificial flavours have become the norm in the tea industry. This is because artificial flavours are cheaper & result in a more consistent taste, but they have a higher carbon footprint & may also have some unexpected side effects.
In our view (& that of our many loyal clients), artificial flavouring doesn't compare to the taste of real bergamot. Many clients also report that they don't react well to artificial flavours & there is increasing concern about the potential health impacts of artificial flavours. The other downside of artificial flavours is that they don't appear to contain the benefits of real ingredients. Real bergamot has been linked to natural mood boosting & stress relieving qualities.
What makes our IMPERIAL EARL GREY TEA unique & special is that we use the highest quality bergamot & black tea, masterfully blended together to create the most peak taste possible, based on what mother nature provides us with.
flavour profile: the irresistible taste of bergamot enhanced by a lively Ceylon tea
ingredients: Ceylon black tea grown at 6000 feet, bergamot fruit essence
Due to ingredient shortages, we have limited amount sizes available of this tea at this time. Some larger sizes are sold out. More ingredients coming soon—we hope to have more in stock in about the next 10 days. Don't miss out! Be the first to be notified when it's back in stock by selecting NOTIFY ME WHEN AVAILABLE & you'll be contacted as soon as it is available.
Brewing Instructions
Pour 2 cups of water over 1 tsp. of SILK ROAD premium quality, organic loose tea. This may not seem like a lot of tea but SILK ROAD teas are incredibly fresh & flavourful, which means that you don’t need very much in order to produce a delicious cup of tea. Using any more tea leaves can result in a cup of tea that is too strong.
- herbal tea bring water to a full, rolling boil | steep 7-10 minutes
- wellness tea bring water to a full, rolling boil | cover & steep 7-10 minutes
- green tea bring water to just before the boil begins | steep 1-3 minutes
- black tea bring water to a full, rolling boil | steep 2-5 minutes
- white tea bring water to just before the boil begins | steep 3-5 minutes
- oolong tea bring water to the boil | steep 5-7 minutes
Sizing Information
Loose teas are sold in refillable tins to preserve the tea’s superb flavour, freshness and nutrients. Normally, we encourage you to bring your empty tins into our shops to refill. However, this is currently on pause due to COVID-19. We’re delighted to offer another eco-friendly, low-waste way to re-use your tins!
Brown bag refills are available when you purchase tea in-store and online. Simply select “refill” to receive your tea in a brown bag refill. Immediately transfer the tea to the original tin it came in, once the brown bag refill is home or has arrived in the mail. Brown bags are 100% recyclable, compostable, biodegradable and made of post-consumer recycled paper.
CAN I STORE TEA IN THE BROWN BAG REFILL? No, it is a short term method for transport only and is not suitable for storing. It will not maintain tea’s freshness, nutrients and flavour. It does not protect against exposure to air, liquid or moisture. Air exposure causes nutrient & flavour loss; liquid/moisture causes tea to mildew. As soon as you get home from the shop, or when it arrives in the mail, transfer tea immediately into Silk Road tins - they are designed to preserve the tea.
ABOUT TEA SIZES Refer to the above chart - our loose teas are sold by volume, not weight.
