Bored of my usual tea, I grabbed a box of this Duchess Grey the last time I was at Trader Joe's. It was a fortuitous grab because I am absolutely loving it. Citrusy and fortified with plenty of black tea, hot or iced, a glass of the Duchess hits the spot these long summer days.
This tea is a spin on the classic Earl Grey tea, which is black tea flavored with bergamot. Duchess Grey gets some extra punch from orange and lemon peels added to the blend.
It makes a bright orange tea with a strong orange aroma and a complex floral-citrus flavor. It's pretty in the glass and I love how its spicy scent fills the room as I work.
Don't let the bag steep for longer than five minutes for hot tea as it can quickly go from smooth and tasty to bitter and astringent. For iced tea, I like to cold-steep one teabag in a big quart canning jar overnight in the fridge. I've also taken the bag from my morning tea and dropped it in a glass of cool water for a more subtle flavor in the afternoon.
Have you tried this tea? (And by the by, my best guess is that this is a Trader Joe's clone of Twining's Lady Grey tea.) What do you think of it?
Related: Recipe: Earl Grey Tea Cookies
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Comments (12)
My first thought -without even reading the last part- was "ok, here's a copy of Lady Grey of Twinning". If it tastes just as good as Lady Grey, I think it's a good thing for me.
I know that cold brewing produces a different taste (which I sometimes like as well) but by not boiling your tea you are more likely to actually get sick drinking it. By boiling tea you ensure that what you're drinking kills any weird stuff that might be in tea whereas cold brewing doesn't do this. Most quality tea places recommend you avoid this. If you like weaker tea you should consider brewing tea the traditional way and then adding water to the tea after it is brewed (the persians do this and it works well with many teas, just not green tea from my experience).
This is my favorite tea! I like it better than the Twining's Lady Grey, which is also really good.
Try loose-leaf tea. It's so much better than what you get from teabags.
I have been making iced tea with this and some english breakfast tea (several teabags in a 2 quart pitcher brewed with hot water and a bit of honey and then cooled down) and it has been fantastic!
Just started drinking this the other day, it's a lovely tea, and you can't beat TJ's prices!
Trader Joe's has some very good teas; I always have Duchess Grey on hand, and their white tea with pomegranate flavor is excellent as well. The prices are wonderful too.
I love lady grey so I'll try this too.
Well, this is also my favorite tea... It's absolutely lovely! BUT I was horrified when I tried to restock recently at my local trader joe's, only to be told they no longer carry it. I rushed to another trader joe's in a different town, and they too were out. I asked: they say it is no longer even listed for reordering. OH NO! We should all write to trader joe's and complain... Here's the link to their website! http://www.traderjoes.com/about/general-feedback-form.asp
I agree with KathrynReiss!! I am down to 3 tea bags of this tea and I'm starting to panic! I am going to submit a request they bring it back. Also going to try the Lady grey if I can find that.
YES!!! I was in Trader Joe's last weekend looking for this tea only to be told it had been discontinued. I was so upset! I have been addicted to this tea ever since reading about it in this very post. So, like KReiss, I emailed the company and basically begged them to bring it back. I got a response saying that they discontinue things due to low demand, but if enough people speak up, then they might consider bringing it back. So please, please write to them!
I guess I'll have to try the Lady Grey now...
I too just found out that they discontinued the tea. I think there should be a law that when they discontinue items they should have to let us know so we can stock up. I bought the Twinnings Lady Grey tea yesterday. Nothing like TJs Duchess Grey, very bland in my opinion, just like all Twinnigs tea. If anyone finds a good substitute, please let us all know.