summer
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tea

Favorite New Tea: Trader Joe’s Duchess Grey Tea

Emma Christensen
Emma Christensen
Emma is a former editor for The Kitchn and a graduate of the Cambridge School for Culinary Arts. She is the author of True Brews and Brew Better Beer. Check out her website for more cooking stories
published Aug 10, 2011
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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

(Image: Emma Christensen)