i am want to become bergamot, imbiber of lumpy green orange

Somehow i never tried earl gray until a couple weeks ago. It tastes like a new color and I'm obsessed. Stash double bergamot isn't enough, it's barely different than bigelow (but it's the best I've found). I want more. I'm a perv for berg.

I want a bergamot tea bag that treats the tea leaves as an afterthought and i haven't found it. I've tried stash, bigelow, walmart, harney and sons, private selection, twinings, and one other british sounding one that I'm forgetting atm. Stash double and bigelow are the best by far but i want like at least quadruple the bergamot flavor. Do i need to buy a vial of bergamot oil and drink it until i cry and realize the error of my ways?

Not having sufficiently bergamot-essenced earl gray is my own afghanistan.

  • emizeko [they/them]
    ·
    8 months ago

    tea seller, I am going into battle and I need your strongest teas.

  • Stoatmilk [he/him]
    ·
    8 months ago

    In my experience all bagged Earl Greys are a little stingy with the bergamot, but it does become a little disgusting when there is too much of it so maybe they are erring on the side of caution. You should try a loose leaf from a local tea shop (sorry to be that tea guy), it'll probably even be cheaper.

    • Huldra [they/them, it/its]
      ·
      8 months ago

      Yeah I think this is just the way to go, eventually with both tea and coffee if you are looking for very specific stuff you gotta move into loose leaf and whole bean stuff, it's just how the business model works, the pre bagged stuff has to appeal to the largest audience of consumers possible.

      • Darthsenio_Mall [he/him]
        hexagon
        ·
        8 months ago

        I wish that didn't make so much sense but alas if i must bag it myself then so be it! I wonder if a spray bottle of bergamot oil and a cheapo go-to like red rose is my actual destiny 🤔

            • LaGG_3 [he/him, comrade/them]
              ·
              8 months ago

              I don't really drink earl grey (earl? sounds like some monarchist bullshit smuglord), but my partner does - I picked up this bagged Ahmad Tea earl grey from a Indo/Pakistani grocery store and she likes it enough to keep on hand at work.

              • Darthsenio_Mall [he/him]
                hexagon
                ·
                8 months ago

                Ahmad Tea earl grey

                Nice, noted and possibly goated, i'll let ya know if i find it, thanks!

        • TraschcanOfIdeology [they/them, comrade/them]
          ·
          8 months ago

          if i must bag it myself then so be it

          If you're already down the path of hot drink snobbery why not get a nice teapot, a sieve, and maybe a cute cup? The ritual is a big part of the enjoyment, at least for me.

          • Darthsenio_Mall [he/him]
            hexagon
            ·
            edit-2
            8 months ago

            I have these things and i 100% agree😭☺️

            it's so much more convenient to throw away a few teabags than it is to rinse out my kyusu though. i want to merge into the bergamatrix from the comfort of my cheapo 32oz filterless target teapot but maybe i must face the reality that this is nothing more than a pipe dream in the anti-bergamot reality of modern day

    • Darthsenio_Mall [he/him]
      hexagon
      ·
      8 months ago

      be that tea guy! that's good info, i appreciate it! maybe i'll have to hunt down the closest brick and mortar tea shop and interrogate their bergamot predilections. i will not stop until I'm a whole bergamot

        • Darthsenio_Mall [he/him]
          hexagon
          ·
          8 months ago

          my fukamushi habit has ebbed dramatically in the last year so i have a little spare scratch in the tea fund, thanks for the recommendation!

  • context [fae/faer, fae/faer]
    ·
    8 months ago

    the republic of tea's earl greyer i recall being a delightful faceful of bergamot, and i've had the stash double bergamot, too

    much more expensive per tea bag, though. you're probably better off with getting loose leaf from a specialty shop as others suggested.

    • Darthsenio_Mall [he/him]
      hexagon
      ·
      8 months ago

      ah yes i've read of this one, i'll definitely check it out thanks for the tip

  • Maoo [none/use name]
    ·
    8 months ago

    Take the plunge for drinking loose leaf tea! You'll get a much more flavorful cup for the same price! You don't even need special equipment, though it can be nice to have a good filter. You can just use a steel mesh strainer that has double duty in the kitchen, brewing in one cup and pouring through the strainer into the other.

    The bergamot flavor will often be stronger in a loose leaf as, among other things, they're usually fresher. But as an added bonus, you can buy your own dried bergamot to make your own as citrusy as you'd like with a black breakfast tea.

    • Darthsenio_Mall [he/him]
      hexagon
      ·
      8 months ago

      i am rapidly approaching the conclusion that i've already exhausted the frankly pathetic best of what the frankly pathetic bagged-world has to offer and i have begun the process of reallocating all system resources to loose-leaf rat-salute 🍵

  • Des [she/her, they/them]
    ·
    8 months ago

    picard-annoyed tea, earl gray, hot

    i still mutter this when i make a cup sometimes. only tea i like

  • Sickos [they/them, it/its]
    ·
    8 months ago

    Earl grey is my absolute jam, but I can't speak to which one is the most bergamot. If you like it though, Twinings also has lady grey, with more orange than bergamot, and Jasmine and lavender earl greys too. They are all phenomenal. Have you had lapsang suchong? It's smokey!

    • Darthsenio_Mall [he/him]
      hexagon
      ·
      8 months ago

      Oh yeah it seems like lady grey is pretty popular. i'll pick up a box next time, i've always enjoyed bigelow's constant comment so i'll probably dig it

  • Taster_Of_Treats [none/use name]
    ·
    8 months ago

    Have you ever tried Lady Gray tea? It's literally just this, less black tea and more orange oil. Twinings makes a decent version.

    • Darthsenio_Mall [he/him]
      hexagon
      ·
      8 months ago

      Oh yeah i saw that the other day but passed it up for the stash brand bergamot, I'll check it out thanks for the recommendation. The more citrus the merrier.

  • quarrk [he/him]
    ·
    8 months ago

    This was my reaction too when I had my first earl grey as an adult.

  • octobob@lemmy.ml
    ·
    8 months ago

    I just woke up and thought that lime and leaves and cup was a little guy waving.

    • Darthsenio_Mall [he/him]
      hexagon
      ·
      edit-2
      8 months ago

      You thought right, he is A Little Guy balancing a saucer and teacup on his head and he's imploring you to have a lovely morning!🌞 🍃

    • Darthsenio_Mall [he/him]
      hexagon
      ·
      8 months ago

      i'm seeing em for like $80/5lbs bag but i'm not ready to resort to this YET

  • CubitOom@infosec.pub
    ·
    8 months ago

    Every time I hear or see bergamot I think of this video.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cyTYfD_3ZI

    • Darthsenio_Mall [he/him]
      hexagon
      ·
      8 months ago

      for sure, i'll post my results after i acquire a new batch of data. i refuse to believe that stash double is the final berg frontier

  • piccolo [any]
    ·
    8 months ago

    I'm not sure it's the most bergamot flavour, but I've always really liked the Sadaf earl grey loose leaf tea: https://www.sadaf.com/products/sadaf-special-blend-earl-grey-tea-44-6150

    • Darthsenio_Mall [he/him]
      hexagon
      ·
      8 months ago

      neato thanks for the rec, i think i've seen sadaf brand stuff at a middle-eastern store down the street but i've never thought to check for tea

  • fox [comrade/them]
    ·
    8 months ago

    Try to find earl gray cream tea. It's a more overall pronounced flavor and local afternoon tea joints will sell you cans of their blends

    • Darthsenio_Mall [he/him]
      hexagon
      ·
      8 months ago

      I'm a bit of a vanilla-in-tea skeptic but i will try it on the basis of your kind recommendation 🫡