Since I was very young I have been very fond of tea, in particularly earl grey. One thing I have never been able to understand is why people would put MILK in earl grey. It makes no sense, they dont go well! Could someone please explain?
Why would you drink earl grey at all?
I live in the UK and dont touch that stuff.
I am also fond of earl grey
and i drink it with no water, just milk.
but since im a poorfag i usually go with the water/milk combo, alyways prefer that taste to just plain water
your a cat. cats like milk
TaC RoT: I just dont see the fuitiness of earl grey and the creaminess going together :/
William: HOLY SHIT, IT ALL MAKES SENSE NOW!
But, being completley serious about tea now, I used to drink earl grey as a child and had to have milk with it as it was too bitter. But now, all i drink is black tea and coffee. The milk is to remove the bitterness for those who don't like bitter things
I just recently (last 6 months) started drinking tea. Started with Earl Grey because every website praised it for being the best tea. Why would someone put milk in it? That is a really good question, and I really don't feel like trying it. I switched over to plain old green tea because Earl Grey is a bit sour/bitter(?). Makes my stomach feel dull when I drink it on a empty stomach.
Of course it works with milk. You must be drinking some proposterous brand of Earl Grey for it not to work.
I drink Earl Grey and I tend to boil it then toss it in milk with some agave nectar bucause I like making it in bulk 1-2 gallons at a time. I also put some camomile and lapsang souchong in rice when I make it for awhile to give it a sweet and smokey flavor. I like earl grey plain but if I'm going to make it cold I add agave and milk. Kinda like making sweet tea. Just add Brandy or Rum. If your old enough.
Milk is for pussies my good sir.
Imo, Earl Grey is bloody vile, why would anyone poor earl grey tea in their milk, why would anyone soil perfectly good water with earl grey? I do understand the concept of acquired taste and such, and I do fancy my cup of tea, but I'm still quite thoroughly appalled by Earl Grey...
One thing I have gained from this is that earl grey is not everyones cup of tea. Oh god what did I just do...
sycpuppy: Really nice info, I will try some of those blends, thanks.
I, personally, love high-quality teas and coffees. For either, the addition of anything, be it milk, cream, sugar, honey, etc., isn't necessary. A good espressi isn't bitter; a good cup of coffee isn't bitter; properly prepared tea doesn't need anything. People who add stuff like milk to their teas and coffee are either not drinking good tea/coffee, or they are drinking it incorrectly.
Does anyone feel the need to elaborate on what brands they are drinking, and a proper explanation of their steeping methods? I've found that I was just not a particularly huge fan of Earl Grey until I tried the Twinings loose leaf variety, which makes a nice rich cup with the distinctive flavor of black tea and a light citrus flavor and aroma with an endearing level of bitterness that reminds me of the astringent effect of wine. Then I tried it with milk, and it is still very good, but for completely different reasons. It seems to me kind of like a milky tea that has the additional intrigue of reminding me of an orange-creme popsickle. It almost completely supresses the bitter quality of the bergamot and black tea, but unfortunately it is well known to flatten the flavors of the black tea. For otherwise low quality black tea in some cheaper iterations of Earl Grey, this is probably a good option, but if you are using loose leaf tea of high enough quality, you should definitly try it with as few additions as possible. If you want a creamy flavor without adding milk, check out Adagio Tea, they have Earl Grey Bravo. In my case I take two full teaspoons per 8 oz of water that I bring to a boil, then I leave it for about half a minute off of heat for it to cool to around 185-195 degrees celsius. After it has cooled slightly I pour it into the carafe or teapot with the leaves, and stir it for about twenty to thirty seconds to make sure that all of the leaves are thoroughly submerged and saturated. Then I leave it for about 3 to 3 and a half minutes depending on the strength that I desire at the time. I then pour it through a very fine filter (I have one from a standard boiler-style cheapo espresso/drip coffee makers that is extraordinarily nice, plus it provides me something with a handle to hold while I pour) and into my mug/glass. Sometimes I even decide to add (gasp!) some raw sugar because I like the warmth and roundness that it adds to the flavor, but not too much or it leaves a kind of acrid feeling in the back of your throat.
Other Blends to try:
Twinings Lady Grey (loose leaf is advised, but tebags will due in a pinch)
Adagio Tea's Earl Grey Bravo
Adagio Tea's Earl Grey Moonlight
Adagio Tea's Earl Grey Lavender
No, coffee and tea are inherently bitter, but you get used to it to the point that you no longer taste it at all and then you can better enjoy the actual flavors of the tea or coffee. I do often like to drink my tea or coffee with no additions, because sometimes it is what I want, but often I find that there are additions that I also like the flavor of. Like with my coffee, I use very good quality Gevalia coffee (if it is coffee from sweden, you can bet it will be good. They drink almost four times the amount of any other country per capita.) but I still find that I like the addition of coffeemate original creamer. Not because the coffee is too bitter for me to drink otherwise, but because it is a personal preference of mine. And with my tea, I usually prefer it with just enough sugar (white, raw, or in a compressed cone of brown sugar) to give it that warmth and body that it otherwise lacks. The exception to this would be Irish breakfast and Chai which are traditionally taken with milk, and I see no reason not to follow tradition with these because the result is delicious.
no doubt apple is out to patent this 'tea with milk' trend.
soon the hipsters will have another pointless trend to follow.
People have been drinking tea with milk since tea became popular. That would be, for the past 3-400 some odd years. It takes the edge off of many teas and softens the flavor while providing body and a more substatial nature. Look at chai tea, a popular favorite in India and the areas surrounding the subcontinent. It is traditionally taken with milk, if not made with it entirely (to make chai tea with just milk, take your loose leaf chai and completely submerse it in 6 oz of milk per two loose teaspoons of tea, then bring the mixture slowly to a simmer over about medium-low to medium on your stove top. If you start to see bubbles, turn the temperature down. Stir often for between 5 and 7 minutes depending on the strength you prefer. Strain and enjoy.)
Usually people that strongly dislike Earl Grey have simply not had a proper cup of it. Usually it is because you've tried an inferior brand or blend of tea, which doesn't suit your palate. I know I wasn't a huge fan until I found the loose leaf offering from Twinings of London. It has a much lighter flavor with a more pronounced citrus aroma with somewhat less of a bitter overtone than their bags of Earl Grey. I don't even bother with most other brands like Celestial Seasonings, Bigelow or Stash (although Stash does offer tea of decent quality) just because Earl Grey is a very finicky tea that requires good black tea and a good source of bergamot oil or rind. In the case of Earl Grey, since its primary flavorant derives its flavor from an oil added to the tea, it is best to get it as fresh as possible, as the flavor will degrade as the oil goes rancid. This is evident as a strong, overwhelmingly bitter aroma, or a very off odor, like that of bacon fat that has been left out in the open for a few days. It depends on the quality and amount of bergamot oil that they used, and if they cut it with anything else to save money or make it last longer. And if you don't like Earl Grey because you think it is too bitter, maybe you should give a cup of the Earl's best with a splash of milk and a bit of sugar a try before making the final verdict. It is a very different beast when you tame it as such.
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No, it really isn't, but that doesn't mean that people should condemn it before giving it another try, made another way. I'm of the opinion that tastes change, and certain brands also taste incredibly different for offering the same product. So you should try other brands and often even the same brand as before every so often just to make sure that you still like or dislike something. You may even surprise yourself. I have similarly mixed feelings over floral teas, but one of my absolutely favorite blends has massive amounts of rose hips with some lime zest. It is absolutely delightful, and Jasmine tea has an impressively refreshing sweetness to it. But I'm still not a huge fan of chamomile, but I will still drink it on occasion to make sure that my opinion hasn't suddenly changed as I got older and my taste buds and sense of smell have started to degrade with age (you lose between 3 and 10% of the sensetivity to certain flavors with every year that you age, what flavors you become less sensitive towards varies between people but is usually bitterness.)
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Milk is for people who like their tea to be filling, such as Irish Breakfast tea (a blend of Assam teas from India.) Adding milk takes it from your ordinary light boost of caffeine to some caffeine that will hold your appetite at bay for a bit longer than usual (tea is already an appetite supressant, to an extent. Giving it some actual fat and protein just helps it out. Doing so with Chai, which also includes copious amounts of cinnamon, which is an even more effective appetite supressant, really helps to keep you from feeling hungry for several hours after breakfast.) Also it is often in keeping with tradition.
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