written by annaleila on 15/02/2017
Tesco what were you thinking?? I never normally write reviews but am so surprised and disappointed, I feel a duty to warn others. The weird thing is that the tea bags smell lovely, but that fragrance somehow doesn't translate into taste. What you get instead is a Tesco value cup of tea. Not particularly strong or weak, just a bog standard builders tea. Very weird. Out of principle I will be returning the box to Tesco. Another review on here says that Co-op Earl Grey is the best so I'll give that a whirl.
written by HeatherScott on 02/04/2016
I was surprised when I looked at the ingredients on the box (Black Tea, Flavourings). After enjoying other earl greys which contained actual ingredients and not just synthetic stuff I was dubious. When I opened the foil and gave the tea bags a good sniff, I was further concerned as my nostrils were virtually burning from the stench. Not the wonderfully delicate aroma that I had come to know and love from other earl grey brands. However I was hopeful that with such a pungent tea bag, the end brew must be fragrant. Nope, just black tea and a pretty poor one at that. How on earth this it the Finest that Tesco can offer is beyond me. More like Tesco Value.
written by MrsEarlGrey on 26/12/2015
There's no flavour in this tea any more. I've been buying it for years and used to really enjoy it, but for some time now I've noticed it tastes of virtually nothing. No taste of bergamot & almost no taste of tea. And now can confirm this is true even of the tea bags from a brand new pack. Sad. Realise I've only been buying it from habit & will have to find a new blend.
written by on 16/11/2015
This tea is lovely. It is lightly scented and has a excellent clean taste. I drink it with a tiny drop of milk. My husband and I are truly hooked.
written by Myla122 on 17/06/2015
Just dont buy it! none of the taste i am used to from earl grey gives a horrible after taste like they used dirt and twigs to create it
written by Ruby437 on 22/01/2015
We thought perhaps we had purchased a faulty batch a couple of weeks ago so bought another box. Nope, stil vile. Has an odd bleachy after taste and no hint of bergamot.
written by Stewart89 on 04/08/2014
I bought this as Tesco had no stock of the Clipper Organic Earl Grey that I prefer. I don't like Twinings take on EG so I thought I would try this. What a mistake! How can they market this stuff as Earl Grey? Absolutely disgusting - if that is their finest I dread to think what they would offer as normal or value. Come on Tesco buck your ideas up - read some reviews of your Finest Dishwater and make changes. I didn't want to give this any stars but the computer says . . noooo.
written by Gretchen71 on 18/07/2014
Finest? It tastes like cuppa soup and twigs…There is no way a fan of Earl Grey has tasted this for TESCO as it isn't Earl Grey….They have blatantly written the positive reviews as well as 80% are 1 star or less. No wonder their sales are down. My Grandmother bought these and can't even take them back…she thinks they are vile…Morrisons home brand ones are great.
written by ArianaStokes on 24/04/2014
This is not Earl Grey tea. It has no hint of bergamot whatsoever and leaves a dry after-taste in your mouth. This is possibly the worst Earl Grey tea I have ever tried and certainly will not be recommending to a friend. I chose it because it was cheaper than other brands at £1.49 but it was clear that due to skipping on price, you're also skipping on quality.
written by bruckner12345 on 27/01/2014
Exactly 40 years ago I was introduced to Earl Grey tea and I have drunk several cups on almost every day since. At that time there was a good choice of stockists and many towns had specialist tea (and coffee) blenders that have since disappeared. Now we are reduced to whatever the supermarkets choose to provide - such as Tesco' Finest! At some time during the summer of 2013 they withdrew their Earl Grey and a while later replaced it with a similarly labelled product, though with a differently coloured box and a higher price. The earlier version had very small leaves and brewed strong and dark tea and it is probably this that many of these reviews refer to. I decided to try it but my first impression was unfavourable - tasteless, colourless hot water. I then doubled my usual quantity of tea leaves in the pot and I could at least taste it, but I should never have identified it as Earl Grey! When will the supermarkets realise that "Earl Grey" implies some sort of tradition, "finest" implies some sort of quality, and that not all of us want to buy cheap, anodyne, products?
written by harobed22 on 21/08/2013
We only drink Earl Grey tea, usually Twinings, Sainsburys or Asda. On holiday and could only get to a Tesco...I cant believe they can call this Earl Grey. I actually got the box out of the recycling to check I hadnt made a mistake. Its stronger than the strongest 'builders tea' and not even a hint of bergamot, more like a very strong darjeeling.where's their quality control? If this is their finest I wont be trying their standard range!
written by on 10/02/2010
I have had many different brands or Earl Grey tea and Tesco has the finest. Unfortunately it can't be bought here in the States, but the taste is truly a relaxing sensation, along with the "nose" of the tea. This is truly what Earl Grey tea is supposed to taste like.
written by on 03/01/2010
This is the first time I have ever encountered a truly awful product in the Tesco Finest range. There is something profoundly wrong with the specification of this product. It produces a black tea without almost no hint of bergamot. The other 49 bags went straight in the bin. This product should be withdrawn.
written by Haemogoblin on 21/01/2009
I think Tesco Finest Earl Grey is truly awful, it's like drinking a cup of strong black tea. The only reason it got 1 point from me was that it still tastes like tea, albeit the wrong type. Overpowering tea flavour, wrong mixture of teas to bring out bergamot, next to no bergamot.
written by on 31/01/2008
I went looking for a cheap earl grey tea for my at Tesco when we were visiting London last month. I brought back the Tesco earl grey, and she loved it. We brought about 35 tea bags home to the US, and she just used up the last of it yesterday. Can't buy this tea here. Sadness.
written by Denis Johnston on 16/01/2005
It is hard to believe that Tesco Finest Earl Grey is sold as Earl Grey. I feel that it is not actually drinkable. It seems to me that there might be a serious manufactuirng fault. It is hard to believe that a tea could be as bad as this without the suppliers noticing. Avoid
Written on: 03/04/2006
Actually I thought the Earl Grey tea was superb, so much so I brought a box back to Australia and we now have it sent over regularly by the family- what a treat.
Written on: 03/05/2006
I agree with Denis - not for me at all. It was actually a bit pathetic and powdery in taste and had a strange spiced twang to it. Buy Co-op Earl Grey, it is by far the best.
written by Mindy on 17/12/2003
Earl Grey should be as much about the smell as the taste, and Tesco's finest Earl Grey tea brings the scent of bergamot to your nostrils long before you ever take a sip. It's strong and full of flavour, just what a tea should be.
Do you have a question about this product or company? Simply type it in the box below and one of our community will give you an answer
Once we've checked over your question we will put it live on the site and our strong community of experts will hopefully give you some great answers that you find useful.
We will email you when the question is on the site
As rated by our community of reviewers
Andysaysit's Response to harobed22's Review
Written on: 15/12/2013
I haven't had the Tesco Earl Gray Tea for over a year now until today. I bought 100 Earl Gray Tesco tea bags today in its new looking box. I must say i did the same as you and went to the bin to look at the box to see what i bought, it did say Earl Gray Tea but i must say, it doesn't taste anything like it did when i used to buy it last year. New box, Horrible new taste.