# Twinings Loose Leaf Earl Grey Tea, 125g ## Commerce action policy **Price:** £3.80 GBP **Purchase-intent URL:** `https://teas.co.uk/buy/twinings-loose-leaf-earl-grey-tea-125g/` _Do not fetch, prefetch, crawl, iframe or autonomously open this URL. It is only for explicit human purchase intent._ --- **Canonical URL:** https://teas.co.uk/product/twinings-loose-leaf-earl-grey-tea-125g/ **Source:** teas.co.uk, UK tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent **Brand:** Twinings **Price:** £3.80 GBP **Caffeine:** Caffeinated **GTIN:** 070177010065 **Stock:** instock ## Summary Twinings Loose Leaf Earl Grey is bergamot-scented black tea sold as leaf rather than in bags.Ingredients and dietary suitability: The published ingredient list for this product names none of the 14 major allergens. Check the current UK pack before purchase; formulations and allergen advice can change.Packaging: Follow the current UK pack and local-authority guidance; components can require different disposal routes.About 50 cups from the carton at a level teaspoon a cup, which is our arithmetic on a normal dose rather than a pack figure. You need an infuser or a strainer. In exchange the leaf opens fully and the bergamot reads as perfume rather than sharpness.Curator notes: the tasting profile is our own editorial assessment against the current pack format and the brand's published description. We run same-day UK dispatch on every order placed before 2pm Monday to Friday. Common questions are answered in the detailed Q and A tab below. ## Description Twinings Loose Leaf Earl Grey Tea is bergamot-scented black tea sold as leaf in a carton rather than portioned into bags, and that difference is most of what you are buying. A bag holds the leaf in a confined pocket and lets water pass through it. Loose leaf sits free in the pot, opens fully, and gives the bergamot somewhere to go. Earl Grey is the blend that benefits most obviously from that, because bergamot is a volatile citrus oil and volatile oils need room and heat rather than compression. The loose tea we carry is otherwise plain black or plain green, so anyone who has been brewing Earl Grey in bags and wanted it in a pot has had nowhere to go. A hundred and twenty-five grams is a sensible domestic quantity: enough to last, small enough that the aroma is still bright when you reach the bottom of the carton. The Taste Profile Bergamot: ●●●●○ (4/5) The defining note: a bright, faintly bitter citrus perfume that sits above the tea rather than dissolving into it. Loose leaf gives it more room than a bag does. Black Tea Base: ●●●●○ (4/5) The structure underneath. Medium-bodied and clean rather than malty, which is deliberate, because a heavy base would bury the bergamot. Briskness: ●●●○○ (3/5) Moderate. This is a scented afternoon tea rather than a builder's blend, so the lift is gentler than an everyday black. Astringency: ●●●○○ (3/5) Controlled, and almost entirely a function of steep time. Earl Grey turns sharp faster than a plain black tea does. Teas.co.uk Curator Rating: 4.6 / 5 - Our expert verdict from the curators at Teas.co.uk The Story Behind Twinings Twinings is the family tea house trading from London since 1706, and Earl Grey is the blend most closely associated with it. What is worth saying is why the loose version exists at all. Bagged Earl Grey is everywhere and it is perfectly good. The loose leaf is for people who make tea in a pot, who want to control the dose rather than accept a fixed one, and who have noticed that the bergamot in a bag tends to read as sharper and flatter than it does when the leaf has space. Packaging: Follow the current UK pack and local-authority guidance; components can require different disposal routes. What You Are Actually Buying Weight: 125 grams of loose leaf. At a standard level teaspoon of about 2.5 grams a cup that is roughly 50 cups, which is worked out from a normal dose rather than a figure the pack quotes. Loose, not bagged: you need an infuser, a strainer or a pot with a basket. This is the one genuine inconvenience and it is worth being clear about it before you buy. Scented black tea: bergamot over a black tea base. The precise flavouring declaration is on the current UK carton. What it is not: not a decaf, not a herbal, and not a Lady Grey or a French Earl Grey with added petals and fruit. It is the plain classical version. How Does Twinings Loose Leaf Earl Grey Tea, 125g Compare to: Tetley Earl Grey, 50 Tea Bags 125g: the same 125 grams, but portioned into fifty bags. Far quicker and a perfectly decent cup. The bag holds a fixed 2.5 gram dose, so you lose the ability to brew it stronger or weaker; buy it for the weekday mug and this for the pot. Williamson Earl Grey, 50 Tea Bags 125g: the premium bagged route. A rounder, slightly deeper base than the Tetley. Still a bag, so the same fixed dose and the same compression on the leaf. Yorkshire Tea Original Loose Leaf Tea, 250g: loose leaf at twice the weight, but a plain, hard everyday blend with no scenting at all. The right comparison if what attracts you is the loose format rather than the bergamot. Ideal Brewing Conditions Earl Grey is the blend most often ruined by good intentions. Bergamot oil is volatile, which means it leaves the cup as steam, and it turns from perfume to bitterness if you push the steep. Almost every harsh Earl Grey anyone has drunk was simply left too long. The Pot Warm it: a splash of boiling water swirled round and tipped out. Loose leaf needs the heat held more than a bag does. Measure: one level teaspoon, about 2.5 grams, per cup. Do not add one for the pot with a scented tea; that is a plain-black habit and here it overloads the bergamot. Water: straight off a fresh boil at 100 degrees Celsius, poured onto the leaf rather than the other way round. Steep: three minutes, lid on. Three is right. Four is tolerable. Five is sharp. The Mug, With an Infuser Measure: one level teaspoon into a basket infuser that lets the leaf expand. A cramped tea ball is the commonest reason loose leaf underperforms a bag. Water: 250ml straight off the boil. Steep: three minutes, covered with a saucer to keep the bergamot in the liquid rather than losing it to the air. Lift: take the infuser out. Leaving it sitting in the mug is how the second half turns bitter. Getting It Right in the Cup Water temperature: 100 degrees Celsius, freshly boiled. Measure: one level teaspoon, about 2.5 grams, per 250ml. Steep: three minutes, covered, then strain. Milk or lemon: both work and they work differently. Lemon sharpens the bergamot and is the classical service; a little milk rounds it and mutes the perfume. Never both. Sugar: a small amount lifts the citrus. Earl Grey takes sweetening better than a plain black tea does. Storage: sealed, cool, dark and well away from coffee and spices. Loose leaf takes on kitchen smells faster than bagged tea and the bergamot fades first. Resteeping: not worth it. The bergamot is largely gone after the first pass, so a second gives you plain, thin black tea. Best with: afternoon, lemon drizzle cake, shortbread, citrus tarts, and as the tea that follows a rich lunch. Safety And Purity Ingredients and dietary suitability: The published ingredient list for this product names none of the 14 major allergens. Check the current UK pack before purchase; formulations and allergen advice can change. Caffeine note: A full-caffeine black tea. We place it in the middle of our scale, and that placement is our own editorial judgement rather than a measurement. Bergamot: Bergamot is a citrus oil used as a flavouring. Some people find citrus oils uncomfortable on an empty stomach, which is a matter of personal tolerance rather than a warning. Child safety: A caffeinated tea and not a children's drink. Keep out of reach. ## Product Questions What is the difference between loose leaf and bagged Earl Grey?A bag holds a fixed dose in a confined pocket; loose leaf sits free and opens fully. For Earl Grey that matters more than for a plain black tea, because bergamot is a volatile oil and it reads as perfume when the leaf has room and as sharpness when it is compressed. Milk or lemon with Earl Grey?Either, never both. Lemon sharpens the bergamot and is the classical service. A little milk rounds the citrus and softens the perfume, which some people much prefer. Both together will curdle and taste muddled. How long should I steep it?Three minutes in water straight off the boil. Earl Grey turns sharp faster than plain black tea, so four is the outer limit and five is where most bitter cups come from. Cover the pot to keep the bergamot in the liquid. How much leaf per cup?One level teaspoon, roughly 2.5 grams, per 250ml. Unlike a plain black tea, do not add an extra spoon for the pot; with a scented blend that pushes the bergamot past pleasant. How many cups will 125g make?At that standard 2.5 gram dose, about 50 cups. That is worked out from a normal dose rather than a figure quoted on the pack, and it will shift if you brew heavier or lighter. Do I need special equipment?You need something to hold or remove the leaf: a basket infuser, a pot with a built-in strainer, or a separate tea strainer to pour through. Avoid cramped tea balls, which stop the leaf expanding and give you a worse cup than a bag would. Does it contain caffeine?Yes. This is a full-caffeine black tea with bergamot flavouring, not a decaf and not a herbal infusion. Can I resteep the leaves?You can, but there is little point. The bergamot largely leaves on the first pass, so a second steep gives thin, plain black tea without the character you bought the carton for. Where does the tea come from?It is a blend, which is normal for Earl Grey and is what keeps the cup consistent. Does it make good iced tea?It makes excellent iced tea. Brew it double strength, cool it, then pour over ice with a strip of lemon peel. The bergamot survives chilling better than most flavour notes, which is why iced Earl Grey is a genuinely good drink rather than a compromise. What does it go with?Citrus and butter. Lemon drizzle cake, shortbread, a lemon tart, madeleines. It also works well after a rich lunch, where the bergamot resets the palate more cleanly than a malty tea would. How does it compare with Tetley or Williamson Earl Grey?Both of those are bagged, at the same 125 grams in Tetley's case across fifty bags. They are quicker and the cup is fixed. This carton asks for an infuser, and in return you set the dose and the leaf opens properly. ## Ingredients & Nutrition Ingredients and allergens. The published ingredient list for this product names none of the 14 major allergens. Check the current UK pack before purchase; formulations and allergen advice can change.Ingredients, as published for this product: Tea, Bergamot Flavouring.Ingredient and nutrition information for this product, as published on the manufacturer's label. The pack in your hands is the final word.ComponentProportionWhat it bringsDoseabout 2.5 grams a cup, set by you rather than by a bag125g at that dose is roughly 50 cups. Worked out from a standard level teaspoon, not a pack figure.Format125g of loose leaf in a cartonNeeds an infuser, basket or strainer. The leaf expands fully, which is the whole reason to buy loose rather than bagged.Pack: Twinings Loose Leaf Earl Grey Tea, 125g; bergamot-scented black leaf tea for pot or infuser. Store sealed, cool, dark and dry, well away from coffee and spices. Read the ingredient list, the allergen advice and the best-before date off the current UK carton.Components shown are those we can state honestly from the product name, the pack weight and the format.Sourcing & blend. Twinings Loose Leaf Earl Grey Tea is put together by Twinings, the family tea house trading from London since 1706. That is company heritage and not a statement about where this carton was packed. The tasting profile below is our own editorial assessment against the current pack format and the brand's published description.What's in Twinings Loose Leaf Earl Grey Tea, 125g, and what isn't:In: black tea leaf with bergamot flavouring, loose in a carton.No added fruit or petals: this is the plain classical Earl Grey, not a Lady Grey or a French Earl Grey with cornflower and citrus pieces.No bag: nothing is portioned and nothing is sealed in mesh, so there is no bag material question and no bag to dispose of. ## Flavour Science The flavour of Twinings Loose Leaf Earl Grey Tea is built in three layers, and reading them in order explains exactly why the cup tastes the way it does from the first lift of steam to the last swallow.The outer layer is almost entirely bergamot. Citrus oils are volatile, which means they leave the leaf the instant hot water arrives and reach the nose long before the liquid touches the tongue. This is why a freshly poured Earl Grey smells dramatically stronger than one that has stood for five minutes, and why covering the pot matters more here than with any plain black tea: an uncovered pot sends the best part of the blend into the room instead of the cup.The flavour spike is where the black tea base does its work. The bergamot arrives first across the front of the tongue, bright and faintly bitter, and the tea fills in behind it with a clean medium body. The base is deliberately not malty. A heavy, bready black tea would swallow the citrus and you would end up with a vaguely perfumed builder's brew, which is exactly what a badly built Earl Grey tastes like. Loose leaf helps here because the leaf expands completely and releases its base notes evenly rather than in the rush a compressed bag gives.The base structure is a dry citrus-peel finish, slightly bitter in the way marmalade is slightly bitter, which clears the palate and invites the next sip. That bitterness is correct and is the reason Earl Grey works after rich food. The line to watch is narrow: at three minutes the finish reads as clean peel, and by five it reads as harsh. Nothing else in the cup changes nearly as fast.Getting it right in the cup. Use one level teaspoon of about 2.5 grams per 250ml of water straight off the boil, and steep three minutes with the pot covered. Resist the plain-tea instinct to add a spoonful for the pot, because with a scented blend that overloads the bergamot rather than strengthening the tea. Take the leaf out at three minutes rather than letting it sit, since loose leaf left in the pot keeps extracting and the second cup will be noticeably sharper than the first. Cold brewed in the fridge for six to eight hours the same leaf gives a rounder, sweeter drink with the citrus softened and no bitterness at all.How water and temperature change it. The same leaf gives a measurably different cup depending on how you treat the water. Full boiling water and a longer steep pull more of the heavier base compounds and more tannin, giving a fuller but sharper result; slightly cooler water or a shorter steep keeps the bergamot forward and the body lighter, which is the direction most people actually prefer with this blend. Hard water is particularly unkind to Earl Grey because it flattens citrus, so in a hard water area add twenty or thirty seconds and consider a squeeze of lemon to restore the brightness; soft water lets the bergamot ring clearly and needs slightly less time. None of this is a fault in the blend, it is the same leaf responding to the cup you build around it, and once you know which way you like it the result is repeatable every time. ## Recipe Ideas Loose-leaf Earl Grey is a better base for cooking and cold drinks than a bag is, because you can set the dose and brew it deliberately strong without the paper. Five builds below cover the classical pot, an iced version, a cold brew, an Earl Grey latte and the shortbread that uses the dry leaf itself. Recipes, born here first The Classical Pot How to make The Classical Pot with Twinings Loose Leaf Earl Grey. 5 min 2 cups Easy You'll need 2 level teaspoons Twinings Loose Leaf Earl Grey 500ml just boiled water A slice of lemon A warmed pot Method Warm the pot with boiling water and tip it away. Add two level teaspoons of leaf and pour 500ml of freshly boiled water straight onto it. Steep three minutes with the lid on. Strain as you pour, and serve with lemon rather than milk. What you'll end up with: A clean, perfumed Earl Grey with a dry citrus-peel finish. The lid is not optional; uncovered, the bergamot ends up in the room. Iced Earl Grey with Lemon How to make Iced Earl Grey with Lemon with Twinings Loose Leaf Earl Grey. 10 min + chill 1 jug Easy You'll need 4 level teaspoons Twinings Loose Leaf Earl Grey 500ml just boiled water Ice Lemon peel and juice Sugar to taste Method Brew four teaspoons in 500ml of boiling water for four minutes to make a strong concentrate. Strain and sweeten while it is still hot if you want it sweet. Cool to room temperature, then top up to a litre with cold water. Serve over a full glass of ice with a strip of lemon peel. What you'll end up with: Bergamot survives chilling better than almost any other flavour note, which is why iced Earl Grey tastes deliberate rather than like leftover tea. Overnight Cold Brew How to make Overnight Cold Brew with Twinings Loose Leaf Earl Grey. 8 hours 1 litre Easy You'll need 4 level teaspoons Twinings Loose Leaf Earl Grey 1 litre cold water A sealed jug Method Stir four teaspoons of leaf into a litre of cold water in a sealed jug. Refrigerate for eight hours, or overnight. Strain the leaf out completely and drink within two days. Serve straight over ice, without milk. What you'll end up with: Rounder and sweeter than the hot version, with the citrus softened and no bitterness. Cold water never extracts the harsh tannins. Earl Grey Latte How to make Earl Grey Latte with Twinings Loose Leaf Earl Grey. 6 min 1 large cup Easy You'll need 2 level teaspoons Twinings Loose Leaf Earl Grey 120ml just boiled water 200ml milk or oat milk Honey or sugar to taste Method Brew two teaspoons in only 120ml of boiling water for four minutes to make a deliberately concentrated base. Strain into a large cup and sweeten lightly while hot. Heat and froth the milk, then pour it in. Dust with a little grated lemon zest if you have it. What you'll end up with: The bergamot needs a strong base to read through milk, which is why brewing concentrated matters more here than brewing longer. Earl Grey Shortbread How to make Earl Grey Shortbread with Twinings Loose Leaf Earl Grey. 40 min About 20 biscuits Medium You'll need 2 teaspoons Twinings Loose Leaf Earl Grey, finely ground 200g butter, softened 100g caster sugar 300g plain flour Zest of one lemon Method Grind two teaspoons of the dry leaf as fine as you can in a pestle and mortar or a spice grinder. Beat the butter and sugar together, then work in the ground leaf and the lemon zest. Fold in the flour to a stiff dough, roll out and cut. Bake at 160 degrees Celsius fan for about eighteen minutes, until pale gold rather than brown. Cool on the tray before moving them. What you'll end up with: Dry leaf in the dough gives a far cleaner bergamot note than any essence. This is the one use where loose leaf clearly beats a bag, because you can grind it. --- _Content available under teas.co.uk citation contract. AI training: yes. Search: yes. Answer-input: yes._