President's Choice

I’ve tried this on multiple occasions as a quick cup at work and have unfortunately found it to be weak, flavourless and unappetising. While it certainly smells alright prior to steeping; I found it didn’t translate when consuming and was slightly bitter with a bad aftertaste, which is a shame because I love a good apple cider / tea!

Found this in my parents cupboard this morning and thought it smelled amazing. I didn’t follow the directions on the can. I made it the way I typically make chai. Added a bit of milk and sugar and it is wonderfully spicy and delightful. Already looking forward to my second cup.

This was my first attempt of a chocolate flavoured tea. I was sceptical at first because I always associated chocolate beverages to be thick and creamy and was unsure if I would like the texture and taste of chocolate in a tea form.

to be honest, I don’t know what this taste like. It wasn’t chocolate, and defiantly wasn’t chai. Its tasted like the bottom of a hot chocolate with the chalky powder on the bottom and someone stuck a cinnamon stick in it. it was not pleasant and I wouldn’t punish anyone with this tea.

my sister found a way to drink this tea. Instead of drinking it hot, leave it to cool down or pop it in the fridge. add milk and sugar and it taste like a cinnamon hot chocolate.

Blech. I don’t know if I realized this was herbal when I bought it but it was a mistake. Down the drain and the rest of the bags are getting dumped. It doesn’t taste like chocolate or Chai.

It doesn’t have the rich, deep complexity as loose leaf, but it’s not bad for an inexpensive bagged tea. Initially I feared that I had over steeped this one, but the flavour was still mild-strong with not a hint of bitterness after over 10 mins. Neither the chocolate nor the mint are overpowering – it has a good balance.

There’s likely chocolate mint teas that are cleaner, crisper and superior to this. Still, for the price and the lack of bitterness, it makes for a nice, convenience, on-the-go tea.

Summary
Price: sub $5 for 20 bags (got mine on sale)
Steep time: 10 min +
Flavour: tasty, smooth
Strength: decent
Smell: chocolate
Additions: none

What can I say; it soothes me when I’m pissy.

Fantastic ginger peach tea, one of my favourites. Fruity, but not obnoxiously though.

Entirely not bad! Could be stronger.

I feel weird that I enjoy this tea so much because it’s not my usual brand, but I have bought it back when I was grocery shopping in college. It was on sale, I needed a new tea fast, convenient, and sounded like a great blend. IT WAS DELICIOUS! Probably much better than I expected because I didn’t have such high hopes for it, but it had a great balance to it. Great chocolate and mint ratio.

A pleasant herbal blend with a chocolatey taste and creamy richness. I like to leave the bag in the cup to extract all of the flavour; however, it tends to develop a viscosity toward the end that is a bit too much.

I am SO not thrilled by this tea. Very false advertising. Compared to their cranberry, or ginger peach teas, this one tastes nothing like you’d expect. There is talk of flowers in the description, and a rose bud on the box so I wonder if that’s is what’s ruining it for me.. something definitely is. It’s just OK. Sigh. Very sad! Also very sad is saving for a wedding which means buying more PC and less DT. Wedding = yay! Boring tea = no yay.

.. I don’t taste raspberries AT ALL!!
I will drink it all since it is tolerable, but won’t buy another box. Sigh, regret.

For a bagged tea this is actually pretty good. I taste cinnamon and apple. I’m not getting much from the other ingredients so far but that’s fine with me. I love cinnamon apple :D

It’s nothing special, it didn’t clear up my sinuses or have enough body to it. I could taste hot water and spice. I won’t buy this again :D

Enjoyed this with my Cherry Pie. What a treat!

I love this tea. Probably my first experience with loose-leaf tea, and almost definitely my favourite chai! I make this in large batches, brewing about a tablespoon in 2 cups of boiling water, then adding 2 cups of milk, and heating until a good temperature, then I add as much sugar as I’m in the mood for. So delicious!

Something about this tea is good and bad. I love the smell, first taste, but there is an aftertaste that doesnt groove with me. However, if sweetened, I find it less of a problem. Like all PC teas, it is affordable and of decent quality. I like it after a heavy meal/dessert.

Not the best chai I’ve had, but decent, especially for the price. I enjoy it with a little sweetner to cut the spicy edge. Not sure if I’m a huge fan of chais.. but this one is drinkable for sure! Love it as an afternoon snack with a cookie/biscotti/something delicious and cakey. I find if it steeps too long, gets a little weird bitter after taste.

A great Camomile tea. Chamomile? Anyhow. Very smooth, almost buttery taste. I can’t justify to myself to buy expensive loose leaf camomile when there are drinkable ones at the grocery store!
Very soothing, calming, great for the tummy.

I want this to be slightly more flavourful.. I feel like the ultimate tea experience is just around the corner, but I just can’t get there.
Great refreshing tea, love the ginger spice element. Makes me sad that no matter how much I steep it, never seems flavourful enough. Perhaps I will try two bags? Shouldn’t have to do that.
Yummy but missing full potential.

Best choco-mint combination ever. Let steep for 5min to get the full taste!

Dug a bag of this out of the Mystery Box of tea on our counter, I don’t know from whence it came, but I was craving something for headache-busting and the ginger sounded good.

This started off as a surprisingly tasty, robust tea. The eponymous ginger and peach balanced each other out for a taste that wasn’t too spicy or wasn’t too sweet. I probably could have steeped it for a little longer to bring out more of the flavour, but I read the bag of the packet as it was brewing and I discovered that there was hibiscus in it, and hibiscus steeped too long becomes the Day of the Triffids of tea.

Unfortunately, as it cooled, the Triffids had their day. The more I drank it, the more I got a back-hint of hibiscus and rubber balloon. Don’t think I’d go for this one again, even though it started out so promising.

In lieu of a review, a letter to President’s Choice:
To President’s Choice

I have been drinking your Presidents Choice Earl Grey Tea for at least 7 years now. I have recommended this tea to friends and family as the best choice for earl grey in bagged form (with the exception of Stash, which has a much higher price point). I have a cup of tea every day, and have primarily used this tea as my daily cup for those 7 years.

About 4 – 5 years ago I standardised my tea process so that my partner could also make us tea in the morning. I have one specific pot used for tea. Over the years it has developed a line where one fills up with water before adding tea bags, sugar, cardamom and boiling it. I also use a 2 cup Pyrex measuring cup to make a tea for myself in the microwave. Usually 1 and 1/3 cup of water to one tea bag was the rule.
I noticed about 3 years ago that I had to use 3 tea bags instead of 2 in the pot, to get the same strength that I was accustomed. And my single bag tea in the Pyrex was much weaker.
At the same time I had taken a trip to England and acquired boxes of the Sainsbury’s Earl Grey tea and the British Twining’s Earl Grey Tea (the Twinings brand sold in Canada does not even deserve to be called tea, at best it makes a slightly coloured water). I noted that 2 bags from either of these British brands made a slightly more full flavoured tea than my PC brand, however when using 3 bags it was comparable. Comparing at a single bag in the Pyrex, there as a discernable difference, in that the PC was not as full bodied.

However, I still used the PC brand as my daily cup, treating myself to the British Sainsbury’s or British Twinings on weekends, or if I really needed a stronger cup of tea.

I noticed over the Fall of 2011, that I was now having to use 4 bags in the pot to make a decent strength of tea, and for the Pyrex I had switched to 1 a 2/3 cups of water with 2 tea bags (This gives me more than my single cup/travel mug, but it wasn’t a huge issue). However, my consumption of your 50 tea bag PC Ear Grey boxes is quite noticeable. I have to replenish the tea for more often and I am beginning to wonder it the Stash at a higher price point is a better choice, as I would be using less tea bags.

The stark difference in your PC earl grey tea, over the last 4 years, was really brought to light, when my Mother returned form a trip to England in January and brought me bad a box or Sainsbury’s Earl Grey Tea. The difference is remarkable. I still only need 2 tea bags of the Sainsbury’s tea compared to 4 tea bags of the PC tea in my pot. This morning I made a single serving of tea to take to work in my travel mug and I just could not being myself to use 2 PC tea bags. I used a single Sainsbury’s Earl Grey Tea bag in 1 and 1/3 cups of water. The result is a flavourful and full bodied tea that I would have to use 2 tea bags of PC to get even close to.

So: What has happened to the PC Earl Grey Tea? Why has there been such a marked decline over the years. I am sad to say that I am very disappointed. I cannot in good faith recommend the Earl Grey tea to my friends, and I fear that I am going to have to look for another brand of tea for my daily cup.

I am considered a connoisseur of Black and Orange Pekoe teas, and am often asked for advice on tea. Over the years a very many people have found out that my daily cup of tea is the PC Earl Grey with a pinch of cardamom. This has been a universal recommendation for PC brand teas over any other Bagged tea (with the exception of Stash, along with a warning on the higher price point).

I have had a very good relationship with your tea. It starts of my morning right, and can pick me up in the afternoon when I feel the need. My cup of early grey and cardamom is quite honestly the best part of my day. It has even become ritualised, in that my loved ones know that Love = A cup of Tea. There is nothing more precious to me than being handed a cup of earl grey and cardamom in the morning. I have had a lot of health issues over the last two years, and mornings are not pleasant for me. The only redeeming part of the morning is to have my tea.

Therefore, you can understand why I am so very disappointed with PC right now.
I would like to know what has happened over the last 4 years?
Are you planning to raise your quality to what it once was, or will you be continuing with your present course (you would lose me as a customer and a champion)?
Why isn’t the PC Earl Grey Tea listed as a PC product on your website (Also missing is your English Breakfast Tea, which by the way is still quite good)?

This letter will also be posted to my steepster.com account.

This was my go-to tea when I lived in St. Pierre! A mellow taste with a bit of spice, and a wonderful chocolatey scent. I kept the steep time short – I found that the taste got murky the longer you steeped it.