That was the first sentence of a comment I received today. It is a great point, and one I have been meaning ot bring up for several days now.
On November 5, I posted comments I received from one Wayne Evans, a VP of Sales and Marketing at Twinings North America. He denied any changes to the Earl Grey blend, and invited me to visit the Twinings NA headquarters, so that they could "restore [my] faith in Twinings and further enhance [my] enjoyment of [their] teas."
At the time, I was optimistic that the offer was sincere. A family field trip to Twinings could be fun. That and an overly-developed sense of fairness motivated me to post his comments in full. However, it soon dawned on me that this fellow offered no contact information whatsoever. Was I supposed to print his comments out and carry them with me to the doorstep of Twinings NA? Maybe if I explained the situation to some random customer service representative they would be able to transfer me directly to his extension? So I invited Mr. Evans, via this blog, to contact me privately through email in order to set something up.
Perhaps I shouldn't be surprised that he has not responded. Once I posted his comments, his "friendly" message--and utter denial--was there for the world to see. His job as Marketer to the Masses was complete. Oh well, so I'm a dupe.
Meanwhile, comments continue to roll in from people who have noticed some change in their enjoyment of Twinings Earl Grey and have done a quick Google search to find out if they are alone. In fact, you are not. Thanks to all for writing in.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Since you live in NYC have you tried going to McNulty's on Christopher St? They have a lot of import stuff there so maybe you can get the British version there.
ReplyDeleteThey also have their own house blend of loose Earl Grey that blows away any bagged stuff I have had.
I wrote that comment and misc other things to you almost three weeks ago. At that time I also wrote to Twinnings via email. I have not heard back from them. It seems that they have given up trying to repair their image with long time loyal customers. For their sake I hope that their ugly new and mechanically inferior packaging attracts more customers becuase I don't know anyone that has used it that will continue to do so. If Lipton can continue to make their excellent old style bag and maintain thier classic graphics should be a que to Twinnings that their marketing and sales problems lay elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteps. McNulty's Tea and Coffee on Christopher St in Manhattan is a treat. Even if you don't buy anything it is worth a visit. It has been there since 1895 and as I understand it it was originally owned by Chinese who gave it an Irish name to attract customers. And it seems that is is essentially the same as it was over 100 years ago. Check it out.
Here's one to try if you haven't: Ahmad Tea of London's Earl Grey . Good stuff, strong bergamot (to me), distinct flavour. Got at a local supermarket (in Pittsburgh), wasn't expensive, don't imagine it'd be all that hard to find. I don't know if it's my favourite (don't know that I have one), but it struck me as rather unique and certainly pleasing to taste.
ReplyDeleteActually, I'm going to have to disagree with the "other anonymous". Lipton is a low quality tea company that makes very distasteful and weak tea. Most tea connoisseurs will agree that they make cheap tea that does not have a good, strong flavor. That's why I hate Lipton tea and will never buy it in my life.
ReplyDeleteThis problem with Twinings Earl Grey tea really isn't all that big of a deal. You can just switch to loose leaf tea which is better quality to begin with and tastes much better. Some might say it is too hard to make loose leaf, but it really isn't! Switch to loose leaf Earl Grey. You'll love it.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear we are not alone in noticing the change in Twinings Earl Grey - where has the oil of bergamot gone and why has it lost its distictive silver grey colour to be replaced by a resolute red brown?
ReplyDeleteWill be looking into some of the other recommendations featured here.
I have been a Twinings Earl Grey fan since I was in my teens. Now new into my forties, I am SICK of it. I think I have bought my last of Twinings. There is so little flavor, and I miss the wonderful fragrance and flavor of bergamot. I mean really, I shouldn't need six bags in my moderate tea pot to feel like I am drinking tea! One of the comments about the change in color is enlightening as well. I hadn't noticed it, but having read that comment I realize it is true.
ReplyDeleteI too have written to Twinings to complain about the change in tea, and expect to be completely ignored. After all . . . I am but one little customer in their eyes!
I came across a website called Tending Toward Tea. Therein you will find a remarkable list of many Earl Grey teas, along with ratings and descriptions. Personally . . . I am going to try some of them!! I want some REAL Earl Grey tea!! At last I have some hope of finding some again. Go and have a look!
Thanks for the blog and your efforts to undo a great wrong in the world dedicated Twinings fans. I hope the Twinings movers and shakers will take note and do something about it!
You might consider looking for Jackson's of Piccadilly Earl Grey. They claim to be the holders of the original recipe developed for Prime Minister Grey in 1830, based on the tea given to him by a Chinese or Indian nobleman for saving his son. If your main complaint is that the Twinings is just weak, Bigelow's Earl Grey is quite potent. Each bag is supposed to be good for two cups. Where I can steep the Twinings for five minutes easily, the Bigelow bags MUST be taken out after two or it gets very strong.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with all of this. I stopped drinking Twining's EG for a couple years, and recently started again. Tastes weaker to me. And I don't get as much aroma when the cup is set on the table and I am doing something else.
ReplyDeleteAlso: their Darjeeling tastes more or less exactly like Liptop regular. And their "Prince of Wales" has a mild hint of pencil shavings.
I'm buying from Chinese markets and the internet for "real" tea. American marketing makes everything weak and stupid to suit a weak and stupid populace.
-Marshall Lentini
ordered the uk earl grey from a website. thank goodness for the www so i can get my tea fix.
ReplyDeleteReally, to complain about the taste of bagged tea sounds silly in my ears. Even Twinings tea bags taste nothing to start with so I cannot for the life of me understand how you taste the difference of an old and new blend. Variance in water quality would probably make more difference than the tea, I'd say.
ReplyDeleteTheo makes an interesting point. Unfortunately he is wrong on all fronts. But in the interests of transparency, I figure it best to include all comments, however inane.
ReplyDeleteDear warrior,
ReplyDeleteI have experienced another unpleasant experience with Twinings and wrote it in my brand new blog.
http://apethetictwinings.blogspot.com/
I would be delighted if you can add me to your "links"
Best and sincerest support from Turkey
I don't buy Twinings anymore. First off I think mass produced North American companies with blended teas are terrible in the first place. However there is some quality blends in Canada not suprisingly. But the mass produced Twinings or Stash are horrendous.
ReplyDeleteTwinings does not put enough tea in each bag therefore you need to use two bags per mug. Ditch water! Their Earl Grey tea most definitely has changed and now seems as if it has 50% less flavour.
My favourite Earl Grey blend would have to be from Marks and Spencers and favourite regular blend famous Yorkshire Tea.
John, British Columbia
My goodness you are correct! I can only say the tea is terrible now--quite literally. The first time the new tea touched my tongue, I nearly spat it out thinking the water was bad. I could not even finish my cup! Since I was a child, I delighted in opening my tin and inhaling the tea's magnificent scent. I would do this daily. Now, the odor does not have its lingering pungency. The tea tastes like a teaspoon of mediocre tea that's been reused. Also, did the old version have an oily residue that swirled the top of the cup? I don't see this anymore. Kusmi Tea's Bouquet de Fleurs is a better version of Earl Grey for now, but I noticed they recently changed their packaging . . .
ReplyDeleteVote with your wallet. Twinnings never claimed to be more than medium quality tea anyway. It is unfortunate though because Twinnings was reliable and could be found in grocery stores anywhere. I get all of my tea from a local store. They sell on the internet as well. I get the Fancy Earl Grey Improved #1720
ReplyDeletehttp://urltea.com/255z
Just an FYI, the above urltea link is legit. It is a link to teafountain.com, a tea retailer based out of San Rafael, CA.
ReplyDelete(one of the advantages of owning a Mac is that I can click on links blindly with no fear of something malicious coming my way)
Have you seen this?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ruderfinn.com/life-style/food-beverage/case-studies/response-to-save-twinings-blog.html
Wow, I had not seen that. Either Ruder Finn has been duped by someone posing as me, or they have entirely fabricated the outcome of this PR effort. Thanks for the link!
ReplyDeleteTwinings Earl Grey is most CERTAINLY different than it was in the 1980's...
ReplyDeleteIn the 1980's, one cup of it FILLED a room with the aroma of bergamot & tea BEFORE the brew time was even close to finishing. This was a magical taste & smell experience. Ohhh, and the tea itself actually had flavor...unlike today's Twinings.
Today's Twinings Earl Grey is like a cup of weakly flavored bergamot water. Before, it outstood its competitors, in fact I measured all others against Twinings as the most acceptable standard. Now, its Earl Grey is but a shadow of its former self, blending in to mediocrity.