Davidson's Tea Bulk, Earl Grey with Lavender, 16 Ounce

Silver Needles is the most prized type of white tea one can buy. Davidson's Tea gives you this fine tea at a good price for the volume of leaves.This tea has a white fur on each little leaf. Supposedly, this is because it is picked from the top two leaf layers of early (immature) tea. For those who have not had Silver Needles before, it has a much more subtle tea flavor than does green tea. For some, this may not be as pleasant to drink, so before you put out the money for an entire pound, you may want to try it in a less expensive way first. For myself, I do prefer green and even black tea, but white tea has some health advantages I seek.As others have mentioned, you can definitely get at least three good brews out of this tea. Also, the tea does not leave you jittery from caffeine as similar amounts of green or black tea would. This is, in part, because it has less caffeine than the others, appears to have a stronger concentration of differing antioxidants, and it has more theobromine and theanine--both of which soothe and calm people. You are left amazingly alert but calm as you drink this. If you have something to do that requires a lot of concentration, drinking this tea greatly helps you focus. I cannot fully describe just how strong this effect is, but your mind functions as well as if you had just had a great night's sleep, coupled with a vigorous workout (depending on how much tea you used or how long the initial brew took -- the more the better). The effect seems to be most noticeable starting 30 minutes after drinking the first cup and lasts many hours.Without a doubt, the tea tastes best if brewed at something below 170 degrees (probably 160 is best). I have taken to using a kitchen thermometer if I'm in doubt as to its relative temperature. It takes longer to brew, but the taste stays more agreeable.On a different note, we were surprised to have this arrive in a large plastic-lined paper bag THAT WAS MERELY TWIST-TIED SHUT. Yes, this arrives without any sort of seal, even a zipping-type of seal. All you do to get access to the tea inside is undo the two little edge twist-ties and then unroll.I do not think anyone at the Amazon warehouse will have tampered with the tea, but honestly, there's no way to prove that. Davidson's sells other bulk one-pound teas that have a zipper seal and are also tightly-glued above that seal. For those, there is no way to tamper with them without it being noticed.I am not "weirded out" enough to not purchase this very fine tea this way again, as it really just arrives as if you'd gotten it bulk from a local store in which you'd bagged it yourself, but I do think other people will be bothered by this. Those people are now warned.NOTE: Silver Needles tea leaves are supposed to be short. Since they are picked at the earliest time of the spring, they are not nearly fully-grown. It is also the reason the tea is "brittle"--the tea is dried and was only picked one time in the year. If you are expecting big leaves that are "moist", you are looking for a different tea.UPDATE: With out latest pound, Lot#: AMZ-S3110980, the flavor is quite different, tasting more like White Peony with a hint of Jasmine. The prior bag, Lot #: AMZ-T3278926, had no such hint to it. Both teas look identical, though.UPDATE (March 2011): The bag (Lot #: AMZ-T2662880) now comes in a tamper-proof bag, like many of the other Davidson's teas. Thanks, Davidson's!UPDATE (November 2012): Davidson's has removed the Lot numbers, but added a "Best By" date. Our bag, with a date of 08/09/2014, tastes like tree leaves somehow got in it. The individual leaves (buds) look a bit sickly compared with prior bags, too. Because it has always been good, we are overlooking this one bag's issue and will drink it up. We go through a bag roughly every three months. Sadly, this bag came in as the Amazon price had gone up, so we paid more for lesser quality than ever before.UPDATE (January 2013): Our tea with an 11/2/2014 "Best By" date looks almost as good as Teavana's. I found two small clover-type leaves, but otherwise, this looks and tastes the best we've seen in over a year. Excellent!

As a diehard tea drinker, this is a favorite Earl Gray tea. I switched to looseleaf tea with tea balls And while it is a bit messier, the flavor is so much better. Teabags just won't cut it anymore and the pods from Keurig are so expensive. Not only does this taste better it's cost-effective.

real good quality tea leaves it smells real good when you open the package up and tastes real good too. miles ahead of anything you buy at the stores

Loose leaf tea often outperforms bagged tea, especially for digestion, and this brand is no exception! This brand uses higher-quality leaves, which allows for better extraction of beneficial compounds, which can aid digestion and support gut health.Loose leaf tea generally contains similar levels of tannins as bagged tea, but the higher quality of the leaves and the better extraction process results in a smoother taste while also being gentler on the stomach.I haven't had any stomach issues drinking the earl grey tea on an empty stomach. They use real (not artificial) flavoring, so you are actually get benefits from the bergamot citrus oil, too. Bergamot tea offers health benefits such as improved digestion, enhanced mood, and potential cholesterol reduction, thanks to its rich antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.For the price and quality, you cannot get any better tea. I plan to repurchase from this brand and try their other teas aswell!

I bought this tea as a gift for my wife who has always expressed an affinity for licorice-flavored tea. She was pleased with it, though she expressed that the licorice flavor was not quite as strong as some other varieties she has enjoyed a bit better in the past. I have to agree. The underlying black tea is of a nice quality, no noticeable bitterness when brewing. The added licorice flavor is definitely noticeable in both aroma and flavor, but the level of flavor is relatively subtle. Overall it's a good tea for a reasonable price! Just don't buy it expecting a massive hit of licorice flavor when you brew a cup.

I love tea and have tried a ton of varieties and different brands. I've got a lot of allergies and find that many teas bother me and I can't tolerate them. Davidson's english breakfats is a winner for me. Nice taste, fresh and no ill side effects. Happy to find and will continue to order!

Made 2 cups as soon as it arrived, read some bad stuff about my old earl grey tea about added chemicals and decided to try a new brand and this 1 is on point, organic and price is good. Will definitely be ordering more before this bag runs out.

This is a fine tea. Large leaves, good aroma, subtle with a dry after taste. Unfortunately, not to my taste. I like a smokey stronger flavor and I find the earthy dryness and lack of flavor off putting.

This tea have a perfect balance of orange and cinnamon, and the black tea they use seems to be of medium or high grade (like Orange Pekoe).

The Bergamot is real and the smell is good

Love this African Rooibos Honeybush bulk tea…tastes just like a orange pekoe without the caffeine or bitter tannins…has a rich reddish brown colour you don’t need to use much and it has a sweetness to its taste…I don’t put anything in it , I find it doesn’t need it but you can if preferred…its also very good cold…it’s expensive but I find my last bag lasted over a year...I store it in mason jars…great stuff…serve this to friends and relatives, everyone likes it and are surprised it’s herbal and not real tea.

I absolutely love Davidson's Earl Grey with Lavender tea. The aroma alone puts a big smile on my face. Excellent price for what (in my opinion) is great quality tea. I find the lavender adds a soothing quality and is not overpowering. I recommend this product to anyone that enjoys Earl Grey tea.As a point of interest for those looking to purchase any of Davidson's Decaffeinated Teas. Here is the response I received directly from the manufacturer with respect to the decaffeination process."Davidson’s teas are decaffeinated under the CO2 extraction process, often referred to as "Effervescence". The tea is placed in a pressurized chamber, and Carbon Dioxide, an inert gas, is pumped in and locks on and extracts the caffeine from the tea leaves. This process is beneficial, as it does not leave any chemical residues or reduction in flavor. The process also maintains antioxidant levels and the flavor quality. The best advantage of CO2 is that it does not extract the polyphenols or the macronol oils. In other processes like the water Ethyl Acetates, approximately 40% of the polyphenols are removed, thus making the tea deficient of the vital flavor or health benefits."

Ordered this to make ice milk tea but seems not very suitable as didn’t get much tea compare to others I’ve been been trying. Little too strong bergamot fragrance that isn’t very my style. Other than that looking good and packed well.