Upon opening the pouch, the teabag smells pungently of bergamot. Unlike Twinings, this tea seems scented with only bergamot and no other citrus. Immediately after brewing, the aroma of bergamot is still strong but, like most decaf black teas, there is little noticeable tea aroma. There's a little mustiness that may represent the actual tea, but that's about it.

The initial flavor is simply bitter fruitiness from the bergamot. There's a deep, vegetal background from the tea, but all of the bright notes have been stripped by decaffeination. A large enough mouthfull displays some astringency, but any faint maltiness that might be present is swallowed by the citrus.

Still, the tea tastes nice, even if not very much like tea. I prefer citrus flavors without the spices that are usually present in herbal blends, though, so in the absence of a decaffeinated black tea that actually tastes like tea, this Earl Grey is, for me anyway, a reasonable substitute.

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