Fortnum & Mason - Earl Grey

Ingredients: China tea scented with oil of bergamot.

Tea format: Individually packaged bags with strings. Also comes as loose tea in a canister.

Where to get it: I found this tea in The Cheese Shop in Concord, MA when I went to have tea at The Colonial Inn (it's within walking distance). You can order some at the Fortnum & Mason web site.

Comments: I am at a loss for why this tea is so smokey; was my box caught in a fire or is it always this way? If this is the normal state of Fortnum & Mason's Earl Grey, they should really consider packaging it as Smokey Earl Grey. This one is WAY out of the "normal" scale. Aside from that anomaly, the tea seems "right on" in the usual ways. (Not too strong, not too bitter....)