Benner Earl Grey Black Tea

Last Updated on July 5, 2023

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“Tea, Earl Grey, hot.” — Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Star Trek: The Next Generation

I couldn’t tell you exactly when I took to drinking tea. It wasn’t a staple in my family as a kid, and I don’t recall any watershed moment in early adulthood where I suddenly started drinking it. Instead, at some point I slowly, gradually started drinking the stuff. I had enough exposure that when I first met my wife — who was a devoted tea drinker — it was at least something of a point of contact.

Today, there is plenty of tea in my house. I’m more of a black tea person, so English and Scottish Breakfast are popular favorites. So is a regular run-of-the-mill black tea, which is decent and also very inexpensive. And, to shake things up, I also like a good Earl Grey, a black tea flavored with oil of bergamot that creates its own unique experience.

Aldi does keep a small but respectable tea section, including English Breakfast and a Lipton-style black tea. It hasn’t previously stocked Earl Grey, though, which is why I’ve had to look elsewhere for that tea. Lo and behold, we recently spotted this box on our local Aldi shelves.

It was a no-brainer that I had to try it out.

Benner Earl Grey Black Tea

 

Benner Tea Co. Earl Grey Tea is, by all appearances, an Aldi Regular Buy. That means it’s in stores all the time.

At the time of this post, one box of 20 tea bags costs $1.85. That comes out to about 9.3 cents per tea bag. For comparison, a 100-count box of Twinings on Amazon costs about 13 cents per bag, while Wamart’s 40-count Great Value Earl Grey is a little cheaper at 8.9 cents per bag. Aldi tea compares favorably in price considering it’s such a small box.

The tea contains just two ingredients: black tea and oil of bergamot. It does not list any points of origin, which I would assume means it’s made in the United States.

Benner Earl Grey Black Tea

Ingredients. (Click to enlarge.)

Each bag comes individually wrapped in plastic.

Benner Earl Grey Black Tea

There are brewing instructions on the bottom of the box if you’re not sure how to do it. To make hot tea, you bring fresh cold water to a rolling boil, then pour 8 ounces of water over your tea bag. Steep for 3 to 5 minutes, then remove the tea bag. You can optionally serve with lemon and / or sweetener.

To make iced tea, you bring fresh cold water to a rolling boil, then pour 4 cups of tea over 3-5 tea bags and steep for 3 to 5 minutes. You remove the tea bag and pour over ice filled glasses. Optionally, you can serve with lemon / and or sweetener.

Benner Earl Grey Black Tea

I made a cup of hot tea. It’s fragrant coming out of the plastic bag, and the tea bag looks about like what I would expect. I steeped it for 3 minutes before trying it out.

Benner Earl Grey Black Tea

We compared it head-to-head against a bag of Bigelow Earl Grey tea. Our testers felt like, although there are some subtle differences between the two, that we didn’t necessarily feel like there was much, if any, of a taste quality difference between the two. Both have the subtle flavors of black tea and the oil of bergamot.

The Verdict:

Aldi now sells an Earl Grey. It’s a lot less per bag than most name brands, even name brands in larger boxes, and seems to compare well enough in flavor. Worth a look if you’re in the market for a less expensive Earl Grey.

About Joshua

Joshua is the Co-founder of Aldi Reviewer. He is also a writer and novelist. You can learn more about him at joshuaajohnston.com.

One Comment

  1. i was wondering if you have found that with the TJs and Aldi teas that maybe there is less tea per bag? It seems to me that brewing a cup of tea in the same mug as say Bigelow or other name brand, the TJs and Aldi ones seem weaker. it could just be me though. Still good tasting and a great deal!

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