As this project progresses, I find myself running up against the challenge of how to classify some of these teas that I am tasting. Perhaps ultimately, classification doesn’t matter all that much to you as the reader, but as to me the investigator, having a system to organize these different teas is useful as I taste, reflect, and learn.
For example, the two teas I have classified as special variations this week are named Earl Grey without any modifiers, suggesting that the blenders consider them standard Earl Grey teas. However, one has lemon in addition to bergamot (NUTE), and one has lychee flavor added to it (A.C. Perch). The latter tea is less debatable; lychee is not a citrus fruit, nor does it come from anywhere near the bergamot-growing region. It is a unique addition and, regardless of the name of the tea, the presence of this fruit creates an innovative variation on the traditional blend (assuming you enjoy lychee, of course).
However, NUTE’s blend with bergamot and lemon walks the line. Lemon, like bergamot, is a citrus fruit. The lemon used also appears to be lemon oil; I couldn’t detect any peel in the tea bag (Lady Grey teas typically include citrus peel in addition to or in place of citrus oil). This leads me to wonder whether lemon oil in and of itself is sufficient to actually qualify a particular Earl Grey as a special variation.
At the start of this project, I stated that a classic Earl Grey was nothing more than black tea and bergamot. I had not considered how subtle some of these additions would be; rather, I had assumed that all special variations would be a major change from the standard brew. As I sample more and more Earl Grey, however, I find that many of the additions are so minimal, and so similar to the traditional blend, that I wonder whether they should truly be considered true variations.
Ultimately, as I look at the graph breaking down the proportions of Earl Grey types so far, I’ve decided to go ahead and stick to my original system. Even with the abundance of special variations based on just one similar inclusion, special variations don’t seem to be over-represented, or skewing the data in an inaccurate way. I’ll reconsider if that seems to be the case, but for now, it’s not an issue.
Two Crème Earl Greys
Creme de Earl Grey, The Cove Tea Company
Regular readers of this series will know I’ve been consistently impressed with the samples I received from The Cove Tea Company, and the Creme de Earl Grey is no exception. Of the four creme Earl Greys I’ve sampled so far, this stands out as the best. While the bergamot is a touch lighter than I would prefer, I also know that flavor preferences are largely subjective.
What I appreciate most about this blend is that the creme element (in this blend, created by French vanilla) is quite well-balanced. Subjective preferences aside, the bergamot, vanilla, and tea are all working harmoniously. Often the creme element can leave the tea tasting too sweet, or it can overwhelm the blend entirely. I think the presence of real vanilla makes a huge difference.
Earl Grey Creme de la Creme, Larkin Tea Company
This blend contains bergamot, cornflowers, vanilla pieces, and vanilla flavoring. It’s hard to visually detect the vanilla pieces among the black leaves, but when drinking the steeped tea, you can tell they’re in the blend. I know vanilla beans are expensive, so I don’t begrudge most companies for omitting them. However, I’ve had three teas this month (one that wasn’t an Earl Grey) that contained vanilla pieces, and from the tea drinker’s perspective, that’s a small luxury that I consider worth the price.
That being said, the bergamot is slightly overpowered by the vanilla, which is my resounding criticism across Creme Earl Grey blends. Even a company as well-regarded as The Larkin Tea Company with highly qualified blenders seems susceptible to the challenges of combining bergamot and vanilla in a balanced way. My takeaway from this tasting experience is that it’s hard enough simply adding one flavor to tea leaves and getting the right proportions of each. Once you start adding additional components, there’s more opportunity for things to be a little off. As I move through my sommelier training and consider what it would be like to make my own blends, this is a valuable piece of knowledge.
Two Special Variations
Earl Grey, NUTE
As mentioned in the introduction, since NUTE’s Earl Grey contains bergamot and lemon, based on my classification system, this is a special variation. Unfortunately (for my palate, at least), the double dose of citrus is dwarfed by the tea.
That’s not to say it’s a bad cup. The steeped liquor was a rich, deep brown, and the base tea had a smooth, malty flavor. Nonetheless, when I drink an Earl Grey, I want the bergamot to really shine through. During my tasting, I could detect both the lemon and bergamot separately, so they weren’t completely drowned out. However, I was expecting more vibrancy from the citrus considering there were two different kinds in the blend.
As with many of the teas I’ve had so far, this one is solidly middle-of-the-pack. I know I’ve written about this before, but with each tasting, I further understand that there are going to be few truly fantastic or truly terrible cups. Most are going to be nice but not great, and that’s okay. If everything were spectacular, nothing would be. There’s something to be said for a tea blend that is simply fine, no more, no less.
Earl Grey, A.C. Perch’s Thehandel
This tea was an exercise in putting aside personal biases and trying to appreciate a tea I might have otherwise skipped. The Earl Grey from A.C. Perch’s Thehandel was part of the package that @royal_teacups sent me (as was the NUTE), and given that it’s a Danish company, it’s one that I might not have been able to get easily (or affordably) where I live. So I was quite excited to be able to try it at all! However, I don’t love lychee, which is used in this tea in addition to bergamot. So the task was to be able to put my opinion of lychee aside in order to be able to assess the tea on its merits.
The dry leaves had a strong lychee scent; in fact, it dominated the bergamot and tea leaf smells. However, in the steeped liquor, the flavors were a bit more balanced. I never felt that I was drinking a cup of lychee tea; the cup still was truly an Earl Grey.
However, as I’ve touched on elsewhere in this post (as well as in other posts in this series), the addition of a second fruit flavor threw off the balance of the bergamot a bit. The lychee overshadowed the citrus, just as second or third additions of flowers, spices, or other fruits in other blends have overwhelmed the bergamot. Not that I could do a better job at this stage of my tea life, though! I suppose what I’m learning is that while the novelty of special blends can be exciting and interesting, sometimes, the best blend is the straightforward, classic one.
By the Numbers
Even with taking a break in April, I’ve sampled 38 teas, so I’m actually slightly ahead of schedule for the month! It’s nice to know that even if I step away from a project, I’ve managed to set a challenge that isn’t actually punishing. Not sure how I managed to do that, exactly, but I’m glad I did! I should probably try to replicate that for future projects . . .
Since this is my first update in a while, I’ve included the category breakdown again, though as you can see, there haven’t been any dramatic changes. I might not include this again until I hit the 50% mark, unless people really love seeing it.
While I don’t like to make promises too far in advance, the next post will probably feature another round of florals, since I sampled three of those in April. Other than that, it depends on what I happen to try from the list. I don’t classify the teas before I drink them, so we’ll see what direction the next month takes me.
Support the Project
Read previous installments here:
The Earl Grey Year Part 1: Four Classics
The Earl Grey Year Part 2: Four Florals
The Earl Grey Year Part 3: Four More Classics
The Earl Grey Year Part 4: Greens and Tisanes
The Earl Grey Year Part 5: Cremes and Special Variations
The Earl Grey Year Part 6: Classics and Florals
The Earl Grey Year Part 7: Classics and Special Variations
Enjoying this series? You can support my tea wishlist here, or contact me if you have samples you want to share!
For more tea content, check out my tea pairings playlist on YouTube.
Project References
Note: This is an ongoing list of all the reading I have done so far for this project. The bibliographic entries here are not necessarily cited in this specific post.
Avila-Sosa, Raúl et. al. “Bergamot (Citrus bergamia) Oils.” Essential Oils in Food Preservation, Flavor and Safety. Ed. Preedy, V.R. (2015). Elsevier Science & Technology. pp. 247-252. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-416641-7.00027-4
Di Giacomi, Angelo and Giovanni Dugo. “Origin, History, and Diffusion.” Citrus bergamia: Bergamot and Its Derivatives. Ed. Dugo, Giovanni and Ivana Bonaccorsi. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2013. pp. 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1201/b15375
Dugo, Giovanni and Ivana Bonaccorsi. “Composition of Leaf Oils.” Citrus bergamia: Bergamot and Its Derivatives. Ed. Dugo, Giovanni and Ivana Bonaccorsi. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2013. pp. 227-236. https://doi.org/10.1201/b15375
Heale, Christopher. (n.d.) “A Guide to the Tea Grading System.” Herbs & Kettles. https://www.herbsandkettles.com/blogs/blog/a-guide-to-the-tea-grading-system
Lo Curto, Rosario. “Uses of Juice and By-Products.” Citrus bergamia: Bergamot and Its Derivatives. Ed. Dugo, Giovanni and Ivana Bonaccorsi. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2013. pp. 531-542. https://doi.org/10.1201/b15375
Nishida, Kei. “What Does Astringency Mean for Tea Drinking?” (n.d.) Japanese GreenTea Co. https://www.japanesegreentea.in/blogs/japanese-green-tea-lovers-in-india/what-does-astringency-mean-for-tea-drinking
Twinings. (n.d.) “What is Bergamot?” https://twinings.co.uk/blogs/news/what-is-bergamot