Last week, I reached the minimum number of teas I needed to stay on track for July. With that, I’ve taken a little break, though I’m sure I’ll taste a few more teas this month. I do like staying ahead of schedule, after all.
When I was planning this post, I noticed that I had a number of un-reviewed special variations in my writing queue. With that in mind, I decided to devote this installment to that category. While there was one tea I didn’t enjoy, the other three were all solid, well-made blends. I hope one of these piques your interest enough to give it a try!
Orange Earl Grey, Osterlandsk
The Osterlandsk website description notes that this tea contains a Keemun base combined with Celyon (Sri Lankan) black tea, hand-pressed bergamot, and orange peel. The dry cup smells lovely; all of the additions are present. The steeped cup has a full and well-balanced body, with the orange and bergamot both coming through.
The drinking experience provides a smooth cup that is flavorful and refreshing. I found it quite enjoyable as a summer tea. It’s fantastic hot, and I think the blend would make an excellent cold brew as well.
Osterlandsk doesn’t have a huge presence in the US, so I’m grateful to royal_teacups for sending me a sample of this excellent tea! I might not have had a chance to taste it otherwise.
Earl Grey Bella Luna, Adagio
Adagio only makes the Earl Grey Bella Luna blend available for sale on the full moon. I’m not opposed to their limited-release blends (I wish the Brigadoon Breakfast was available more than once every four years!), but this tea is, to my mind, not worth the hype.
The tasting notes on the website say that this blend contains bergamot, coconut, and cream flavor. While the dry blend is visually stunning and the steeped liquor has a nice body, the coconut overwhelms both the scent and the taste of the tea. The cream flavor is also quite strong, with the result being that the bergamot and tea flavors are completely washed out.
I tried playing with the steeping time to see if that would improve things, but ultimately, the bergamot never came through the way I was expecting. Throughout my sampling, I couldn’t really get this blend to taste like an Earl Grey; it tasted more like a coconut cream pie. And I love coconut cream pie! But it’s just not what I’m looking for in my Earl Grey.
Earl Grey Supreme, Adagio
I’ve made at least two posts wondering why certain tea companies that make excellent special Earl Grey blends don’t just stick to those rather than adding an underwhelming classic Earl Grey to the mix. I have to say that Adagio is one company that focuses just on their special Earl Greys without having a standard two-ingredient (tea and bergamot) blend. Unfortunately, not only was I disappointed in the Bella Luna reviewed above, but a while back I also wrote about being unable to finish their Lavender Earl Grey. Fortunately, the Earl Grey Supreme is a big improvement over the other two.
All of Adagio’s Earl Grey variations look beautiful when you measure out the dry leaves; it’s a good reminder that you can’t judge a tea based on its appearance. On the web page for this blend, Adagio lists the ingredients as black tea, Keemun Concerto tea, silver needle tea, natural bergamot flavor, and white cornflowers. The contrast between black teas, white tea, and white flowers does stand out; the Earl Grey Supreme also smells better than the other two blends I’ve reviewed. While the lavender smelled artificial and the coconut was overwhelming, the Supreme has a lovely aroma.
Like the dry cup, the steeped liquid has a well-balanced aroma. This blend also tastes much better than the other two Adagio Earl Greys I’ve discussed. For one thing, the bergamot really shines! While I don’t get much of the silver needle flavor, I nonetheless find this to be an enjoyable cup. It’s a blend that I would buy again.
Winter White Earl Grey, Harney & Sons
Harney & Sons has several Earl Grey blends, but I think this one is the most unique. I haven’t found many Earl Grey blends that use white tea as a base, which is why I had to try this one. The blend consists of pai mu tan along with bergamot oil.
The dry leaf blend has an amazing scent. The steeped liquor has a lovely golden body that manages to be full without being opaque. The steeped scent is heavy on the bergamot, but the pai mu tan definitely comes through.
This blend is more flowery than an Earl Grey made with black tea, and is also slightly vegetal. The flavors of both the tea and bergamot are strong, but manage to stay balanced. This is a popular Earl Grey variation among many of my tea-drinking friends, and I can definitely see why!
By the Numbers
Honestly, when I started this challenge, it seemed like I was going to struggle to drink 9 different Earl Grey blends a month. Clearly I didn’t realize how much tea I just drink as a matter of course!
There are times when this does feel like a challenge. However, it’s becoming clear as I go that I’m developing not just a deeper understanding of Earl Grey as a blend, but also of tea in general. This attempt at deliberate, focused tastings has been illuminating. And most of the time, I’m enjoying myself.
In addition to my recent haul from Simpson & Vail, I ordered four Earl Grey blends from Ohio Tea Company that I am so excited to try! I do still need to order one more tea in order to hit my August quota. Let me know what you think it should be!
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
The Earl Grey Year Part 8: Cremes and Variations Part 2
The Earl Grey Year Part 9 : Four More Florals
The Earl Grey Year Part 10: Halfway Point
The Earl Grey Year Part 11: Kusmi Tea
The Earl Grey Year Part 12: Cremes and Classics
Enjoying this series? You can support my tea wishlist here, or contact me if you have samples you want to share!
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.
American Chemical Society. (1965). “Bergamot Joins Lineup Of Synthetic Oils: Glidden process breaks down ß-pinene, back-blends components.” Chemical & Engineering News Archive 43 (33), 24-25. DOI: 10.1021/cen-v043n033.p024a
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
Galper, Amy. (December 14, 2022.) “Shelf Life of Essential Oils.” Cliganic. https://www.cliganic.com/blogs/the-essentials/essential-oils-shelf-life
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
Petite Histoire. (July 7, 2023). “The [Complete & Complex] Guide to Natural vs. Synthetic Fragrance: What’s the Difference?” https://nyc.ph/blogs/inspiration/the-complete-guide-to-natural-vs-synthetic-fragrance
Twinings. (n.d.) “What is Bergamot?” https://twinings.co.uk/blogs/news/what-is-bergamot