I’m fantastic at starting projects, but terrible at finishing them. I always want to give up when I’m close to the end. This is true not just of writing projects, or of going through the process to get my Pilates studio up and running, but even short-term challenges with a tangible end point. For example, when John and I summited Guadalupe Peak, an out-and-back hike that required a back-country camping permit, I wanted to give up a mile before the very end. As in, we spent a day hiking a thin trail with no coverage to step off and pee, camped in claustrophobia-inducing backpacking tents, reached the summit of the mountain . . . and on the way down, a mile from the parking lot where our car was parked, I was just absolutely and totally done. Unfortunately, there is no rescue mission coming for an uninjured hiker a mile from the parking lot. As Frank O’Hara says, “the only thing left to do is simply continue.”

That is a long-winded way of saying I’m in a slump with this project. I’ve tasted 76 teas; I’m more than three-quarters of the way done. And I find myself losing enthusiasm for this project. Which leads me to wonder whether this is simply the end-of-project blues I always encounter with everything I’ve ever done, or if I really need to drink 26 more Earl Grey blends in my quest to really understand it. Ultimately, I rely on the evidence: I’m historically a starter, but not a finisher. This slump is most likely my monkey mind doing what it always does, getting bored as the project draws to a close and wanting to start something new. So with that, I resolve to continue on.   

Cream Earls

Creamy Earl Grey, Simpson & Vail

Simpson & Vail’s Creamy Earl Grey is straightforward: black tea, vanilla, and bergamot. I admit that I’ve grown somewhat accustomed to seeing dried cornflower petals in cream Earl Grey blends, but ultimately, they don’t contribute very much (some say they don’t contribute at all), and just because a cup of dry leaves looks pretty doesn’t mean the steeped brew is of high quality. While I do like to note pretty cups of tea when I see them, that’s never the most important part of the evaluation.

The dry leaf aroma is vanilla-forward, followed by bergamot, and then tea. The flavorings are so strong that the scent of the tea is actually difficult to detect! With the steeped aroma, however, the tea and vanilla come through equally, with the bergamot being difficult to detect. I followed the instructors for a three-minute steep, and on taste, I got tea first, then vanilla, and then bergamot. The citrus really shines on the back end, though, resulting in a bright finish.

I did enjoy this blend, though since Cream Earl Greys aren’t my first choice of beverage, I’m hard to impress. The folks at Simpson & Vail know their stuff, and I know there are plenty of tea drinkers out there who would like this blend. There are simply other Simpson & Vail teas in my cabinet that I prefer.

Cream Earl Grey, Ohio Tea Company

The Ohio Tea Company blend contains a mixture of orange pekoe grade Sri Lankan black tea (I love how specific the company is in their notes!), vanilla, cornflower petals, and bergamot. The scent of the dry cup is vanilla-forward, followed by tea and bergamot, and the steeped liquid has the same aroma profile. 

Upon drinking this blend, I find that the tea flavor is actually the strongest, followed by vanilla, and then bergamot. While bergamot appears light on my palate, it’s certainly present; I never find myself searching for it. While it’s a little lighter than I personally prefer, you’re not going to miss it. Ultimately, this is a well-conceived and expertly-executed Cream Earl Grey. I think this will appeal to a number of tea drinkers who like bergamot but are put off when it’s the dominant flavor. 

I don’t see this particular blend becoming part of my collection, because while it does illustrate masterful blending, it also didn’t change my life. I admit I feel a little bad saying that, as this is my first review of an Ohio Tea Company blend. However, I’ve actually already sampled three of the four Earl Grey teas that I ordered from them, and one in particular is going to get rave reviews in a future blog post. I genuinely think this is a perfect blend for some tea drinkers out there, and I encourage you to give it a shot. (Also, Ohio Tea Company allows you one free sample a month. All the more reason to shop there!)

Green Earls

Emerald Green Earl Grey, Simpson & Vail

Simpson & Vail uses China Green Sencha and bergamot oil in this blend. (Yes, sencha is generally a Japanese tea, but according to the map on the tea’s information page, there are producers in the Sichuan province.)

I was skeptical going into this blend, because when I smelled the dry leaf, the bergamot was overwhelming. Yes, I like a bergamot-heavy cup, but I want to be able to detect the tea as well! Fortunately, there was a better balance in the aroma of the steeped liquor. The liquid has a lovely green body and is clearly a sencha. 

In terms of taste, this blend is refreshing. It’s something you could drink all day, and would be excellent brewed both hot and cold. My one complaint is that the bergamot is noticeably weak on the second infusion. One of the great things about green tea is that most of them can handle multiple steepings, and I like to make the most of my leaves! The tea was still tasty, it just didn’t seem much like an Earl Grey anymore. I do recommend this tea, just know that you’re only going to get one cup where it really tastes like an Earl Grey.

Earl Green, Tea Market

Tea Market’s Earl Green blend contains Pouchong green tea from Taiwan; the leaves are big, bright, and gorgeous. Combined with triple bergamot, they dry scent is citrus-forward, but the floral tea aroma is still there. That scent profile repeats with the steeped liquor.

Per the steeping instructions, I let this tea set for three minutes before drinking it. I was surprised by how light the bergamot was, considering that this tea is triple-scented. I found it light, refreshing, and easy to drink. This is another tea you could easily drink all day, enjoy hot, or serve cold at a summer picnic. Still, I was hoping for more bergamot flavor.

Given how light the bergamot was on the first tasting, I assumed it would be entirely absent on a second infusion. Still, I always like to do at least one additional steeping round, so I gave it a try. I was surprised to find that this tea actually had a stronger bergamot flavor on the second infusion! Yes, it was better the second time around. So if this tea doesn’t suit your palate the first time around, give it another infusion. This is a complex tea that definitely unfolds on subsequent steepings!

By the Numbers

I’ve only got 24 teas left to taste, and I have all the teas in my queue I need to stay on track for September. The London Tea Room St. Louis sadly closed last week, and since all the teas were discounted, I got every Earl Grey option they had in stock. 

Even with deliberately seeking out some green and tisane Earl Grey blends, ultimately, the proportions haven’t changed that much. I expect things to hold more or less in this pattern for the rest of the challenge. On some level, I wonder if I should have put the greens and tisanes into the Special Variation category, but when I started this project, I really thought I would encounter more of them. It wasn’t until much later in the challenge that I realized just how few of these particular blends were out there. I suppose I could just re-classify them, but at the same time, I think I want to stick with my initial categories since I’m so close to the end of the project.

While the final stretch is always the most challenging part of a project to me, I’m excited to delve into the London Tea Room blends. With just 16 samples left to purchase, I can’t help but wonder what will come next!

(Also, while I hate Christmas Creep, tea companies are starting to reveal their 2024 advent calendars, and I can’t resist looking. I’m bummed that I won’t be able to afford the Fortnum’s wooden calendar again this year, I’m still excited for the more economical options to choose from!)

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

The Earl Grey Year Part 13: Four More Special Variations

The Earl Grey Year Part 14: Tisanes and Classics

The Earl Grey Year Part 15: European Classics

The Earl Grey Year Part 16: Even More Classics and Variations

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

Rosen, Diana. (November 3, 2020). “New – Coffee Leaf Arabica tea.” TeaSmart. https://www.teasmart.com/article_201106.html 
Twinings. (n.d.) “What is Bergamot?” https://twinings.co.uk/blogs/news/what-is-bergamot