Here I am at the penultimate post of this project. Going through my spreadsheet, I had two green blends and six classic blends left in the queue. I decided to wrap up the green teas this week, plus two classic blends to balance the post out. The final post (tentatively scheduled for next week) will end as it began, with four classic blends.

I’m still deciding how I want to share my best-of list. It feels redundant to create a post or a series of posts, since I would just be repeating content. On the other hand, perhaps having my favorites in a one- or two-post digest would help people synthesize this year of work. (I’m leaning toward two posts, as these get long enough!) If anyone reading is interested in that, please let me know. I’m also considering doing a series of Instagram posts or a Youtube/IG/TikTok video instead of another blog post. Let me know what you’d like to see!

I also need to finalize plans for the Earl Grey giveaway I plan to run as a thank-you to those who supported this project. I got things going a few weeks ago, and then work got super hectic. I need to get back on track because I want this taken care of by the end of the year! That will probably only be at my Instagram, so if you don’t know where to find me there, just let me know.  

Green Earls

Cream of Earl Grey Matcha, David’s Tea

In my previous post, I wrote about some disappointing experiences with two David’s Tea blends. Given my experience with those two teas, and given that I don’t particularly like matcha, I expected that this tasting would also not go well. You might wonder why I even ordered this blend, considering I don’t like the base tea. Two reasons: first, I had yet to taste a matcha-based Earl Grey (there aren’t many out there), so I was swayed primarily by novelty. But also, it was one of the David’s Tea daily specials back in October. So yes, I was easily swayed by reduced price tea. 

The ingredient list for this blend includes cane sugar, organic matcha, and organic cream and Earl Grey flavors. The dry matcha powder has a sweet aroma; I noted in my journal that it smelled like a fancy truffle. That sweetness repeats in the prepared cup. And I was pleasantly surprised to discover that I didn’t hate the taste!

This particular matcha had a creamier mouthfeel than I’m used to, and I wonder if that had something to do with the built-in sweetener or the flavoring. I did have to prepare this twice, because the first time, I got my ratios of tea to water incorrect, but honestly, I actually preferred the version I accidentally made too strong. While I don’t enjoy matcha enough to buy this again, it’s a tasty beverage, and doesn’t taste nearly as sweet as it smells. I’d recommend any matcha lover give this a try. 

Bergamot Queen, The Tea Girl

I’m so thankful to The Tea Girl for sending me a sample of her Bergamot Queen blend. The dry cup is visually stunning, with a mix of purple, blue, and white cornflower petals. The aroma of the green tea base has a lovely complexity, both sweet and floral. 

The steeped aroma is bergamot-forward, and the sweeter aspect of the tea comes through as well. The taste of the tea is incredibly refreshing. This tea lives up to its name, with the bright flavor of the bergamot shining through. The green tea is still there, and it works well with the citrus. If you generally avoid green tea due to grassiness or bitterness, you should give this blend a try, because the bergamot mitigates those flavors. 

I enjoyed this tea hot, as iced tea season has long passed in the Midwest. (I know some people say iced tea season is all year, even in cold climates, but that’s just not me.) And while it was an incredible hot tea, if you’re a cold brew aficionado, you should give this blend a try. I think it would be excellent as a cold beverage. (The caveat is you have to reside in Canada for the time being.)

Classic Earls

Tea of Lords, Palais des Thés

This is my final tasting from Palais des Thés. While I disliked the Sencha Earl Grey and adored the Green of London, this blend falls squarely in the middle. This was my 84th tasting, and it was a point where I was struggling to be impressed by classic blends. I might have enjoyed this more if I’d tasted it earlier in the project, but that’s ultimately unknowable. 

Both the dry and steeped aroma have an excellent balance of tea and bergamot. It’s the kind of fragrance I wish I could capture in a scented candle. (Yes, I know Earl Grey candles exist, but in my opinion, they never quite get the aroma right.) 

The taste of this tea is bergamot-forward, with the tea in the background. However, it doesn’t feel imbalanced; I’m not really looking for a 50-50 flavor ratio of tea and bergamot. I like something bergamot-forward, so this is a perfect blend for me. That’s why I was surprised that I didn’t love it more. I can tell there are quality ingredients and that the tea has impeccable blending. Yet while I could taste the quality, something about it just didn’t truly resonate on my palate.  

Earl Grey, Ci Tea

This is another tea that I received after winning thatttealover’s July challenge. Citea is a Montreal-based business run by a Ukranian family. According to their website, this blend has a Sri Lankan tea base in addition to bergamot flavor. The leaves appear to have been processed using the CTC method. 

The dry cup has a heavenly aroma; the bergamot is strong, and the tea smells slightly spicy. While the tea aroma is slightly stronger in the steeped cup, the bergamot scent is able to hold its own. 

This was tea number 98 for me, and let me tell you, after I passed 75, it was getting more and more difficult to be impressed by a basic Earl Grey. Yet impressed I was when I tasted this one. The tea itself is fantastic: it has a strong, complex body that’s a bit spicy and a bit flowery at the same time. The underlying floral tone complements the bergamot quite well. I didn’t think I’d be adding another classic blend to the best-of long list, but I’m adding the Citea blend as soon as I finish writing this post.  

By the Numbers

Although I’ve tasted all 100 teas, I have one more post to write after this one. With that in mind, I’m going to hold off on sharing the final percentage breakdown until the final write-up. 

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

The Earl Grey Year Part 17: Creams and Greens

The Earl Grey Year Part 18: Florals and a Classics Challenge

The Earl Grey Year Part 19: Even More Variations

The Earl Grey Year Part 20: Classics and Greens

The Earl Grey Year Part 21: Four by the London Tea Merchant

The Earl Grey Year Part 22: Four by Simpson & Vail

The Earl Grey Year Part 23: Final Florals and Variations

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

My Earl Grey. (n.d.) “What is Russian Earl Grey?” https://www.myearlgrey.com/articles/what-is-russian-earl-grey-tea/ 

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 

Sorokina, Anna. (April 25, 2020). “‘Russian Teas’ that Russians Know Nothing About.” Russia Beyond. https://www.rbth.com/russian-kitchen/332070-rusian-tea-abroad 
Twinings. (n.d.) “What is Bergamot?” https://twinings.co.uk/blogs/news/what-is-bergamot