Allyson Whipple

Category: tea

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

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

    August is winding down, and I’m looking forward to some cooler temperatures and chai flavors, which are perfect for the change of season. For now, though, I want to share four more sets of tasting notes, including one tea that was blended with summer in mind. And while Earl Grey brings associations of spring and summer for me with its light sense of citrus, I know I’ll still be enjoying this blend into the fall. 

    Classics

    Earl Grey, Tea and Whisk

    I was surprised to find Earl Grey for sale at Tea and Whisk. Their specialty is primarily straight teas, largely from East Asia. However, while Earl Grey seems anachronistic in the Tea and Whisk catalog, their products are excellent, so I had to give this one a try. The website indicates they use Sri Lankan tea and bergamot from Southern Italy. 

    The dry leaves smell amazing, with an excellent balance of bergamot and tea. The steeped liquid has the same fragrance levels of each ingredient. This tea is medium-bodied, and would make a fantastic cold-brew blend in addition to being delicious as a hot beverage.

    I know I’ve already referred to the word balanced above, but that is the singular word I would use to describe this particular Earl Grey. I’ve written many reviews in this series in which blends don’t quite get the ingredient proportions right, with either the tea or the bergamot overwhelming the other ingredient. With special blends that have further additions, balance gets even more complicated. Tea and Whisk did an excellent job of keeping the blend simple and getting things just right.  

    Earl Grey, Soulard Spice Shop

    I can’t believe I got so far into this project before I remembered that I have a source for tea practically in my own back yard! Soulard Spice Shop, one of the inner stores in the historic Soulard Market, and they have a long list of tea, including Earl Grey. One Saturday, I happened to be at the market shopping for dinner ingredients, and when I passed the Spice Shop, I realized I had an easy opportunity to add some tea to my tasting queue!

    The Soulard Spice Shop isn’t focused just on tea, and I’m guessing that’s part of the reason they don’t put detailed ingredient or tasting notes on their site. The dry cup smells more strongly of tea than bergamot; that’s true in the steeped liquid as well. The cup has a dark, full body.

    Unfortunately, the tea-heavy balance carries over into the taste. The bergamot is there, but easily overwhelmed by the tea. This won’t put me off from buying more tea at Soulard Spice Shop, but I will probably stick to straight teas rather than blends. 

    Special Variations

    Lady Grey, Sybillan’s

    The Lady Grey blend by Sybillan’s is visually stunning. Dried flowers and citrus rind contrast beautifully with the black tea leaves. Per the website, this blend contains lemon and black currant in addition to bergamot.

    The steeped liquid has a light mahogany color. The aroma features tea and citrus, but I didn’t detect much black currant. I admit that I was reticent about this blend after reading the ingredient list, because while I don’t hate currant, I wasn’t sure it would really pair well with citrus. 

    The flavor of this tea is light and refreshing, something that I could drink all day. Ultimately, my worries about the currant were unfounded. The flavor is subtle, acting more as a silent partner to balance the double-dose of citrus with a hint of sweetness. If you have access to this Swedish company, I recommend this tea!

    Summertime Earl Grey, Simpson & Vail

    With summer coming to an end, I wanted to make sure I tasted the Simpson & Vail Summertime Earl Grey. You could certainly wait and drink this in winter to savor a taste of summer, but given the way bergamot can break down, I just didn’t want to leave the blend in my tea cupboard for too long. 

    In addition to black tea and bergamot, this blend includes peach flavor and marigold petals. The dry scent has a progression of peach, then bergamot, then tea. The steeped tea, on the other hand, smells almost aggressively of peach, then tea, then bergamot. 

    I was nervous about the flavor based on the intensity of the peach scent, but fortunately, the peach flavor was not at all aggressive. The tea, bergamot, and peach flavoring were well-balanced, though ultimately, I didn’t love this blend. There’s nothing wrong with it, but peach feels out of place in an Earl Grey blend. But if you’re a peach lover, you might want to give this a try.

    By the Numbers

    I’m comfortably on track with the remainder of this project. I still have to add three teas to my tasting queue for September, but I’m not in a huge rush. I’ve grabbed a few things from my wish list, but I also like to wait and see if any teas I hadn’t thought of come my way. I found one surprising and unique blend early in August, which I plan to review next month. I don’t want to ossify my tasting queue too early and rule out the surprises that chance brings my way. 

    The Tisane and Green categories have grown slightly due to seeking out some of these blends more deliberately. One thing that I thought was most interesting, though, was how Special Variations and Florals have stalled out. I haven’t added a Floral blend to my queue in nearly two months, and there haven’t been many special variations, either. While I haven’t been explicitly seeking out these blends, I haven’t been avoiding them, either. The data breakdown continues to surprise me as the project goes on.  

    I have to my 81st tea in September to stay on track, meaning that at the end of next month, I will be more than 20% done with my Earl Grey tastings. I admit that there have been times when I got a little tired of drinking so much Earl Grey, but the solution to that has been to take breaks and not push myself. I don’t need to be ahead of schedule. I just need to enjoy my tea.

    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

    Enjoying this series? You can support my tea wishlist here, or contact me if you have samples you want to share!

    You can also connect with me at the MyTeaPal app, where I’m posting under the username @haikuallyson. 

    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

  • The Earl Grey Year Part 15: European Classics

    The Earl Grey Year Part 15: European Classics

    This week, I noticed there were only five teas left from my friend royal_teacups left to review, and four of them were classic blends. So I decided that Part 15 would focus on the remaining Continental classics. Spoiler alert: none of the four got rave reviews, but none of them were bad, either. The first two were underwhelming. The second two were enjoyable, but not spectacular. A truly middle-of-the-road set of reviews. We’re sitting pretty much in the middle of the bell curve this week!

    Earl Grey, Øgo (Denmark)

    Due to language differences, I struggled to find out much about this brand. (One thing that did intrigue me was that I found a collecting site that lists a number of this brand’s tea bags! Unfortunately, I also found it listed in a Danish study about tea brands that have excessive levels of fluoride.) However, it’s definitely a straightforward Earl Grey, with just black tea and bergamot.

    I didn’t get much smell from the tea bag itself, and honestly, the steeped liquid didn’t have much of an aroma, either. That being said, aroma isn’t a 1:1 correlation with overall taste. However, in this case, the lack of aroma corresponded with a bland overall flavor. Not only did I not taste much bergamot, but the tea itself didn’t have much in the way of flavor. Even with a five-minute steep, this tea tastes weak.  

    As I encounter underwhelming teas, it’s worth noting that even if I don’t think a tea is particularly good, it may still be drinkable. This Earl Grey is definitely drinkable, even though it’s bland. There have been a few cups of Earl Grey in this challenge I couldn’t even finish; this isn’t one of them. However, it would be more of a tea I’d grab if I didn’t have many other options, rather than being something I’d seek out.

    Earl Grey Organic, 365 Økologi (Denmark)

    The 365 Økologi (Organic) brand is part of the 365 Discount chain in Denmark, focused on providing organic products at reasonable prices. Due to my inability to read Danish and the inevitable limitations of translation apps, I struggled to find much detail about this blend online. However, I can tell that it’s a no-frills tea bag with just black tea and bergamot.

    The tea bag and the infused liquid are both tea-forward, and I’m not detecting much bergamot in either aroma. The bag steeps quickly, and the final beverage is quite dark after just a few minutes. It’s so dark that it could almost pass for coffee. Unfortunately, when I tasted it, I could not detect much bergamot at all. 

    While I’ve been a tea bag snob in the past, throughout this challenge, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by many of the bagged teas I’ve tasted. It’s been convincing me to reconsider my snobbishness. Unfortunately, this tea is an example of why I was resistant to tea bags in the first place. It certainly wasn’t the worst tea I’ve tasted for this project, but it definitely didn’t inspire me.

    Earl Grey, Since 1836 (Germany)

    This blend from Since 1836 has a robust, tea-forward aroma in both the dry cup and steeped liquor. The instructions told me to steep for 3-5 minutes, and I went for the maximum time. However, even though I generally prefer a longer infusion time, I think this one would benefit better from 3 or 4 minutes. The body is quite full and dark. I’m not opposed to that, but my personal preference is translucence in the cup; this tea is opaque.

    Although I was skeptical based on the opacity of this tea, I found the flavor quite enjoyable. This blend is an example of why, while the scent is an important part of the overall experience, it’s not necessarily a predictor about the overall taste. The tea-forward nature of the aroma was so strong that I thought the tea was going to taste bitter, but I was wrong. This actually was very well-balanced, with tea and bergamot in harmony.

    Ultimately, this was an enjoyable tea, though it didn’t blow my mind. I’m glad I had the opportunity to try it, and while I wouldn’t be disappointed if someone served it to me, I wouldn’t go out of my way to purchase it, either. But if it’s available in your area and you want a straightforward Earl Grey, you should try this.

    Earl Grey, Life by Follis (Sweden)

    I’ll close with another perfectly enjoyable blend. The Earl Grey by Life by Follis has a tea-heavy scent on both the dry cup and steeped liquor. The liquid has a medium body, which I prefer. Their website lists organic black tea and natural bergamot for the Earl Grey blend. 

    Earlier in this challenge, I was blown away by the differences between natural and artificial bergamot. I haven’t become a snob about it; I know one of the blends on my best-of list uses artificial bergamot (but that won’t be revealed until the end of the project). Still, there’s something special about natural bergamot, and I can see how it makes a difference here. Based on a currency converter, this is a fairly middle-of-the-road tea in terms of price. It’s not extravagant, but the natural bergamot does make it feel a little more luxurious.

    I wish I could end on a more spectacular review. I don’t find any particular faults in this tea, but it also doesn’t rock my world. It’s simply another Earl Grey that is lovely to drink, but I don’t feel disappointed that I don’t have regular access to it. I’m glad I got the chance to give it a try, especially because it’s not available in the United States. But I won’t be figuring out how to import it from Sweden, either.

    By the Numbers

    With just two teas left to taste in August, I’m 70% of the way done with my tea tastings! I don’t see myself getting to the 75% mark by the end of the month, but that’s not an issue. I’m still going to end August on schedule.   

    A pie chart showing 70% complete and 30% incomplete.

    The distribution hasn’t changed much, though I’ve continued to seek out more green and tisane blends, so you will probably see more of those reflected in the pie chart soon! Most of what I added to my queue in August is in the Special Variation category, so I’m interested to see how that proportion changes. While I try not to over-buy in one category, there were some irresistibly interesting options.

    A pie chart showing the proportions of the different Earl Grey teas I have consumed.

    I’m planning on another post soon, because I want to update right when I hit the August milestone. Plus, I’m trying to get the blogging more in sync with the tasting. I think it would feel odd to finish the tastings and still have four posts to write! 

    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

    Enjoying this series? You can support my tea wishlist here, or contact me if you have samples you want to share!

    You can also connect with me at the MyTeaPal app, where I’m posting under the username @haikuallyson. 

    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

  • The Earl Grey Year Part 14: Tisanes and Classics

    The Earl Grey Year Part 14: Tisanes and Classics

    While the blogging has been a little slower than I’d like, I realized as I sat down to write that I’m more than halfway through with that portion of the project! This time around, I’m focusing on a few tisanes (which I’ve deliberately sought out), and my ever-growing list of classic blends. Two were good, one was great, and one was unfortunately not to my liking at all. But ultimately, this week is truly reflective of the project as a whole: mostly good blends, a few stellar ones, and a few I couldn’t finish. 

    Tisanes

    One of this week’s tisanes is a real outlier; it’s a blend with a coffee leaf base! The other is a rooibos-based blend, which is the most common tisane base I’ve encountered on the project. The tisane section in this entry consists of the tea I found incredible, and the one I found undrinkable.

    Arabica Earl Grey, Adagio

    I didn’t really understand what Arabica tea was when I first saw the Arabica Earl Grey Blend on the Adagio site. However, I saw the blend was getting discontinued, so I went ahead and ordered some to ensure I had a chance to taste every Earl Grey variation from Adagio.

    I have since learned that Arabica tea is actually a tisane. Specifically, the brew consists of Arabica coffee leaves steeped like tea (Rosen 2020). It’s a traditional beverage in Indonesia and Ethiopia. In her article about Arabica tea, Diana Rosen describes the flavor as, “smooth, delicate-tasting, with a sweet edge” (2020). 

    The instructions said to steep for a minimum of 5 minutes, but that the flavor would develop if the leaves sat longer. I decided to do a minimum steep first, just to get a baseline. Unfortunately, I did not find this tisane to be smooth, delicate, or the slightest bit sweet. The smell of the steeped leaves reminded me of asparagus; I couldn’t detect any bergamot at all. 

    The tasting wasn’t any better; I couldn’t detect any of the bergamot or orange listed. The added cornflowers didn’t mellow anything out. The steeped liquid was intensely vegetal and bitter. Even adding a large quantity of honey didn’t help. I cannot imagine what a longer steeping time would have been like.

    Arabica Earl Grey reminded me of maté, so if you enjoy that, you might like this, but I cannot seriously recommend it. Unfortunately, I accidentally bought three sample packs of this, and I haven’t touched it in weeks. It might end up as compost for my plants, unless someone really wants to try the two unopened samples. I would be happy to send them your way!

    Rooibos Earl Grey, Simpson & Vail

    The Simpson & Vail Rooibos Earl Grey is a blend that is definitely getting a spot on my best-of longlist! The smell of the dry blend has an incredible bergamot aroma. The steeped liquor has a rich, bold body that is a lovely shade of mahogany, and the infused aroma is well-balanced between the base and the bergamot.

    When I taste this tea, the balance of rooibos and bergamot are absolutely perfect. There are no additions beyond bergamot, which I think is what gives this infusion an edge over some of the other tisane blends I’ve tasted. The bergamot doesn’t have to compete with cornflowers, vanilla, or other herbs. The rooibos and citrus flavors can simply coexist. 

    Obviously, if you can’t stand rooibos (it’s really a love-or-hate thing for most tea drinkers), this isn’t the blend for you. But if rooibos is something you enjoy, this is truly a blend you could drink all day and not get tired of it. I bet it would make a lovely cold brew as well!

    Classics

    These two blends are the ones that were solidly enjoyable. They didn’t blow my mind, but the deeper I go into the project, the harder that becomes. The competition becomes stiffer, because I have found a few true gems, and those become the standard by which everything else is judged. But if you’re an Earl Grey fan, you’re likely to enjoy these. Both of these blends came from my friend royal_teacups.

    Earl Grey, Kung Markatta

    Kung Markatta is a Swedish company that produces a variety of food and beverage products. They use fair-trade tea and organic bergamot oil in their Earl Grey blend. The body is fairly light, and bergamot fragrance dominates when smelling the steeped liquid. 

    When tasting the tea, I found the bergamot to be nice and strong. The citrus came through each and every sip. It’s definitely a bergamot-forward blend, and the tea seems a little weak by comparison. I found it bright, refreshing, and enjoyable, though ultimately, the balance between citrus and tea was a bit skewed. 

    If you are a true bergamot lover and have access to Swedish teas, you will probably love this one. If you’re more of a tea-forward person, this might not be the best option for you. All in all, though, it’s a pleasant tea, and I’m glad I had the opportunity to try it.

    Organic Earl Grey, Fredsted

    Fredsted is a Danish tea company, and I would once again like to thank Google Translate for helping me get more information from the company’s website. (As far as I can tell, organic is not a 1:1 translation for the Danish word Økologisk, but it’s the best I can come up with. Someone please correct me if I’m wrong!) 

    This Earl Grey blend has a strong, dark body. The scent of the tea is woody, and not much bergamot came through on the aroma. The bergamot was on the lighter side, and came through best at the back of my palate. It was on the subtle side, and took some time to emerge. This would probably be most enjoyable for someone who prefers a milder Earl Grey.

    On the Fredsted website, the instructions for this particular blend say to steep for 5-6 minutes. I was surprised to see that; I can’t recall a time where I’ve been instructed to steep a true camellia sinensis blend for longer than 5 minutes. (I definitely have seen longer steeping times for tisanes without any actual tea.) When I tasted this, I only steeped it for 5 minutes, which is my go-to steeping length for black tea. However, I wonder if the bergamot would have shined a bit more if I’d let the teabag sit for an extra minute.

    By the Numbers

    I’ve taken a little bit of a tasting break for the end of July and beginning of August. Life is quite full, but I’m still well on track with the teas I need to taste this month. I’m only six teas away from my August minimum, and I already know what they’re going to be. Having a plan helps! 

    I’ve deliberately sought out some Tisane Earl and Green Earl blends, so those numbers have increased slightly, but the fact remains that these are simply less represented in the tea world. I get that; black tea is the classic base. But I really do love the combination of green tea and bergamot, so I wish there were more Green Earl Greys out there!

    I’m just about ⅔ of the way through the tasting portion of this project! I’m a little more behind on blogging than I’d like to be, but I have a plan to make more progress with that portion of the project. Be on the lookout for another update soon!

    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

    Enjoying this series? You can support my tea wishlist here, or contact me if you have samples you want to share!

    You can also connect with me at the MyTeaPal app, where I’m posting under the username @haikuallyson. 

    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

  • The Earl Grey Year Part 13: Four More Special Variations

    The Earl Grey Year Part 13: Four More Special Variations

    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

  • The Earl Grey Year Part 12: Cremes and Classics

    The Earl Grey Year Part 12: Cremes and Classics

    This installment profiles primarily exceptional blends, with one tea that was just utterly confusing. July has been busy, because I’m also partaking in the tea challenge hosted by thattealover on Instagram. And her prompts are challenging! However, I’m having fun structuring my tea-drinking in a new way. What can I say? I can’t resist a challenge. 

    Creme Earl Grey

    Both of the teas in this section are exceptional and are getting added to my best-of long list. That being said, they are quite different; one is more outright creamy, and one has more of a vanilla/marshmallow feel. I loved both for different reasons. You of course should make your tasting decisions based on personal preferences, but I suggest trying both. They’re worth it. 

    Creme de la Earl Grey, New Orleans Tea Company

    According to the New Orleans Tea Company website, the Creme de la Earl Grey contains Sri Lankan tea from the Nuwara Eliya, Dimbula, and Uva regions, graded Orange Pekoe, produced by Orthodox methods. Of the various tea company websites I’ve visited to get as much detail as possible about the blends, this one is the most detailed. There are even more tasting notes available than I listed here! Before even experiencing the tea, being able to get that much detail impresses me. 

    The steeped tea has a medium body. When I smell the finished brew, I get cream, tea, and then bergamot in that order. The tasting experience mirrors the scent, with the three flavors emerging as a progression. You start with the savoriness of the cream flavor, then the bitterness of the tea, followed by the brightness of the bergamot. It’s well-balanced and exceptionally crafted.

    This blend really tastes as though cream has been added to the tea, even though there’s none here. If you normally prefer to add dairy to your black tea, I recommend you try this one without at first; I think added dairy could overwhelm the delightful flavors of the tea. 

    Cream Earl Grey, The Tea Girl

    The Tea Girl has made another fantastic Earl Grey blend. This one incorporates a combination of Sri Lankan and Assam teas along with natural bergamot and vanilla. The tea leaves are accented by jasmine blossoms and cornflowers, creating a dry cup that looks as good as the steeped liquor tastes. 

    The tea and cream scents dominate the aroma of the finished cup. Per the instructions, I did a 3-minute steep first, and the tea was just right. The body is rich yet light. The level of cream flavor in this blend is perfect. When I taste the tea, I pick up traces of marshmallow. To be clear, that is a compliment. I love marshmallow flavor, and the interaction of vanilla and cornflower produces that effect. 

    Don’t worry, the bergamot is still there even with the creaminess. While the jasmine flowers don’t come through in the flavor, I think they might have been added more for visual effect than taste. One of the things I’ve learned in my tea sommelier training is that how and when jasmine is added to tea influences whether the flowers provide more flavor or more aesthetic value. There’s no harm in either; it’s simply a decision one has to make when creating a blend. In this instance, I have no complaints. The vanilla and bergamot were just right, and there didn’t need to be yet another flavor getting in the way.

    Classic Earls

    This section brings one excellent tea and one absolutely confusing tea. But part of the fun is that I generally have no clue about what I’m going to taste. There have only been maybe four teas in this entire challenge that I’ve had before. So it’s a challenge full of surprises, and some of them are more interesting than others. 

    Blue of London, Palais de Thés

    This was another tea that I received from my Instagram tea friend royal_teacups. Palais de Thés produces a number of Earl Grey variations, and after trying Blue of London, I am eager to try more from this company! I’m glad to know they’re able to make their teas available in the United States.

    This tea produces a light amber body with a bright, bergamot-forward scent. Palais de Thés uses Yunnan black tea for this blend, which is one of my favorites. One of the things that stands out about Blue of London is how well-balanced it is. The bergamot and the tea come through in equal measure.

    When I drink this tea, I’m reminded how one of the key components of tea blending is intentional. The best blends I’ve tasted feel naturally perfect, and yet I am aware of how much training, testing, trying, and failing went into getting each blend exactly right. 

    Earl Grey, New English Teas

    Someone left two unopened tins of New English Teas in the break room at work, and one of them was the Earl Grey blend, so I grabbed a few bags and added them to the tasting roster. Even if a blend wasn’t on my initial wish list, I’m not going to turn down free tea! 

    When digging into the blend details on the New English Teas website, I saw that their Earl Grey contains Assam and Nilgiri. However, I realized I was on the British site. When I went to the American site, the Earl Grey was listed as containing only Ceylon (Sri Lankan) tea, with no region mentioned. Sri Lankan tea is certainly high quality, but I thought it was interesting that they used different teas for blends aimed at different countries, and that they were more specific about the teas used in the British version. There are many tea-growing regions in Sri Lanka! Neither the British nor the American versions of the site specified anything about the bergamot the company uses.

    The steeped tea has a nice, sturdy body. The scent of tea was stronger than the scent of bergamot, and when I tasted it, I felt that the flower tasted more like lavender. I was truly confused; this really tasted like a lavender blend. I double-checked the website to see if this was a special Earl Grey that included lavender, but I couldn’t see any mention of that anywhere. I’m not sure if something was wrong with the bergamot, if there had been an error in packaging the tea, or if I’d made a brewing mistake. 

    When I brewed my second teabag, I did a shorter infusion time, but that didn’t help. I was still getting a strange lavender taste instead of bergamot. Nothing was worse, but nothing was better, either. Ultimately, my big takeaway from this blend is confusion. 

    By the Numbers

    As of this writing, I’ve nearly hit my tasting minimum for July, and the month is just half over! The holiday weekend and an extra work-from-home day last week really helped! (I only do my Earl Grey tastings at home.)

    I finally got to the point where I had to think about ordering more tea, and (with the help of a random number generator), I ordered four Earl Grey blends from Simpson & Vail. I deliberately added a green tea blend and a tisane to the list, so those numbers will be a little higher next time (though they’re still going to be lower than the rest). I did this not because I want to skew the results, but because I want the opportunity to try a range of blends. With Green Earls and Tisane Earls being in the blend minority, I want to be sure I try them at every opportunity.

    I still need to order a few more teas in order to have enough for my August tasting quota. I probably could have filled out the entire August list with Simpson & Vail teas, because they have several Earl Grey blends. However, I limited myself to four, because I don’t want one particular company to be over-represented in my tasting list. If there’s a tea company that you’d like me to check out for a future installment, let me know in the comments!

    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

    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.

    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

  • The Earl Grey Year Part 11: Kusmi Tea

    The Earl Grey Year Part 11: Kusmi Tea

    I’ve decided to shake up the structure a bit for this post. In the abundant set of samples that royal_teacups sent me, she included four from Kusmi Tea. When I was looking through my spreadsheet to consider which tastings to write about for this entry, I noticed how nice and stacked the four of them were in my spreadsheet, and decided it would be a nice change of pace to devote one update to a single company’s samples.

    I found Kusmi Tea to be a true delight all around, so these reviews are going to be positive across the board. However, while all the teas were good, I enjoyed some more than others, and you’ll see those preferences reflected below. All in all, no matter what your Earl Grey preferences are, you will probably find something to love from Kusmi.

    Earl Grey (Classic Earl)

    In my opinion, there are two true classic types of blended teas: Earl Grey and Chai. (Should I repeat this project next year with chai? Let me know in the comments!) And any tea company that sells blends (rather than exclusively plain tea) is going to include at least one Earl Grey and one Chai on their blend roster. And I also recognize that if a company has one or more fantastic Earl Grey variations, they probably feel compelled to offer a traditional Earl Grey for the customers who want the simple, classic blend. 

    However, when a company’s Earl Grey variations are so unique and of such high quality, I find that the traditional Earl Grey pales a bit in comparison. That’s not to say that the Kusmi Earl Grey is bad; it’s a lovely, straight-up Earl Grey. The tea smells lovely in the sachet, has a nice body and aroma, and has a quintessential Earl Grey flavor. 

    Ultimately, I have no real complaints about this blend, except that it just doesn’t stand out when Ksumi is already offering three other exceptional Earl Grey variations, one of which I found to be truly exceptional. I understand why they need to offer a standard Earl Grey, and they certainly blend it impeccably. If you’re an Earl Grey fan, you won’t be disappointed by this blend. However, the variations Kusmi offers are the true stars of the show.  

    Earl Grey Intense (Special Variation)

    On the Kusmi website, Earl Grey Intense is described as, “an even bolder bergamot oil and particularly tangy lemon peel.” The addition of lemon peel puts this in the Special Variation category. 

    The steeped liquor is a nice amber color. Although the blend was billed as having a heavy citrus presence, the tea scent came through first when I smelled the liquor. On taste, I tasted tea first, then the lemon came through, with bergamot at the finish. In addition, as the tea cooled down, both citrus flavors became more prominent. 

    All in all, this was a brisk, fresh tea that made for an enjoyable cup. I imagine that this would be lovely prepared as a cold-brewed iced tea; you wouldn’t need to add any lemon to it. In addition, the flavors are balanced enough that I don’t think it requires any sweetener, whether prepared hot or iced. Between the quality of the tea leaves and the brightness of the citrus, this tea doesn’t have any bitterness. Although it’s called Intense, I think this would be a lovely blend for any tea drinker who likes Earl Grey in general.  

    Prince Vladimir (Special Variation)

    The website describes the Prince Vladimir blend as containing grapefruit, orange, and lime in addition to the standard bergamot. This tea blend is also topped off with a bit of vanilla. Kusmi also notes cloves in the ingredient list. Obviously, with the number of additions, I consider this a Special Variation. 

    The steeped liquor has a nice body and an incredible scent. The clove and citrus really come through as the steam rises from my cup. When I drink this brew, I note the vanilla first, then the various citrus components, then the clove. 

    Although not heavily spiced, this tea reminds me a bit of Christmas. Crates of oranges were a Christmas staple when I was growing up, and of course cloves invoke the holiday season. While not overtly a holiday tea, I could see this right at home at a Christmas or Thanksgiving table. 

    Anastasia (Special Variation)

    The Anastasia blend is my clear favorite of the Kusmi lineup. According to the Kusmi website, this blend includes lemon and orange blossom in addition to bergamot and black tea. The dry leaf is the most fragrant of these four blends, and is absolutely gorgeous, filling my whole kitchen with the scent of citrus. 

    The steeped liquor has a medium body, and when I smell it, I get the scent of tea first, followed by citrus. That order was consistent when tasting the tea as well. I think the inclusion of orange blossom was what made this taste extra-refreshing. It’s perfect for spring and summer, and like the Earl Grey Intense, this would be lovely as a cold-brew iced tea. I also don’t think it requires any sweetener, though if you like your tea sweet, I think honey would complement the orange blossom oil quite well. 

    When I finished my sample of the Anastasia blend, I immediately wished that I had more. This is the kind of tea that I could definitely drink all day long. It’s extremely sippable, with mellow black tea and bright citrus. This one is going on my best-of list, and definitely will have a regular place in my tea cabinet. 

    By the Numbers

    I’ve officially reached the minimum number of teas I need to sample in the month of June, once again keeping comfortably ahead of schedule. And I’m now more than halfway through the tasting portion of this project! 

    Since I’ve only had four more teas since my last update, the proportions haven’t changed much. For reference, though I have many teas in my queue, I don’t classify them ahead of time; their category doesn’t get noted in the spreadsheet until I drink it. I prefer to update the teas as I go so the classification pie chart reflects my real-time tea drinking as closely as possible.  

    I’ve also now tasted nearly everything in my queue so far. I’ll have to buy a few more teas in order to meet my quota for July. I’ve enjoyed working my way through this long list of tea, and I’m also excited to add some new blends to my lineup. I have a long wishlist, and I haven’t decided what to purchase next. There are so many options for fantastic tea!

    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

    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.

    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

  • The Earl Grey Year Part 10: Halfway Point

    The Earl Grey Year Part 10: Halfway Point

    Last  week, I tasted my 50th tea of this project! (Meaning that this weekend I’ll probably hit my tasting minimum for the month of June.) This week, I’m reviewing two traditional blends and two special variations. 

    I’ve had a big learning experience since my last post. I was exchanging some messages with The Tea Girl, and she explained to me that one of the reasons she does her Earl Grey blends in more limited quantities is that bergamot oil is so quick to lose potency and flavor, more so than other oils. This makes me wonder how many teas I have felt were just so-so, particularly the bagged teas, were due to the bergamot oil being past its prime. The good news is, I’d be willing to give almost all of these teas a second chance; so far, only one has been memorably bad. So if it wasn’t a perfect tasting experience this time around, there’s always the opportunity for another tasting.  

    Traditional Blends

    Earl Grey, Søstrene Grene

    This tea had an incredible aroma when I poured the boiling water into the cup. The scent that wafted up in the steam felt like aromatherapy. The steeped liquid smelled lovely, too. Ultimately, though, the taste was a bit of a letdown. The bergamot just wasn’t as strong on my tongue as it was on my nose. The black tea felt a little thin as well. 

    I always like to go to a company’s website and read their description of the blend to get a feel for what they were going for. However, while Søstrene Grene does have a few loose-leaf teas for sale on their website, none of them are Earl Grey. Since I did receive this tea in bagged form, I searched for bagged teas as well, but all that came up was Celestial Seasonings blends. So I wonder if this was discontinued, or perhaps a promotional item. (I even worked my way through the Danish website with the few tea-related words I’ve picked up, and couldn’t find any Earl Grey.) 

    While Søstrene Grene is a company that clearly embodies hygge culture, in perusing the website, they’re clearly more of a general housewares company than a tea company. While an all-purpose shop (either brick-and-mortar or virtual) can offer excellent tea (and many do), I often feel that the lack of focus on tea itself means that tea from general stores is often a bit lacking. 

    Earl Grey, Twinings

    I admit that while Twinings is a powerhouse in the tea industry, I haven’t had a cup of their tea in years, in part because I’ve done so much of my tea-buying from specialty shops. I couldn’t tell you the last time I bought tea in a grocery store, which is usually where I see Twinings being offered. But when I was in New Orleans in April, my hotel room had an assortment of Twinings teas available, including some bags of Earl Grey. So I added those to my tasting queue! 

    I admit that, just as with many huge businesses, I have a bias against huge tea producers. I also have a bias against tea bags that only contain fannings or dust. (Loose-leaf sachets are another story.) But my experience with the Twinings Earl Grey reminded me to check my snobbery once in a while. Because yes, while many big-name tea companies don’t always produce quality tea, some of them (like Twinings) are huge names because they produce such a quality product. And fanning- and dust- grade teas put in bags, while different from loose leaf, aren’t necessarily bad. A company focused on high-quality tea is likely to produce a nice tea bag.

    I honestly enjoyed my cup of Twinings Earl Grey so much that I have added it to my list of teas to buy again! It was a nice-refreshing cup. In addition, I followed their instructions for a 3-minute steep (as a reminder, if there are brewing instructions, I always follow them for the first taste), and found it to be perfect, which is rare for me. Usually I steep for 3 minutes, but on subsequent cups go for 4 or 5. Twinings really has their blend nailed down if they can get a tea bag that only steeps 3 minutes and yet I, who prefers my tea extra-strong, found it perfect. 

    (I also appreciate that their instructions say “do not microwave.” I am generally live-and-let-live about brewing techniques, because taste really is subjective, but microwaving tea is one thing that I will always be a snob about, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.)

    Special Variations

    Sir William Smoky Earl Grey, Sibyllan’s

    On the Sibyllan’s website, the Sir William blend is described as containing, “Seven different Chinese tea varieties, mostly black and green.” I understand them wanting to be vague about the specifics of the blend, because this is truly a special tea, and it makes sense that they want to protect their recipe. 

    The level of smokiness tells me that at least one of the seven teas is lapsang souchong; I haven’t yet seen or tasted a smoky Earl Grey that didn’t contain it. With the inclusion of six other teas, though, the lapsang is not overwhelming. Lapsang souchong is such an intense tea that in the tasting samples for my tea sommelier course, this tea is placed in a vacuum-sealed bag, and we’re instructed to keep it away from the other samples in our tasting box after opening. But in the Sir William blend, all of the different teas work together well.

    However, the number of teas creates such a complex base that I feel the bergamot is fighting to shine. There is already so much going on with the different teas that the bergamot never gets a chance to stand out. It’s not absent, but it is competing with everything else. While I do love a complex tea, this one might be a little too complex for my taste.

    Mélange Ladurée, Ladurée Paris

    This Earl Grey blend came to me in a giveaway package I won on travel_withmycup’s Instagram page. In addition to bergamot, the Ladurée Paris signature blend contains vanilla, cinnamon, rose, and clove. While this isn’t billed as an Earl Grey blend on their website, because of the addition of bergamot, I’m considering it a special variation. 

    Mélange Ladurée is a complex blend that encourages you to slow down, concentrate, and savor it. When I tasted it, I got the vanilla and rose first, followed by clove and cinnamon, with bergamot finishing off the tasting experience. 

    I have to say that my personal preference is for simpler blends with fewer add-ins, but I still respect the composition of Mélange Ladurée. I appreciated the progression of the tasting experience, with flavors unfolding over the course of each sip. If you love a tea blend full of different flavors, you will love this Earl Grey.

    By the Numbers

    While my blogging pace hasn’t quite kept up with my tasting pace, I’m nonetheless proud to have reached the halfway point of Earl Grey sampling! That’s the most important part to me. After all, if I’m not drinking tea, then I don’t have anything to write about!

    A graph showing my tasting percentage as 50% complete and 50% incomplete

    Since I’m officially at the halfway point of tasting, I thought it would be fun to compare my very first category pie chart with the current one. When I made my first blog post, I’d only sampled eight teas, and only had four categories. In fact, one of the categories no longer exists! (If you need a refresher about what happened to the Lady Grey category, you’ll find it in Part 2.) 

    A pie chart showing the breakdown of Earl Grey tea categories from my first post in this series.

     At the halfway point, two other categories make a small but mighty appearance: Tisane Earl Grey (bergamot blended with rooibos or other herbs), and Green Earl Grey (bergamot with green tea). I have not ended up creating a category for White Earls because so far, I’ve only tasted one Earl Grey that had a white tea base. I created the Green Earl category because I thought that would end up taking a larger percentage than it has so far. Given how few Green Earls I’ve found, and how many fewer White Earls there are, white tea doesn’t get a separate category. 

    A pie chart showing the breakdown of Earl Grey categories at the halfway point of this project.

    While classic Earl Grey blends still make up the bulk of what I’ve tasted, the Special Variations aren’t far behind. At this point, my categories are fixed; I don’t plan on adding more. It’s interesting which versions of Earl Grey are easy to find, and which aren’t; I had honestly expected more Creme Earls to show up in my queue. We’ll see where the next 50 cups of tea take 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

    The Earl Grey Year Part 8: Cremes and Variations Part 2

    The Earl Grey Year Part 9 : Four More Florals

    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

  • The Earl Grey Year Part 9: Four More Florals

    The Earl Grey Year Part 9: Four More Florals

    During this challenge, I’ve tasted a few incredible blends. Most of what I’ve tasted are teas that are enjoyable but not mind-blowing. Even if I didn’t love a particular tea, I wouldn’t be opposed to sampling it again, or enjoying a cup if someone offered it to me. I’ve been lucky that there are few teas I’ve tasted that I would never want to drink again. 

    I think this installment of the project features the first tea that I would not want to drink again under any circumstances. (Okay, I would drink it if I was dehydrated and it was the only liquid available.) Unfortunately, this tea is from a company I’ve been buying from for years! But it goes to show that not every company can get every blend right. They all have their strengths and weaknesses. Just because a company on the whole does a good job doesn’t mean they master every blend every time.

    But while one of the floral blends this week was unpleasant, the other three were exceptional, with one becoming a new favorite. As we move from late spring into early summer, it feels like a good week to celebrate the Floral Greys out there. 

    Earl Grey Lavender, Adagio

    As I’ve mentioned in earlier posts, Adagio Teas was the first company from which I ever purchased loose-leaf tea. I’ve been buying from them since 2006. So I’m clearly a fan. But this tea did not work for me at all. 

    I was put off just from the smell of the dry leaf. The scent was shockingly sweet, and the lavender smelled artificial. While there are clearly lavender flowers in the blend, they didn’t smell like the lavender currently growing on my patio. Things didn’t improve when I smelled the steeped liquid. The artificial lavender smell was overpowering, and I actually didn’t want to drink the tea at all. 

    When I did start sipping, all I could taste was a strong, artificial lavender, followed by intense sweetness. (I did not add any sweetener to this tea.) I got through one cup, and that was all I could handle. The sample size makes about 10 cups, meaning I have a fair amount left. I might try a cold brew version to see if that improves anything, but honestly, I’m not optimistic. 

    Fear not! While this tea wasn’t a winner, Adagio has a number of other Earl Grey blends. I haven’t tried them all yet, but their Rooibos Earl Grey and Earl Grey Green both make enjoyable cups of tea.  

    Dronning Louise, Chaya

    My friend @royal_teacups sent me the Dronning Louise (Queen Louise) blend made by Chaya, a Danish tea company. I’m fortunate to have included this tea in my roster, as I would not likely be able to get it here!

    The Dronning Louise blend consists of Keemun tea, rose petals, and natural bergamot. Their website also refers to it as Chinese Spring Tea, and it definitely evokes the spring weather! In my neighborhood, roses are blooming, and this tea has a floral brightness that I see reflected outside (at least on days when it’s not pouring rain). 

    This is a remarkably complex blend. The rose and the bergamot harmonize well, and stand out on the palate. The Keemun tea is quite subtle by comparison. This is a tea that demands you stop and pay attention. You can’t just gulp it mindlessly while going about your day. If you want to appreciate the full nuance, you have to make time to savor your cup.

    Given that I don’t generally care for rose-scented tea, I was honestly surprised to enjoy the Dronning Louise blend as much as I did. However, the flavors are balanced quite skillfully, and I think that’s why it works. It manages to be floral without tasting like perfume, and that’s not always easy to manage.

    LalalaLavender Cream Earl Grey, The Tea Girl

    I started following The Tea Girl, a Canadian tea blender, on Instagram a while back. I was excited back in March when she posted about her spring tea offerings, including a few Earl Grey blends. So I was quite disappointed when payday rolled around and I went to her online shop, only to discover that she is currently only able to ship within Canada! Yet a few weeks later, I came home to discover a packet of samples from The Tea Girl in my mailbox, including an assortment of Earl Greys, plus two others. I’m thrilled I got the opportunity to try them.

    The first blend I tried was the LalalaLavender Cream Earl Grey. Although I’m partial to a longer infusion time, I followed the recommendation to steep for only three minutes for my first cup. I like to make sure I’m experiencing the brew the way the tea maker thinks is best, and then adjust for my own preference on subsequent tastings. 

    While the lavender taste was admittedly a little strong for my taste, I commend Sarah (the actual Tea Girl) for her ability to avoid that overwhelming astringency that can occur when lavender, citrus, and black tea combine. (While I enjoy an astringent cup, there are times when it can just be too much.) I’m guessing that balance is due to the lavandin varietals of lavender that she uses. 

    There was enough tea in the sample for another two tastings; I did a second with a four-minute steep, and one that steeped for five minutes. Unsurprisingly, I liked the five-minute steep the best; I felt the tea had more time to develop, and balance out the floral elements. That, though, is strictly personal preference; your mileage may vary. 

    Rose Hill Earl Grey, The Tea Girl

    The Rose Hill Earl Grey blend was the item in The Tea Girl’s spring lineup that I was most excited to try, and most disappointed when I thought I wouldn’t be able to obtain any. And this is coming from someone who, just about 300 words ago, said she didn’t like rose very much. But I was swayed by the Instagram photos. The dry blend is particularly gorgeous, and yes, it was so pretty I just had to drink it.

    Fortunately, I was not disappointed. The tea managed to exceed my already high expectations. This blend is definitely getting named in my best-of long list, and if you live in Canada, you need to order some while it’s still available. There was a nice balance to the scent of both the dry leaf and the steeped liquor. I perceived the scent of rose first, followed by black tea, and then bergamot, but they all flowed naturally. I didn’t have to search hard for them. That flavor progression is reflected in the steeped liquor as well. The experience is much like the way a fine wine gradually unfolds on your palate.

    I wrote in my tasting journal, “This is the only rose tea I would stock on a regular basis.” I will be keeping an eye out for the day that The Tea Girl is able to ship outside of Canada, and once I can, I will be ordering a large quantity of the Rose Hill Earl Grey.

    By the Numbers

    As of this writing, I’m one tea tasting ahead of schedule for the month. It’s possible that I’ll reach the halfway point by the end of May! I currently have just 15 untasted teas left in my queue, but I think I’ll wait until June before ordering more. Last week I did a full inventory of all the tea at my house (not just Earl Grey), and the number was embarrassingly high. So in addition to this project, I’m focusing on drinking up some of the older teas in my collection before I buy anything new. (Because let’s be honest, what are the odds that I go to a site to get Earl Grey and I only get Earl Grey? Pretty low.)

    One of the things I’m surprised to discover is how few Earl Grey blends there are based on green tea. I haven’t added one to my queue in a while! There are a few on my wishlist, but even if I added those, I can see that Green Earl Grey blends are likely to be the smallest proportion of blends I taste. I assumed I would come across them regularly, because citrus and green tea go well together, but I was way off!

    I was tempted to do a side-by-side comparison of my original pie chart to this one, but I think I’ll wait until I hit the 50% mark. That, I think, will be a more interesting point of comparison. Do you have any predictions for either the 50% comparison or the 100% comparison? Let me know in the comments!

    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

    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

  • The Earl Grey Year Part 8: Cremes and Variations Part 2

    The Earl Grey Year Part 8: Cremes and Variations Part 2

    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 . . .

    A pie chart showing the percent incomplete and complete of this project

    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.

    A pie chart showing the proportions of different kinds of Earl Grey that I've consumed this year

    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

  • The Earl Grey Year Part 7: Classics and Special Variations

    The Earl Grey Year Part 7: Classics and Special Variations

    March has been a great month for tastings and blogging. After a few fits and starts, the project has hit its stride. One of the things I’ve been doing behind the scenes is keeping a Best-Of list, which I’m using not just for my own recordkeeping/personal interest, but also as a fun way to wrap this project up. 

    The master list includes my favorite tea from each blog post. Ultimately, I’ll pare it down to my top 5 favorites, and run a giveaway where a lucky reader will win one of those teas! I’ve been wanting to host a tea giveaway this year, especially since I’ve had some good luck recently. I need to share the wealth! I was having trouble coming up with a concept, but I think that by waiting until the end of the project, sending my top 5 favorites will be a nice finishing touch.
    Okay, onto the blends! This time I have two classics (both sent to me by @royal_teacups), and two special variations.

    Two Classics

    Earl Grey, Adventure Tea House

    This tea is an example of the dry leaf presentation not matching the experience of the steeped liquor. The teabag smelled gorgeous when I pulled it out of the packaging, and the brewed liquid was dark and looked quite strong. However, I got almost no bergamot taste on the first sip. And even though the brew looked dark, the tea taste wasn’t especially strong, either.

    Since I had a few teabags containing this blend, I deliberately experimented with oversteeping to see if I could coax more flavor out of it. Not all black teas are created equal, and some might actually require a longer than usual steep time. (While this has been rare in my experience, I’ve encountered it once or twice.) I found that steeping it for 7 minutes helped a little bit, but not much. Ultimately, the brew was just sort of bland.  

    Earl Grey, Cocoon Tea Artisans

    I found this to be a perfectly enjoyable standard Earl Grey. While nothing about the blend was particularly awe-inspiring, it made for a pleasant cup. While I was starting to get concerned about how many middle-of-the-road reviews I was making in my notebooks, I ultimately realized that was bound to happen. I’m not likely to taste many truly bad teas. Likewise, just because something isn’t bad doesn’t mean it’s going to be fantastic. Those extra-special cups of tea simply can’t happen all the time. If they did, there wouldn’t be anything memorable about them. A nice, drinkable tea isn’t bad. Ideally, that should be the default! 

    The one aspect of this blend I found to be particularly notable was that it somehow managed to maintain a consistent flavor profile even as it cooled. Often, as the tea loses heat, a blend that was pitch-perfect when it was piping hot becomes unbalanced as it cools. Either the tea becomes overwhelming, the bergamot steals the show, or an add-in takes over. But in my tasting journal, I noted how impressive it was that this tea remained at a perfect flavor ratio through the entire drinking experience.

    Two Special Variations

    Earl Grey Bravo, Adagio

    I admit that I was torn about how to categorize this blend. The ingredient list reads as follows: “black tea, orange peel, natural Earl Grey flavor” (I assume the final item is bergamot flavoring). On the one hand, the inclusion of orange peel makes it a Lady Grey, which is a special variation. Even though many tea blenders add orange peel, it’s not part of the true classic blend, so it should automatically fall under the special category. On the other hand, Adagio has a number of Earl Grey blends, but does not appear to have one that is straight black tea and bergamot. It seems like everything they do is a variation, and the Bravo blend is as close to a classic as they get. Ultimately, though, the categories aren’t useful if I don’t follow them, so even though this variation is simple, it nonetheless meets the requirement.

    I do find myself quite fond of this blend. It’s very smooth, the kind of tea that you can drink all day. While I enjoyed it straight, I think it’s also strong enough to hold up to milk or sweetener if you prefer your tea that way. This would make an excellent tea latte! 

    Like many of the teas I’ve tasted during this project, while it’s enjoyable, it doesn’t necessarily stand out or have a particular wow factor. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try it for yourself. Every palate and preference is different; what is simply an enjoyable tea for me might be truly special for you. While I’m not adding this blend to the Best-Of list I’ve been maintaining, I also have no complaints about it.  

    Mint Earl Grey, The Cove Tea Company

    This is a truly fantastic blend that you will want to add to your tea cabinet. Blenders at The Cove Tea Company combine black tea, peppermint, spearmint, bergamot oil, and French vanilla extract to create a rich and complex tea. It is smooth, sippable, and is definitely the kind of thing you could drink all day.

    When I taste this tea, the vanilla hits my palate first, then the mint, then bergamot, then black tea. There’s a great deal of depth, and these strong flavors are combined in a way that allows them to harmonize rather than dominate each other. 

    If you’re okay drinking your tea straight, I do recommend omitting milk or sweetener from this blend. There is a great deal of nuance here that could potentially be lost with add-ons. While the flavors in here are probably all strong enough to handle milk or sweetener, I think you’ll have the richest, most robust experience if you take this straight up.

    By the Numbers

    As of today, I’ve tasted 31 teas, which puts me comfortably ahead of schedule. That’s a nice buffer to have, as the first week of April will be devoted to passing my Tea 102 coursework, and I’ll be traveling the second week of the month. That should give me the opportunity to buy some new blends to add to my tasting roster! However, for this project, I prefer to taste at home, where I know I have the proper setup to ensure that I’m getting the best possible experience with the tea. So I’ll be on a mini-break until life settles down a bit.

    Once again, not much has changed since my last post, as I’ve only tasted two additional teas. Now that I’m picking up speed, I’m wondering if this graphic is still useful in every single post. I might switch things up, and start including it only when I hit a milestone, such as meeting my monthly quota or hitting a certain completion percentage. (If you have specific feelings one way or the other, please let me know in the comments!

    I’m well caught up on blogging at this point, so I have no clue what the focus of my next post will be. Certainly I’ll discuss a few classics; I have 21 untasted teas in the queue right now, and most of them are traditional. But I’m sure with my upcoming travels as well as some planned tea orders, there will be exciting new additions as well!

    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

    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