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!
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
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
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!
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.)
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.
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!
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
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
Earlier this year, I announced an end to the Culinary Saijiki blog and podcast in order to focus on developing the book manuscript. The first five months of a year were a struggle in that regard. The structure I’d tried wasn’t working, and at the end of May, I scrapped the whole endeavor and started over. While that does put me behind schedule with my initial goal of completing a manuscript by the end of the year, it was the right call. Those first several months of struggling actually gave me some great insight for what I want the book to me, so the effort was not wasted. (Clara of Hmm That’s Interesting touches on the value of failed effort in her recent post “let’s talk about AI,” which I recommend.)
As I have also mentioned on various platforms, the word I selected for 2024 was “Simplicity.” And yes, I am still taking on too many volunteer opportunities and projects and hobbies. And no, my house is not the clutter-free space I’m hoping to get to but never reach. But using the word as a guiding principle has nonetheless helped me find areas where I can minimize.
One of the things I decided to do was get rid of the independent Culinary Saijiki website. At the start of this year I was managing three different sites: this one, Culinary Saijiki, and my Pilates studio site. One of the things I realized is that I genuinely hate having to maintain multiple website. Even though the Culinary Saijiki site was just an archive, it was still out there, still needed security and tech updates, and still cost money. And when I found out my plan rate was going up, I decided to export everything to this blog and host it here.
All Culinary Saijiki blog posts and podcast episodes now live here. I have organized everything on this page: https://allysonwhipple.com/the-culinary-saijiki/. I still own the original URL, and it redirects there, so anyone who has the old site bookmarked can access things easily. And I’ll keep posting project updates here as they become relevant.
Thanks to all who supported the initial phase of this project. Phase 2 has had some challenges, but I’m glad to finally be making real progress.
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!
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
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
As this project progresses, I find myself running up against the challenge of how to classify some of these teas that I am tasting. Perhaps ultimately, classification doesn’t matter all that much to you as the reader, but as to me the investigator, having a system to organize these different teas is useful as I taste, reflect, and learn.
For example, the two teas I have classified as special variations this week are named Earl Grey without any modifiers, suggesting that the blenders consider them standard Earl Grey teas. However, one has lemon in addition to bergamot (NUTE), and one has lychee flavor added to it (A.C. Perch). The latter tea is less debatable; lychee is not a citrus fruit, nor does it come from anywhere near the bergamot-growing region. It is a unique addition and, regardless of the name of the tea, the presence of this fruit creates an innovative variation on the traditional blend (assuming you enjoy lychee, of course).
However, NUTE’s blend with bergamot and lemon walks the line. Lemon, like bergamot, is a citrus fruit. The lemon used also appears to be lemon oil; I couldn’t detect any peel in the tea bag (Lady Grey teas typically include citrus peel in addition to or in place of citrus oil). This leads me to wonder whether lemon oil in and of itself is sufficient to actually qualify a particular Earl Grey as a special variation.
At the start of this project, I stated that a classic Earl Grey was nothing more than black tea and bergamot. I had not considered how subtle some of these additions would be; rather, I had assumed that all special variations would be a major change from the standard brew. As I sample more and more Earl Grey, however, I find that many of the additions are so minimal, and so similar to the traditional blend, that I wonder whether they should truly be considered true variations.
Ultimately, as I look at the graph breaking down the proportions of Earl Grey types so far, I’ve decided to go ahead and stick to my original system. Even with the abundance of special variations based on just one similar inclusion, special variations don’t seem to be over-represented, or skewing the data in an inaccurate way. I’ll reconsider if that seems to be the case, but for now, it’s not an issue.
Two Crème Earl Greys
Creme de Earl Grey, The Cove Tea Company
Regular readers of this series will know I’ve been consistently impressed with the samples I received from The Cove Tea Company, and the Creme de Earl Grey is no exception. Of the four creme Earl Greys I’ve sampled so far, this stands out as the best. While the bergamot is a touch lighter than I would prefer, I also know that flavor preferences are largely subjective.
What I appreciate most about this blend is that the creme element (in this blend, created by French vanilla) is quite well-balanced. Subjective preferences aside, the bergamot, vanilla, and tea are all working harmoniously. Often the creme element can leave the tea tasting too sweet, or it can overwhelm the blend entirely. I think the presence of real vanilla makes a huge difference.
Earl Grey Creme de la Creme, Larkin Tea Company
This blend contains bergamot, cornflowers, vanilla pieces, and vanilla flavoring. It’s hard to visually detect the vanilla pieces among the black leaves, but when drinking the steeped tea, you can tell they’re in the blend. I know vanilla beans are expensive, so I don’t begrudge most companies for omitting them. However, I’ve had three teas this month (one that wasn’t an Earl Grey) that contained vanilla pieces, and from the tea drinker’s perspective, that’s a small luxury that I consider worth the price.
That being said, the bergamot is slightly overpowered by the vanilla, which is my resounding criticism across Creme Earl Grey blends. Even a company as well-regarded as The Larkin Tea Company with highly qualified blenders seems susceptible to the challenges of combining bergamot and vanilla in a balanced way. My takeaway from this tasting experience is that it’s hard enough simply adding one flavor to tea leaves and getting the right proportions of each. Once you start adding additional components, there’s more opportunity for things to be a little off. As I move through my sommelier training and consider what it would be like to make my own blends, this is a valuable piece of knowledge.
Two Special Variations
Earl Grey, NUTE
As mentioned in the introduction, since NUTE’s Earl Grey contains bergamot and lemon, based on my classification system, this is a special variation. Unfortunately (for my palate, at least), the double dose of citrus is dwarfed by the tea.
That’s not to say it’s a bad cup. The steeped liquor was a rich, deep brown, and the base tea had a smooth, malty flavor. Nonetheless, when I drink an Earl Grey, I want the bergamot to really shine through. During my tasting, I could detect both the lemon and bergamot separately, so they weren’t completely drowned out. However, I was expecting more vibrancy from the citrus considering there were two different kinds in the blend.
As with many of the teas I’ve had so far, this one is solidly middle-of-the-pack. I know I’ve written about this before, but with each tasting, I further understand that there are going to be few truly fantastic or truly terrible cups. Most are going to be nice but not great, and that’s okay. If everything were spectacular, nothing would be. There’s something to be said for a tea blend that is simply fine, no more, no less.
Earl Grey, A.C. Perch’s Thehandel
This tea was an exercise in putting aside personal biases and trying to appreciate a tea I might have otherwise skipped. The Earl Grey from A.C. Perch’s Thehandel was part of the package that @royal_teacups sent me (as was the NUTE), and given that it’s a Danish company, it’s one that I might not have been able to get easily (or affordably) where I live. So I was quite excited to be able to try it at all! However, I don’t love lychee, which is used in this tea in addition to bergamot. So the task was to be able to put my opinion of lychee aside in order to be able to assess the tea on its merits.
The dry leaves had a strong lychee scent; in fact, it dominated the bergamot and tea leaf smells. However, in the steeped liquor, the flavors were a bit more balanced. I never felt that I was drinking a cup of lychee tea; the cup still was truly an Earl Grey.
However, as I’ve touched on elsewhere in this post (as well as in other posts in this series), the addition of a second fruit flavor threw off the balance of the bergamot a bit. The lychee overshadowed the citrus, just as second or third additions of flowers, spices, or other fruits in other blends have overwhelmed the bergamot. Not that I could do a better job at this stage of my tea life, though! I suppose what I’m learning is that while the novelty of special blends can be exciting and interesting, sometimes, the best blend is the straightforward, classic one.
By the Numbers
Even with taking a break in April, I’ve sampled 38 teas, so I’m actually slightly ahead of schedule for the month! It’s nice to know that even if I step away from a project, I’ve managed to set a challenge that isn’t actually punishing. Not sure how I managed to do that, exactly, but I’m glad I did! I should probably try to replicate that for future projects . . .
Since this is my first update in a while, I’ve included the category breakdown again, though as you can see, there haven’t been any dramatic changes. I might not include this again until I hit the 50% mark, unless people really love seeing it.
While I don’t like to make promises too far in advance, the next post will probablyfeature 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.
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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
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
