Allyson Whipple

Tag: black tea

  • The Best of the Earl Grey Year

    The Best of the Earl Grey Year

    Although it was difficult for me to narrow down the best of all 100 Earl Grey blends I’ve tasted in 2024, I did want to highlight my favorites. My initial long list had 20 teas on it; I narrowed it down to 15 for the final best-of list. I tried to take it down to 10, which is why this post took so long to write. It was tough to cut five teas out of the initial list, and the more I thought it over, I couldn’t cut five more. All 15 blends on this list are memorable, and represent the qualities I value most in an Earl Grey.

    There are certainly some more famous blends or companies that got left off the list. That is not to say they weren’t excellent. So much of tea tasting is subjective. These are both high-quality tea blends and they’re the ones that resonated most strongly with my personal palate. 

    This list is organized by each category. Some of the companies appeared multiple times in the same category, but I decided to cut that down to once per category in order to ensure other great teas were noticed. When a company appeared twice, I simply had to choose which blend I felt best represented the talents of the tea blender.

    Each of these best-of entries includes an excerpt from the original review, a link to the full review, and a link to purchase the tea if you’re interested. These are not sponsored links.

    (And yes, I am still working on doing a giveaway, but honestly, I probably won’t get it together until after Christmas. The last quarter of the year has thrown some unexpected challenges my way.) 

    Classic Earl Greys

    Eastside Earl Grey, The Steeping Room

    The Eastside Earl Grey uses real Italian bergamot, and I think both the real and the Italian make a difference. I understand why some tea companies make the decision to use artificial bergamot. But the way mashed potatoes from scratch are more satisfying than mashed potatoes from a box, real bergamot makes a better impression than artificial. Sure, there is a time and place for boxed mashed potatoes; in fact, they might scratch a sentimental itch. And there is a time and place to use artificial bergamot. But tasting an Earl Grey that uses a real bergamot was a game–changer.

    Full review appears in Part 1.

    Buy the tea here: Purchase Link

    Earl Grey Français, Artful Tea

    Although the name might suggest otherwise, this blend from Artful Tea is a straight-up classic. The tea base is a blend of Ceylon and Yunnan teas, and the Français in the name refers to the French bergamot that is used for flavoring.  

    This is an absolutely beautiful blend, and is my favorite of the teas I tried for this post. I think there’s something about French bergamot that really resonates with my palate, because I tried this tea on January 26th (over a month before I was able to write this post), and I am still thinking about what an excellent tea it is. This blend uses Yunnan tea as the base, and something about that particular tea with the right amount of French bergamot is magical.  

    Full review appears in Part 3

    Buy the tea here: Purchase Link

    Classic Earl Grey, Ohio Tea Company

    The dry leaves of this blend smell incredible, with a hearty dose of bergamot at the top of the aroma. When I steeped the tea, I made sure it was covered. Lifting the lid off of my infuser mug, the scent of bergamot wafted up immediately to greet me. 

    When drinking this tea, the bergamot unsurprisingly hits first. The tea flavor then follows in short order. And the taste progression is absolutely perfect. I think the Assam tea they used was just right to complement the bergamot. Assam brings just a touch of sweetness that I think complements the other flavors well.

    Full review appears in Part 18

    Buy the tea here: Purchase Link

    Special Variations

    Mint Earl Grey, The Cove Tea Company

    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. 

    Full review appears in Part 7

    Buy the tea here: Purchase Link

    Anastasia, Kusmi Tea

    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. 

    Full review appears in Part 11

    Buy the tea here: Purchase Link

    Earl Grey de la Crème, Tea Market

    The dry aroma is vanilla-forward, and the raspberry leaf is strong as well, followed by bergamot and lavender. I struggled to detect the scent of tea. This is a medium-body tea, and the steeped aroma has the progression of lavender, vanilla, bergamot, raspberry, and tea. The flavor, meanwhile, is lavender-forward, followed by raspberry, bergamot, vanilla, and tea. 

    Given the sheer number of additions to this blend, plus the fact that I don’t love raspberry leaf, I did not expect to enjoy this tea. However, it wound up earning a place on my best-of long list. I realized that the raspberry leaf tempers the vanilla and lavender, which can both get overwhelming. All of the ingredients are perfectly balanced and work together rather than fighting. What this blend teaches me is that a disliked ingredient doesn’t have to be a dealbreaker when used in the right context.

    Full review appears in Part 19

    Buy the tea here: Purchase Link

    Floral Earl Greys

    Earl Grey Lavender, Artful Tea

    While the aesthetics of the dry leaf aren’t everything, the addition of cornflower petals alongside the lavender creates a blend that is gorgeous to look at both before and after steeping. 

    While the lavender is the star of the show, it manages to shine without overwhelming the bergamot. I think that the addition of the cornflower petals helps balance things out. While cornflowers are often considered to have a neutral flavor, I know many people (myself included) detect a faint sweetness from them. I’m not a supertaster, but whenever I taste cornflower in a blend, it brings with it a sort of light, creamy sweetness. 

    Full review appears in Part 2

    Buy the tea here: Purchase Link

    Provence, The Cove Tea Company

    The Provence blend from The Cove Tea Company contains black tea, bergamot, and French lavender. I was impressed with the balance of lavender to bergamot. I get a well-rounded cup of black tea, lavender, and bergamot flavors.

    My major takeaway with this blend is that the folks at The Cove Tea Company have a good sense of the different levels and types of astringency in each component of this tea. This is an excellent blend that I would add to my regular tea rotation.

    Full review appears in Part 6

    Buy the tea here: Purchase Link

    Vintage Earl Grey, The Tea Girl

    The Vintage Earl Grey blend includes Sri Lankan tea (from the Kenilworth Estate), plus French lavender and Italian rose petals to complement the bergamot. It’s truly an international blend! The dry aroma is, as you might imagine, potent! I noticed the rose first, followed by lavender, bergamot, and tea. One of the things that puts me off from rose-infused teas is that I associate rose petals with potpourri, but there’s no risk of that here. 

    The steeped liquor has a medium body, and when I smell the infused aroma, everything is well-balanced. That melding comes across when I sip the tea, as well. The lavender and the rose complement each other perfectly. They come across in equal measure, bolstered by the bergamot and the black tea. The recommended three-minute steep time was perfect, so I recommend you follow the directions for this one!

    Full review appears in Part 18

    Buy the tea here: Purchase Link (Currently available only in Canada)

    Cream Earl Greys

    Creme de la Earl Grey, New Orleans Tea Company

    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. 

    Full review appears in Part 12

    Buy the tea here: Purchase Link

    Cream Earl Grey, The Tea Girl

    This blend 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 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. 

    Full review appears in Part 12

    Buy the tea here: Purchase Link (Currently available only in Canada)

    Green Earl Greys

    Duke of Earl, Cove Tea Company

    This blend contains green tea and specifies that it uses Italian bergamot. It’s a truly straightforward, no-fuss variation on this classic tea. In terms of resteeping the tea, the bergamot is still present on a second infusion, but considerably weaker, but still quite enjoyable. The bergamot doesn’t really survive a third infusion, but you’re still getting a nice cup of green with a whisper of citrus. This is a lovely blend perfect for the onset of spring. 

    Full review appears in Part 4

    Buy the tea here: Purchase Link

    Earl Green, Tea Market

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

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

    Full review appears in Part 17

    Buy the tea here: Purchase Link

    Bergamot Queen, The Tea Girl

    The dry cup is visually stunning, with a mix of purple, blue, and white cornflower petals. The aroma of the green tea base has a lovely complexity, both sweet and floral. The steeped aroma is bergamot-forward, and the sweeter aspect of the tea comes through as well. The taste of the tea is incredibly refreshing. This tea lives up to its name, with the bright flavor of the bergamot shining through. The green tea is still there, and it works well with the citrus. If you generally avoid green tea due to grassiness or bitterness, you should give this blend a try, because the bergamot mitigates those flavors. 

    Full review appears in Part 24

    Buy the tea here: Purchase Link (Currently available only in Canada)

    Tisane Earl Greys

    Earl Grey Rooibos, Artful Tea

    The blenders at Artful Tea understand how to balance out bergamot oil with the rooibos to ensure a pleasurable drinking experience. What’s especially impressive is that they make this work while sticking to the basics. The blend consists only of rooibos and bergamot oil. There is no extra citrus, no flowers, no other herbs to balance things out. When you stick to just the two ingredients, they have to be just right. There’s no room to hide, and the team at Artful Tea pulls this off masterfully. A common refrain on internet memes is, “10/10, no notes,” and really, I can’t think of a better way to describe this tisane. 

    Full review appears in Part 4

    Buy the tea here: Purchase Link

  • The Earl Grey Year Part 25: Ending as I Began

    The Earl Grey Year Part 25: Ending as I Began

    Here we are at the end of the Earl Grey Year. I’ve tasted all 100 teas, and this is the final blog post of reviews. I end as I began, reviewing four classic blends. These were all enjoyable teas, and the final tea was especially unique. 

    I feel like I need to say something profound, as this is the final post. But I suppose I should simply take the pressure off of myself, and simply go into the reviews. I do plan to do a wrap-up post in early December, so maybe I will find an opportunity for profundity there.

    Organic Earl Grey, Brw Society

    I received this Brw Society blend from my friend thattealover, and at first I struggled with how to classify it, because it’s not strictly tea and bergamot; there are also cornflower petals. This was my 94th tea, and for all 93 teas before it, I’d stuck to my guns that a classic blend was just tea and bergamot. However, cornflower petals have minimal impact on flavor; they mostly serve an aesthetic purpose. After thinking it over through the tasting process, I decided to put this on the Classic list, because the cornflowers didn’t do enough flavor-wise to make this a true Floral Grey.

    This tea came in a lovely sachet, but the opaque fabric meant I didn’t get a great look at the dry cup. However, it had a good balance of both tea and bergamo in the dry and steeped aromas equally. The tea itself smells slightly spicy. 

    I found the taste to be slightly tea-forward, and overall enjoyable. While the bergamot is less predominant, it still holds its own. It truly has a classic vibe in every sip, and for people who prefer a moderate amount of bergamot flavor, this tea is an excellent choice.

    Blue Earl Grey, Finest Organic Tea Co.

    This was my 95th tea, and also one that I received from thattealover. Like the tea before it, this one threw me into a categorical conundrum. Like the tea before it, this blend contains black tea, bergamot, and cornflower petals. Not only that, but the word “Blue” appears in the name, suggesting it’s something other than a classic blend. However, since I considered blend 94 a classic blend, it only made sense to be consistent. 

    The aroma of this blend is tea-forward for both the dry and steeped cups. The bergamot is there, but it’s faint. On taste, though, the bergamot is much stronger. While it’s not bergamot-forward, there’s a nice sense of balance between the two flavors. 

    As I tasted this nearly at the end of the challenge, it came at a point when it was especially difficult for a classic blend to blow my mind. While this wasn’t a game-changing tea for me, I did enjoy it, and while I wouldn’t go out of my way to ship this all the way from the UK, I wouldn’t turn it down if someone brewed me a cup!

    Ceylon Earl Grey, Jacksons of Picadilly

    Here’s one more tea that I received from thattealover. Unlike the previous two teas, there was no question about how to classify this one: it only contains Sri Lankan tea and bergamot. This one came in a bag, so I couldn’t really look at the leaves, but the bergamot aroma shines through. 

    The steeped aroma smells more complex than the dry cup. There’s a nice balance of bergamot and tea, and I’m getting a hint of stone fruit as well. The taste is light and refreshing, with the bergamot and tea once again well-balanced. 

    In this tea, I would describe the bergamot as gentle yet bright. The taste has a light finish and a nice astringency. It has a floral undertone as well. Doing some research, I found that while Jacksons of Picadilly was once a company unto itself, it’s now a sub-brand of Twinings. It doesn’t appear to be readily available in the United States, and while it’s not something I want to invest shipping across the Atlantic, I would certainly enjoy some the next time I’m in the UK!

    Earl Grey Nouvelle, Tea for All Tea Shoppe

    Tea for All Tea Shoppe sent me a generous portion of this blend to review. And although it’s a classic blend, it’s truly the most unique tea I’ve tasted as part of this challenge, which is why I saved it for the final spot. What makes this tea so special is that it’s the only blend that doesn’t contain bergamot oil. Instead, it has black tea and bergamot peel. Of 100 teas, this was truly the only one that took a different approach to bergamot, and I was grateful to get to try it. 

    I was actually so excited by the prospect of this blend that I recorded the only tasting video of this project. I only posted it to Instagram and TikTok, and it’s difficult to pull individual videos up on both of those sites. But as of this writing, the tasting video is the first one on my Reels page. And of course, I will write about my tasting experience here.

    This tea has one of the most incredible aromas of any of the blends on my tasting list. The citrus aroma is intense, but the tea is there as well. The steeped cup aroma, however, is more tea-forward. The taste is also tea-forward, with the bergamot less prominent than it was in the dry cup. And yes, I prefer more aggressive bergamot, but this is still an excellent blend. The tea is clearly high quality, with a slightly spicy undertone to it. I would absolutely love to order more tea from this company again. 

    (I also broke with tradition and added a bit of honey to this tea after the initial tasting. It was lovely, and made the bergamot shine a little more.)

    By the Numbers

    As promised, I’m revisiting the very first bar chart I created. I had tasted only eight teas when I wrote my first post. At the time, I only had four categories, and one of them wasn’t even accurate!

    It wasn’t long before the Lady Grey category became Floral Grey; in fact, I’d resolved that by the second blog post. It also wasn’t long before some green teas and tisanes made their way into the mix, though they remained a small proportion throughout the entire project. Below is the pie chart at the halfway point, with all categories represented. 

    Below is the pie chart breaking down the categories of all 100 tastings. Classic blends still made up the majority of teas, but still only made up about ⅔ of my tasting queue. Special Variations were just over ¼ of the blends I tried. The one thing that surprised me was how much the proportion of green-based blends increased by the end of the challenge. Long the smallest category, during the last quarter of the project, it increased to becoming the second-smallest. The green tea increase is probably why the Floral Grey category fell below 20%, another thing that surprised me. Ultimately, the final proportions looked a little different from what I’d predicted, but not much. 

    I genuinely can’t believe that the project is not just complete, but done a little early. While there were times when it felt like a slog, I’m glad I followed through. I learned a great deal about what I like, discovered some new favorite blends, and connected with fellow tea lovers across the internet. While I don’t plan on taking on another big tea challenge for 2025, I would like to do another version of this project in the future. (Assuming potential tariffs don’t make tea cost-prohibitive in the future.) I would love to do a Chai Year. And who knows? Maybe someday there will be a Matcha Year in which I really learn to be a matcha person . . .

    Support the Project

    Read previous installments here:

    The Earl Grey Year Part 1: Four Classics

    The Earl Grey Year Part 2: Four Florals

    The Earl Grey Year Part 3: Four More Classics

    The Earl Grey Year Part 4: Greens and Tisanes

    The Earl Grey Year Part 5: Cremes and Special Variations

    The Earl Grey Year Part 6: Classics and Florals

    The Earl Grey Year Part 7: Classics and Special Variations

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

    The Earl Grey Year Part 9 : Four More Florals

    The Earl Grey Year Part 10: Halfway Point

    The Earl Grey Year Part 11: Kusmi Tea

    The Earl Grey Year Part 12: Cremes and Classics

    The Earl Grey Year Part 13: Four More Special Variations

    The Earl Grey Year Part 14: Tisanes and Classics

    The Earl Grey Year Part 15: European Classics

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

    The Earl Grey Year Part 17: Creams and Greens

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

    The Earl Grey Year Part 19: Even More Variations

    The Earl Grey Year Part 20: Classics and Greens

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

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

    The Earl Grey Year Part 23: Final Florals and Variations

    The Earl Grey Year Part 24: Greens and Classics

    Project References

    Note: This is an ongoing list of all the reading I have done so far for this project. The bibliographic entries here are not necessarily cited in this specific post.

    American Chemical Society. (1965). “Bergamot Joins Lineup Of Synthetic Oils: Glidden process breaks down ß-pinene, back-blends components.” Chemical & Engineering News Archive 43 (33), 24-25. DOI: 10.1021/cen-v043n033.p024a 

    Avila-Sosa, Raúl et. al.  “Bergamot (Citrus bergamia) Oils.” Essential Oils in Food Preservation, Flavor and Safety. Ed. Preedy, V.R. (2015). Elsevier Science & Technology. pp. 247-252. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-416641-7.00027-4

    Di Giacomi, Angelo and Giovanni Dugo. “Origin, History, and Diffusion.” Citrus bergamia: Bergamot and Its Derivatives. Ed. Dugo, Giovanni and Ivana Bonaccorsi. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2013. pp. 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1201/b15375

    Dugo, Giovanni and Ivana Bonaccorsi. “Composition of Leaf Oils.” Citrus bergamia: Bergamot and Its Derivatives. Ed. Dugo, Giovanni and Ivana Bonaccorsi. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2013. pp. 227-236. https://doi.org/10.1201/b15375

    Galper, Amy. (December 14, 2022.) “Shelf Life of Essential Oils.” Cliganic. https://www.cliganic.com/blogs/the-essentials/essential-oils-shelf-life 

    Heale, Christopher. (n.d.) “A Guide to the Tea Grading System.” Herbs & Kettles. https://www.herbsandkettles.com/blogs/blog/a-guide-to-the-tea-grading-system 

    Lo Curto, Rosario. “Uses of Juice and By-Products.” Citrus bergamia: Bergamot and Its Derivatives. Ed. Dugo, Giovanni and Ivana Bonaccorsi. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2013. pp. 531-542. https://doi.org/10.1201/b15375

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

    Nishida, Kei.  “What Does Astringency Mean for Tea Drinking?” (n.d.) Japanese GreenTea Co. https://www.japanesegreentea.in/blogs/japanese-green-tea-lovers-in-india/what-does-astringency-mean-for-tea-drinking 

    Petite Histoire. (July 7, 2023).  “The [Complete & Complex] Guide to Natural vs. Synthetic Fragrance: What’s the Difference?” https://nyc.ph/blogs/inspiration/the-complete-guide-to-natural-vs-synthetic-fragrance

    Rosen, Diana. (November 3, 2020). “New – Coffee Leaf Arabica tea.” TeaSmart. https://www.teasmart.com/article_201106.html 

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

  • The Earl Grey Year Part 24: Greens and Classics

    The Earl Grey Year Part 24: Greens and Classics

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

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

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

    Green Earls

    Cream of Earl Grey Matcha, David’s Tea

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

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

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

    Bergamot Queen, The Tea Girl

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

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

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

    Classic Earls

    Tea of Lords, Palais des Thés

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

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

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

    Earl Grey, Ci Tea

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

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

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

    By the Numbers

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

    Support the Project

    Read previous installments here:

    The Earl Grey Year Part 1: Four Classics

    The Earl Grey Year Part 2: Four Florals

    The Earl Grey Year Part 3: Four More Classics

    The Earl Grey Year Part 4: Greens and Tisanes

    The Earl Grey Year Part 5: Cremes and Special Variations

    The Earl Grey Year Part 6: Classics and Florals

    The Earl Grey Year Part 7: Classics and Special Variations

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

    The Earl Grey Year Part 9 : Four More Florals

    The Earl Grey Year Part 10: Halfway Point

    The Earl Grey Year Part 11: Kusmi Tea

    The Earl Grey Year Part 12: Cremes and Classics

    The Earl Grey Year Part 13: Four More Special Variations

    The Earl Grey Year Part 14: Tisanes and Classics

    The Earl Grey Year Part 15: European Classics

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

    The Earl Grey Year Part 17: Creams and Greens

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

    The Earl Grey Year Part 19: Even More Variations

    The Earl Grey Year Part 20: Classics and Greens

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

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

    The Earl Grey Year Part 23: Final Florals and Variations

    Project References

    Note: This is an ongoing list of all the reading I have done so far for this project. The bibliographic entries here are not necessarily cited in this specific post.

    American Chemical Society. (1965). “Bergamot Joins Lineup Of Synthetic Oils: Glidden process breaks down ß-pinene, back-blends components.” Chemical & Engineering News Archive 43 (33), 24-25. DOI: 10.1021/cen-v043n033.p024a 

    Avila-Sosa, Raúl et. al.  “Bergamot (Citrus bergamia) Oils.” Essential Oils in Food Preservation, Flavor and Safety. Ed. Preedy, V.R. (2015). Elsevier Science & Technology. pp. 247-252. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-416641-7.00027-4

    Di Giacomi, Angelo and Giovanni Dugo. “Origin, History, and Diffusion.” Citrus bergamia: Bergamot and Its Derivatives. Ed. Dugo, Giovanni and Ivana Bonaccorsi. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2013. pp. 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1201/b15375

    Dugo, Giovanni and Ivana Bonaccorsi. “Composition of Leaf Oils.” Citrus bergamia: Bergamot and Its Derivatives. Ed. Dugo, Giovanni and Ivana Bonaccorsi. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2013. pp. 227-236. https://doi.org/10.1201/b15375

    Galper, Amy. (December 14, 2022.) “Shelf Life of Essential Oils.” Cliganic. https://www.cliganic.com/blogs/the-essentials/essential-oils-shelf-life 

    Heale, Christopher. (n.d.) “A Guide to the Tea Grading System.” Herbs & Kettles. https://www.herbsandkettles.com/blogs/blog/a-guide-to-the-tea-grading-system 

    Lo Curto, Rosario. “Uses of Juice and By-Products.” Citrus bergamia: Bergamot and Its Derivatives. Ed. Dugo, Giovanni and Ivana Bonaccorsi. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2013. pp. 531-542. https://doi.org/10.1201/b15375

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

    Nishida, Kei.  “What Does Astringency Mean for Tea Drinking?” (n.d.) Japanese GreenTea Co. https://www.japanesegreentea.in/blogs/japanese-green-tea-lovers-in-india/what-does-astringency-mean-for-tea-drinking 

    Petite Histoire. (July 7, 2023).  “The [Complete & Complex] Guide to Natural vs. Synthetic Fragrance: What’s the Difference?” https://nyc.ph/blogs/inspiration/the-complete-guide-to-natural-vs-synthetic-fragrance

    Rosen, Diana. (November 3, 2020). “New – Coffee Leaf Arabica tea.” TeaSmart. https://www.teasmart.com/article_201106.html 

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

  • The Earl Grey Year Part 23: Final Florals and Variations

    The Earl Grey Year Part 23: Final Florals and Variations

    This afternoon, I tasted my 100th cup of Earl Grey for 2024. I actually completed the tasting portion of the challenge well ahead of schedule. Honestly, I’m a bit surprised. I got behind in September, but then somehow finished early.

    When looking at my spreadsheet, I only had two floral blends and two special variations left to review, so I grouped them here. Unfortunately these are overall not the best reviews, even though most of them come from major tea brands. Honestly, the strongest tea this time around was a private label blend from a grocery chain. It just goes to show that not all fancy brands are winners 100% of the time, and the less reputable teas can pleasantly surprise you.

    Floral Blends

    Lavender Earl Grey, David’s Tea

    I’ve been a huge fan of David’s Tea for a few years now, and I had high hopes for the final floral blend of this challenge. Unfortunately, there is one ingredient in here that I really don’t care for, and while I went in with the best of intentions, I couldn’t bring myself to love this one. 

    The dry aroma is lovely; the lavender and the bergamot sing. It wasn’t until the tea was steeping that I actually read the ingredients. In addition to black tea, bergamot, and lavender, this blend contains lemon peel, calendula, and ashwagandha. It’s that final ingredient that ruins it for me. I honestly wish I’d paid attention / bothered to read the ingredient list before ordering, because I would have skipped this one. On the other hand, it’s not an ingredient someone would expect to see in an Earl Grey, so it’s not as though I should have thought to look.

    While the ashwagandha aroma didn’t come through in the dry cup, I could smell it in the steeped liquid. However, I didn’t want to give up on this tea. I figured there was a good chance that all the other ingredients in this blend might cancel it out. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case for me. As much as I tried to ignore it, I couldn’t escape the bitterness of ashwagandha. It also seemed to clash with the lavender and bergamot. Ultimately, I just couldn’t quite understand the purpose of including it.

    Victorian Earl Grey, Simpson & Vail

    This is the final Simpson & Vail review of this challenge! Their Victorian Earl Grey is an elaborate blend. They use their rose congou black tea as the base, and then add rose petals, lavender, rosemary, and bergamot flavor. 

    The dry aroma is intensely floral, verging on the scent of potpourri, which I admittedly found worrisome. The rose and rosemary were the strongest scents, followed by lavender and bergamot, with tea in the background. The steeped aroma is rosemary-forward, with the potpourri scent diminishing. While the steeped liquid had an overall similar aroma profile to the dry cup, everything seemed better melded together. 

    I believe this is the only Earl Grey I’ve tasted which contained rosemary. I did enjoy this blend, but I admit that as I was drinking it, I struggled to think of this as an Earl Grey. The rosemary taste is so strong that it comes across more as an herbal tea than a black tea. The flavors all play well together, but the rosemary and flowers overpower the bergamot and the tea. I would consider ordering this again, but while it’s delicious, I wouldn’t really think of it as an Earl Grey. It’s truly a special variation, but there’s been too much emphasis placed on the variation rather than the classic flavor profile.

    Special Variations

    Pumpkin Earl Grey, David’s Tea

    I was so excited to try this tea. First, I love novelty blends in general. Even if they aren’t as good as I hoped they’d be, I’m always excited to give them a shot. And I love pumpkin-based flavors. I don’t even mean just pumpkin pie spice. Pumpkin muffins, cookies, fudge, anything. So a novelty Pumpkin Earl Grey seemed right up my alley. Alas, things did not work out. 

    This blend contains black tea, pumpkin,carrot, cinnamon, cardamom pods, clove, marigold petals, bergamot oil, and natural flavoring. And from the first whiff of the dry blend, I had a feeling that things were not going to go well. I wrote in my notebook, “This smells like Earl Grey Chai. Except there’s a reason you don’t usually see Earl Grey Chai.” The bergamot was completely overwhelmed by everything else. One of my notes indicates that this smells like bourbon that had gone rancid.

    Nonetheless, I brewed the tea according to the suggested instructions. I wanted the opportunity to be surprised. Maybe the dry aroma wasn’t great, but when infused, everything would be fine. The steeped aroma smelled slightly better, but not great. I wrote in my journal, “I really do not want to drink this.”

    However, I’d paid good money for this tea, and I wasn’t about to just give up on it. So I did my best to get through a full cup. Unfortunately, the bergamot was completely overpowered and the various pumpkin components were overwhelming. I wrote in my notes, “Actually, this tastes like bad Fireball.” I did not manage to get through a full cup. It’s a shame, because I’ve been a fan of David’s Tea for years; I’ve had one of their advent calendars every year since 2020. But unless I get comments from genuinely curious people who want to take this off my hands and give it a try, this is sadly going the way of the Arabica Earl Grey from Adagio: into the compost bin for my garden.  

    Earl Grey Russian Style, Lord Nelson

    I received a sample of this Lord Nelson blend from my Instagram friend thattealover, after I won a prize in her July challenge. The Lord Nelson label is owned by the Lidl chain of supermarkets, and shows that store brand tea can still be quality tea! I had never heard of Russian Style Earl Grey before receiving this sample, which is why I immediately put it on the tasting list. I did some digging, and apparently Russian Earl Grey contains added lemon, though it may also contain lemongrass, cornflowers, and orange peel. Ironically, this blend is apparently not actually Russian. 

    This Earl Grey blend has a dry aroma that is both flowery and citrusy. The tea aroma is faint. That scent profile is the same for the steeped liquid as well. A remarkably consistent formulation, the bergamot and lemon were also the most prominent in the actual taste, with tea definitely playing second fiddle.

    I enjoyed this blend; it’s one that I think would do quiet well when served as an iced tea. While the citrus is bright, on the whole it’s fairly mild and smooth. This is an all-day sipper. 

    By the Numbers

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

    Support the Project

    Read previous installments here:

    The Earl Grey Year Part 1: Four Classics

    The Earl Grey Year Part 2: Four Florals

    The Earl Grey Year Part 3: Four More Classics

    The Earl Grey Year Part 4: Greens and Tisanes

    The Earl Grey Year Part 5: Cremes and Special Variations

    The Earl Grey Year Part 6: Classics and Florals

    The Earl Grey Year Part 7: Classics and Special Variations

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

    The Earl Grey Year Part 9 : Four More Florals

    The Earl Grey Year Part 10: Halfway Point

    The Earl Grey Year Part 11: Kusmi Tea

    The Earl Grey Year Part 12: Cremes and Classics

    The Earl Grey Year Part 13: Four More Special Variations

    The Earl Grey Year Part 14: Tisanes and Classics

    The Earl Grey Year Part 15: European Classics

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

    The Earl Grey Year Part 17: Creams and Greens

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

    The Earl Grey Year Part 19: Even More Variations

    The Earl Grey Year Part 20: Classics and Greens

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

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

    Project References

    Note: This is an ongoing list of all the reading I have done so far for this project. The bibliographic entries here are not necessarily cited in this specific post.

    American Chemical Society. (1965). “Bergamot Joins Lineup Of Synthetic Oils: Glidden process breaks down ß-pinene, back-blends components.” Chemical & Engineering News Archive 43 (33), 24-25. DOI: 10.1021/cen-v043n033.p024a 

    Avila-Sosa, Raúl et. al.  “Bergamot (Citrus bergamia) Oils.” Essential Oils in Food Preservation, Flavor and Safety. Ed. Preedy, V.R. (2015). Elsevier Science & Technology. pp. 247-252. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-416641-7.00027-4

    Di Giacomi, Angelo and Giovanni Dugo. “Origin, History, and Diffusion.” Citrus bergamia: Bergamot and Its Derivatives. Ed. Dugo, Giovanni and Ivana Bonaccorsi. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2013. pp. 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1201/b15375

    Dugo, Giovanni and Ivana Bonaccorsi. “Composition of Leaf Oils.” Citrus bergamia: Bergamot and Its Derivatives. Ed. Dugo, Giovanni and Ivana Bonaccorsi. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2013. pp. 227-236. https://doi.org/10.1201/b15375

    Galper, Amy. (December 14, 2022.) “Shelf Life of Essential Oils.” Cliganic. https://www.cliganic.com/blogs/the-essentials/essential-oils-shelf-life 

    Heale, Christopher. (n.d.) “A Guide to the Tea Grading System.” Herbs & Kettles. https://www.herbsandkettles.com/blogs/blog/a-guide-to-the-tea-grading-system 

    Lo Curto, Rosario. “Uses of Juice and By-Products.” Citrus bergamia: Bergamot and Its Derivatives. Ed. Dugo, Giovanni and Ivana Bonaccorsi. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2013. pp. 531-542. https://doi.org/10.1201/b15375

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

    Nishida, Kei.  “What Does Astringency Mean for Tea Drinking?” (n.d.) Japanese GreenTea Co. https://www.japanesegreentea.in/blogs/japanese-green-tea-lovers-in-india/what-does-astringency-mean-for-tea-drinking 

    Petite Histoire. (July 7, 2023).  “The [Complete & Complex] Guide to Natural vs. Synthetic Fragrance: What’s the Difference?” https://nyc.ph/blogs/inspiration/the-complete-guide-to-natural-vs-synthetic-fragrance

    Rosen, Diana. (November 3, 2020). “New – Coffee Leaf Arabica tea.” TeaSmart. https://www.teasmart.com/article_201106.html 

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

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

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

    Between having 11 different Earl Grey blends and being one of my favorite tea companies, Simpson & Vail ended up capturing a large proportion of my tasting queue. With several of their teas left to review, I thought I would devote this week’s installment to four of the Earl Greys I tasted most recently. Plus, this week I’m reviewing the final tisane of this challenge; I know I’m not going to have another one, so it’s easier to group it by company rather than by category. Believe it or not, I still have one more Simpson & Vail blend to review after this! But that will be reserved for one of the final three blog posts. 

    Earl Grey

    This classic blend contains four different black teas: Darjeeling, Assam, Chinese, and Sri Lankan, scented with bergamot oil. The dry aroma smells sweeter than most of the other blends I’ve sampled so far, though there’s no sort of added sugar. This was the 88th tea I tasted, and I admit that in my journal, I noted that I wasn’t excited to drink another standard Earl Grey. 

    The steeped aroma smells more of tea than bergamot. Although that always makes me question whether I’ll truly love the blend, honestly, the melding of different teas smells fantastic. I wish I could just release that steam in a diffuser all day.

    On tasting, I once again felt the bergamot was on the weak side. However, I was nonetheless loving the black tea blend. I would be happy to drink this as a straight black tea without any bergamot addition. I’m going to have to go through their newest catalog to see if I can’t find something similar on their blend list. 

    Lady Myrtle’s Earl Grey Tisane

    Simpson & Vail have created a complex blend, one that is earthy, sweet, citrusy, and floral all at once. It contains lemon myrtle, rooibos, rose, lavender, and bergamot flavor. 

    This tisane has a citrus-forward dry aroma, with rooibos, rose, and lavender following. The citrus is a combination of bergamot and lemon myrtle, and I admit that I struggled to distinguish between them. The steeped aroma had the same profile.  

    On the taste, however, the lemon myrtle asserted itself over the bergamot; I could definitely tell the difference between them. Unfortunately, I felt that it overwhelmed everything else. The rooibos and the lavender are also heavy, with the rose and bergamot barely detectable on my tongue. It feels like the different elements are in competition with each other rather than harmonizing.

    Mrs. Grey’s Blend

    Simpson & Vail’s approach to Lady Grey includes sizable pieces of orange and lemon peel in addition to black tea and bergamot. The dry cup has such a strong citrus aroma that the tea is difficult to detect.

    On the steeped blend, on the other hand, the aroma is almost reversed: the tea scent dominates. Given the overall amount of citrus, I was surprised that it lightened up so much upon steeping. 

    For my first tasting, I followed the suggested instructions of a three-minute steep. Unfortunately, something really felt off when I tasted it, so much so that I made a few more cups just to be sure. Things tasted so odd that I wondered if I’d actually made a mistake with the steeping time, or if my palate was off from something I’d eaten recently. The citrus was quite bitter no matter if I adjusted the steeping time, cleansed my palate, or anything else. I wonder if the bergamot had simply gone off, which happens from time to time. 

    Darjeeling Earl Grey

    This is another tea where I struggled with the categorization. On the one hand, this is simply black tea and bergamot, which would render it a classic. On the other hand, this is the only blend of all 100 teas that uses solely Darjeeling as the tea base. Because straight Darjeeling is a rarity for Earl Grey, I ended up classifying this as a special variation.

    The dry cup smells bright and a little sweet. I could tell from the first inhale that it would be refreshing, and I was immediately excited to see how it tasted. I did the suggested three-minute steep. The scent of the infused liquid was heavy on the tea, but the bergamot nonetheless shone through. 

    I loved the taste of this one. While the bergamot wasn’t quite as strong as I would prefer, it was still bright and enjoyable. It was as refreshing as I hoped it would be, and is definitely the kind of tea you can drink all day (provided you can handle the caffeine). It’s quite enjoyable, and Darjeeling fans should definitely give this a try.

    By the Numbers

    I did not expect to finish October ahead of schedule! I only had to taste my 90th tea by the end of the month, and I ended up drinking five extra blends. Unless things go way off the rails in November (let’s hope not . . .), it looks like I’ll be finishing the tasting portion of this project a month early. 

    The pie chart proportions still haven’t changed that much in the grand scheme of things. I’ve also filled out the last few teas in my tasting queue, and I can see from that the proportions really aren’t going to change much more. There are no more tisanes in the queue, only one more floral blend, and only one more green (neither of which appear on the pie chart yet, because I haven’t tasted them). The rest is mostly classic blends, with a few special variations. 

    Now that the challenge is wrapping up, I do want to start thinking about how to celebrate. I mentioned a while back that I was thinking about doing a giveaway, and I’m still excited about that idea. So now it’s time to start thinking about how I want to put that together. 

    Support the Project

    Read previous installments here:

    The Earl Grey Year Part 1: Four Classics

    The Earl Grey Year Part 2: Four Florals

    The Earl Grey Year Part 3: Four More Classics

    The Earl Grey Year Part 4: Greens and Tisanes

    The Earl Grey Year Part 5: Cremes and Special Variations

    The Earl Grey Year Part 6: Classics and Florals

    The Earl Grey Year Part 7: Classics and Special Variations

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

    The Earl Grey Year Part 9 : Four More Florals

    The Earl Grey Year Part 10: Halfway Point

    The Earl Grey Year Part 11: Kusmi Tea

    The Earl Grey Year Part 12: Cremes and Classics

    The Earl Grey Year Part 13: Four More Special Variations

    The Earl Grey Year Part 14: Tisanes and Classics

    The Earl Grey Year Part 15: European Classics

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

    The Earl Grey Year Part 17: Creams and Greens

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

    The Earl Grey Year Part 19: Even More Variations

    The Earl Grey Year Part 20: Classics and Greens

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

    Project References

    Note: This is an ongoing list of all the reading I have done so far for this project. The bibliographic entries here are not necessarily cited in this specific post.

    American Chemical Society. (1965). “Bergamot Joins Lineup Of Synthetic Oils: Glidden process breaks down ß-pinene, back-blends components.” Chemical & Engineering News Archive 43 (33), 24-25. DOI: 10.1021/cen-v043n033.p024a 

    Avila-Sosa, Raúl et. al.  “Bergamot (Citrus bergamia) Oils.” Essential Oils in Food Preservation, Flavor and Safety. Ed. Preedy, V.R. (2015). Elsevier Science & Technology. pp. 247-252. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-416641-7.00027-4

    Di Giacomi, Angelo and Giovanni Dugo. “Origin, History, and Diffusion.” Citrus bergamia: Bergamot and Its Derivatives. Ed. Dugo, Giovanni and Ivana Bonaccorsi. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2013. pp. 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1201/b15375

    Dugo, Giovanni and Ivana Bonaccorsi. “Composition of Leaf Oils.” Citrus bergamia: Bergamot and Its Derivatives. Ed. Dugo, Giovanni and Ivana Bonaccorsi. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2013. pp. 227-236. https://doi.org/10.1201/b15375

    Galper, Amy. (December 14, 2022.) “Shelf Life of Essential Oils.” Cliganic. https://www.cliganic.com/blogs/the-essentials/essential-oils-shelf-life 

    Heale, Christopher. (n.d.) “A Guide to the Tea Grading System.” Herbs & Kettles. https://www.herbsandkettles.com/blogs/blog/a-guide-to-the-tea-grading-system 

    Lo Curto, Rosario. “Uses of Juice and By-Products.” Citrus bergamia: Bergamot and Its Derivatives. Ed. Dugo, Giovanni and Ivana Bonaccorsi. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2013. pp. 531-542. https://doi.org/10.1201/b15375

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

    Nishida, Kei.  “What Does Astringency Mean for Tea Drinking?” (n.d.) Japanese GreenTea Co. https://www.japanesegreentea.in/blogs/japanese-green-tea-lovers-in-india/what-does-astringency-mean-for-tea-drinking 

    Petite Histoire. (July 7, 2023).  “The [Complete & Complex] Guide to Natural vs. Synthetic Fragrance: What’s the Difference?” https://nyc.ph/blogs/inspiration/the-complete-guide-to-natural-vs-synthetic-fragrance

    Rosen, Diana. (November 3, 2020). “New – Coffee Leaf Arabica tea.” TeaSmart. https://www.teasmart.com/article_201106.html 

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

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

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

    Since I bought so much tea from the London Tea Merchant when their St. Louis tea room was closing, I’ve written about a few of the teas already. When preparing to write this week’s Earl Grey installment, I noticed I had exactly four LTM teas left to review. So I thought it would be fun to create a single post devoted to these final four blends. Two I loved, one I liked well enough, and one didn’t land so well. However, remember that palates are personal; something I didn’t  enjoy might actually be your favorite! The London Tea Merchant is still selling tea online via their website, so you should check out any of these blends that pique your interest. 

    Earl Grey 

    This classic Earl Grey blend has a bergamot-forward dry cup, but at first whiff doesn’t seem like anything special. The steeped liquor, on the other hand, has a more compelling aroma. The bergamot and tea are well-balanced, and I detect some spicy undertones. The LTM blenders use Yunnan tea as their base, which is one of my favorites. 

    On taste, this Earl Grey is exceptionally well-balanced. The tea is bright and refreshing, and is smooth enough to drink all day long. (Assuming you’re willing to consume caffeine later in the day, which I definitely am.) The bergamot shines, but the Yunnan tea comes through. I wrote in my notes, “This is the platonic ideal of Earl Grey tea.”

    Though it’s getting more and more difficult to be impressed by a standard Earl Grey, this is a magnificent tea that is getting a spot on my best-of long list. I’m thrilled that although the London Tea Room has closed, the Merchant is still selling tea online, because I want to be able to buy it again. 

    Cream Earl Grey

    From dry aroma to steeped aroma to taste, this is a remarkably consistent blend. On the one hand, that’s not an inherent indicator of quality. Like wine (or even potato chips), variation between aroma and taste is normal, and doesn’t indicate anything about the skill of the tea maker. However, a tea that has the same profile all the way through is a rare find, and I enjoy celebrating that when it comes up. 

    The London Tea Room approach to Creme Earl Grey includes black tea, cornflower petals, vanilla flavor, and bergamot flavor. I found the balance of tea and vanilla to be well-matched, but the bergamot was lighter than I prefer. 

    While Creme Earl Grey does not represent the biggest proportion of teas that I’ve tasted, I’ve tasted enough that, as with the classic version, it’s getting difficult to impress me. While special variations make up a larger proportion than cremes, there’s enough novelty in that category to keep me guessing. Creme Earl Greys, on the other hand, have a standard range of ingredients, so it’s now taking more effort for me to really love one of these blends. I recognize the London Tea Room’s Creme Earl Grey as expertly blended and of high quality, but it’s simply not something that changes my life. 

    Churchill

    I was genuinely conflicted about how to categorize this tea. On the one hand, the only ingredients are black tea and bergamot, suggesting this is a classic blend. In addition, London Tea Merchant doesn’t specify which types of teas are in this blend. However, it’s so smoky that lapsang souchong has to be in here, and since that’s not a common Earl Grey base, I ended up calling this a special variation, just as I did for the Forntum & Mason Smoky Earl Grey.

    The aroma of the dry cup is bright with bergamot; the smoky tea is there, but it takes a back seat. The steeped tea, however, has a heavily smoky aroma; it’s difficult to detect the bergamot. I found the taste to be overwhelmingly smoky, with the bergamot largely hidden. Even though I followed the steeping instructions, the tea also seemed excessively bitter.

    Since I was sick for a chunk of September and October, I gave this blend a second chance. Although I tasted it after I’d recovered, I thought my palate might still have been compromised. So I felt this blend deserved another shot. And while it was less bitter the second time around, I felt the smoke to bergamot balance was off. I just didn’t love this one the way I loved its Fortnum’s counterpart. 

    Queen of Hearts

    This summery blend contains black tea, wild strawberry leaves, and bergamot oil. The additions shine through in the dry leaves, with strawberry and bergamot having a well-balanced aroma. The tea aroma is in the background. This same aroma profile comes through in the steeped liquor as well.

    The tea, on the other hand, is strawberry-forward, followed by tea. The bergamot flavor is on the weaker side. However, in this blend, I’m not complaining. The bergamot serving as an accent note works well. I think sometimes bergamot can clash with certain fruit flavors, so keeping it minimal here was probably the ideal choice.

    While I’m not a huge fan of strawberry flavor in my tea, I did enjoy this blend, and I’m glad I have a big tin of it. I’d buy this again, and once the warmer months come back, I would make this as a cold-brew blend to serve at a summer picnic.

    By the Numbers

    I’m 90% of the way through the tasting portion of this project! It’s funny that just a few weeks ago, I was feeling over it and ready to call it quits early. I’m glad I didn’t, because I’ve enjoyed some absolutely marvelous teas since then. 

    A pie chart showing that 90 teas have been tasted and 10 remain.

    Once again, my percentages remain largely the same. While the specific numbers have changed somewhat, the proportions aren’t all that different. With so few tastings left, I doubt there will be any surprises with the final pie chart. 

    A pie chart breaking down the proportions of all six categories after 90 tastings.

    Since reaching my 90th tea, I’ve added five new samples to my roster. That means I only have to acquire five more. I’m trying to choose carefully because there are many options out there. I’m excited for the new teas that will arrive in my mailbox in the next few days, and I look forward to seeing whatever fills up those few final spots.

    Support the Project

    Read previous installments here:

    The Earl Grey Year Part 1: Four Classics

    The Earl Grey Year Part 2: Four Florals

    The Earl Grey Year Part 3: Four More Classics

    The Earl Grey Year Part 4: Greens and Tisanes

    The Earl Grey Year Part 5: Cremes and Special Variations

    The Earl Grey Year Part 6: Classics and Florals

    The Earl Grey Year Part 7: Classics and Special Variations

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

    The Earl Grey Year Part 9 : Four More Florals

    The Earl Grey Year Part 10: Halfway Point

    The Earl Grey Year Part 11: Kusmi Tea

    The Earl Grey Year Part 12: Cremes and Classics

    The Earl Grey Year Part 13: Four More Special Variations

    The Earl Grey Year Part 14: Tisanes and Classics

    The Earl Grey Year Part 15: European Classics

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

    The Earl Grey Year Part 17: Creams and Greens

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

    The Earl Grey Year Part 19: Even More Variations

    The Earl Grey Year Part 20: Classics and Greens

    This month I’m taking part in the #OctoberTeas2024 challenge on Instagram. If you’re a tea drinker on the ‘gram, follow the hashtag and play along with us!

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

    Project References

    Note: This is an ongoing list of all the reading I have done so far for this project. The bibliographic entries here are not necessarily cited in this specific post.

    American Chemical Society. (1965). “Bergamot Joins Lineup Of Synthetic Oils: Glidden process breaks down ß-pinene, back-blends components.” Chemical & Engineering News Archive 43 (33), 24-25. DOI: 10.1021/cen-v043n033.p024a 

    Avila-Sosa, Raúl et. al.  “Bergamot (Citrus bergamia) Oils.” Essential Oils in Food Preservation, Flavor and Safety. Ed. Preedy, V.R. (2015). Elsevier Science & Technology. pp. 247-252. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-416641-7.00027-4

    Di Giacomi, Angelo and Giovanni Dugo. “Origin, History, and Diffusion.” Citrus bergamia: Bergamot and Its Derivatives. Ed. Dugo, Giovanni and Ivana Bonaccorsi. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2013. pp. 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1201/b15375

    Dugo, Giovanni and Ivana Bonaccorsi. “Composition of Leaf Oils.” Citrus bergamia: Bergamot and Its Derivatives. Ed. Dugo, Giovanni and Ivana Bonaccorsi. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2013. pp. 227-236. https://doi.org/10.1201/b15375

    Galper, Amy. (December 14, 2022.) “Shelf Life of Essential Oils.” Cliganic. https://www.cliganic.com/blogs/the-essentials/essential-oils-shelf-life 

    Heale, Christopher. (n.d.) “A Guide to the Tea Grading System.” Herbs & Kettles. https://www.herbsandkettles.com/blogs/blog/a-guide-to-the-tea-grading-system 

    Lo Curto, Rosario. “Uses of Juice and By-Products.” Citrus bergamia: Bergamot and Its Derivatives. Ed. Dugo, Giovanni and Ivana Bonaccorsi. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2013. pp. 531-542. https://doi.org/10.1201/b15375

    Nishida, Kei.  “What Does Astringency Mean for Tea Drinking?” (n.d.) Japanese GreenTea Co. https://www.japanesegreentea.in/blogs/japanese-green-tea-lovers-in-india/what-does-astringency-mean-for-tea-drinking 

    Petite Histoire. (July 7, 2023).  “The [Complete & Complex] Guide to Natural vs. Synthetic Fragrance: What’s the Difference?” https://nyc.ph/blogs/inspiration/the-complete-guide-to-natural-vs-synthetic-fragrance

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

  • The Earl Grey Year Part 20: Classics and Greens

    The Earl Grey Year Part 20: Classics and Greens

    I started the month slightly behind schedule, and today I tasted my 87th tea, meaning I only have three more to taste in October in order to stay on track! Even with two busy weekends ahead, I see myself easily completing this month’s tastings ahead of schedule! 

    Today I’m featuring two classic blends and two green blends. Both categories have a tea I found disappointing, and one I absolutely loved. We’re really hitting the full spectrum here.

    Meanwhile, I only have 10 teas left to add to my tasting queue. What Earl Grey blend should I try next? Let me know in the comments!

    Classic Earl Greys

    Earl Grey Black Tea Rods, AMBA Estate

    I was so excited to order these AMBA Estate Earl Grey Black Tea Rods from The Steeping Room. I had never seen anything like them before! So I was beyond disappointed when I ended up not being able to give this tea a ringing endorsement.

    I didn’t detect much bergamot scent on the dry rods, though that’s not always a meaningful metric. I mostly evaluate the dry rods to track the sensory experience across the brewing process. I also want to note that the smell of the black tea rods was lovely! The leaves themselves have a fantastic aroma. After steeping the tea, though, I didn’t detect much bergamot scent in the infused liquid, either. I did get more of that lovely tea leaf aroma, though.

    When drinking the tea, I did finally taste the bergamot, but there was just a whisper of it. I followed the steeping instructions the first time, and on subsequent tastings experimented with longer steeping times in hopes of bringing out the bergamot, but it just didn’t work. The taste of the tea is fantastic, but it just doesn’t taste like Earl Grey. 

    (Note: While the Earl Grey rods didn’t work for me, the tea rods infused with Sri Lankan vanilla were fantastic, and I will definitely be making those a regular part of my tea pantry.)   

    Earl Grey Extra Aromatic, Simpson & Vail  

    Simpson & Vail’s Earl Grey Extra Aromatic is a classic Earl Grey with double bergamot. As expected, the bergamot is strong in the dry leaf aroma; I smelled it even before I opened the package. In fact, it was difficult to detect the aroma of tea underneath all the bergamot. 

    I followed the suggested instructions to steep for four minutes, and was pleased to find that the aroma was perfectly balanced between bergamot and tea. While bergamot is the star of the show in Earl Grey, I always want to be able to detect the tea as well. 

    It should come as no surprise that, as a bergamot fan, I thought the taste of this tea was fantastic. While the bergamot was strong, it wasn’t overpowering; I still got to enjoy the taste of the tea leaves themselves. If you’re not a bergamot fan, you’re not going to enjoy this one, but for those of you who want a big punch of citrus, I recommend it.   

    Green Earl Greys

    Sencha Earl Grey, Palais des Thés

    I’ll say right off the bat that this blend did not work for me. From the moment I sniffed the dry leaves, something felt off. I don’t think the tea was bad. It’s simply that from the get-go, this was never going to be a tea that I loved. (Unfortunately, Palais des Thés does not sell sample sizes, so now I have quite a lot of this tea and no desire to drink it. If you’re interested in this blend, let me know. I’d be happy to set up some tea mail to offload this one from my stash!)

    This tea has a medium-light body. It’s not the lightest green tea I’ve ever seen, but also not the darkest. It has a nice gold hue; if only I enjoyed the taste as much as I enjoyed the look of it. The steeped liquid did smell better than the dry leaf, but it still didn’t quite agree with my nose.

    When I tasted the tea, I understood what my problem was: the grassiness of the sencha simply did not work in combination with the bergamot. I’m not saying it’s an inherently bad tea. I just felt the grassiness and the citrus did not work well together. But for you hardcore sencha fans, this might be enjoyable. I’d certainly be happy to send you a sample of mine if you wanted to try it!

    Green of London, Palais des Thés

    By contrast, I found this tea to be completely delightful. I ended up drinking this all day long the first time I tried it! This is another blend in which the bergamot wafted up before I’d even finished opening up the package. 

    The tea brewed to a golden, medium body. I followed the suggestion for a three-minute steep, and I think that was perfect. When I smelled the steeped liquid, the green tea aroma was heavier than the bergamot, but didn’t mask it. 

    The green tea that Palais des Thés selected for this blend is slightly bitter, but that is not a complaint. I loved the way the brightness of the bergamot played with the bitterness of the tea. I found the two flavors equally balanced. The only complaint is that the bergamot flavor was greatly diminished when I went for a second infusion. However, that’s been true of almost every Green Earl I’ve tried, so I’m not going to single them out. This blend still gets a place on the best-of long list. 

    By the Numbers

    Last month I was in a funk, and this month I can’t believe I only have 13 teas left to go! My tasting queue is short at the moment; since I started the month behind schedule, I didn’t anticipate getting this far this fast. So now it’s time to think hard about what the last 10 teas will be. 

    I like how I went out of my way to add more green blends to the queue, and yet again, the proportions remain roughly the same. This is just how it seems to shake out over and over again. There are still some differences from my very first pie chart, and I look forward to comparing the first and the final. 

    There are lots of tea companies out there, so I can’t help but wonder what comes next. I’ve already tasted every Earl Grey from most of the companies on my list. A few are too expensive for me to order from again, and some others are not easily accessible in the United States. So I don’t see myself buying much, if anything, from familiar retailers. It looks like the last 10 teas will be mostly new.   

    Support the Project

    Read previous installments here:

    The Earl Grey Year Part 1: Four Classics

    The Earl Grey Year Part 2: Four Florals

    The Earl Grey Year Part 3: Four More Classics

    The Earl Grey Year Part 4: Greens and Tisanes

    The Earl Grey Year Part 5: Cremes and Special Variations

    The Earl Grey Year Part 6: Classics and Florals

    The Earl Grey Year Part 7: Classics and Special Variations

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

    The Earl Grey Year Part 9 : Four More Florals

    The Earl Grey Year Part 10: Halfway Point

    The Earl Grey Year Part 11: Kusmi Tea

    The Earl Grey Year Part 12: Cremes and Classics

    The Earl Grey Year Part 13: Four More Special Variations

    The Earl Grey Year Part 14: Tisanes and Classics

    The Earl Grey Year Part 15: European Classics

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

    The Earl Grey Year Part 17: Creams and Greens

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

    The Earl Grey Year Part 19: Even More Variations

    This month I’m taking part in the #OctoberTeas2024 challenge on Instagram. If you’re a tea drinker on the ‘gram, follow the hashtag and play along with us!

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

    Project References

    Note: This is an ongoing list of all the reading I have done so far for this project. The bibliographic entries here are not necessarily cited in this specific post.

    American Chemical Society. (1965). “Bergamot Joins Lineup Of Synthetic Oils: Glidden process breaks down ß-pinene, back-blends components.” Chemical & Engineering News Archive 43 (33), 24-25. DOI: 10.1021/cen-v043n033.p024a 

    Avila-Sosa, Raúl et. al.  “Bergamot (Citrus bergamia) Oils.” Essential Oils in Food Preservation, Flavor and Safety. Ed. Preedy, V.R. (2015). Elsevier Science & Technology. pp. 247-252. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-416641-7.00027-4

    Di Giacomi, Angelo and Giovanni Dugo. “Origin, History, and Diffusion.” Citrus bergamia: Bergamot and Its Derivatives. Ed. Dugo, Giovanni and Ivana Bonaccorsi. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2013. pp. 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1201/b15375

    Dugo, Giovanni and Ivana Bonaccorsi. “Composition of Leaf Oils.” Citrus bergamia: Bergamot and Its Derivatives. Ed. Dugo, Giovanni and Ivana Bonaccorsi. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2013. pp. 227-236. https://doi.org/10.1201/b15375

    Galper, Amy. (December 14, 2022.) “Shelf Life of Essential Oils.” Cliganic. https://www.cliganic.com/blogs/the-essentials/essential-oils-shelf-life 

    Heale, Christopher. (n.d.) “A Guide to the Tea Grading System.” Herbs & Kettles. https://www.herbsandkettles.com/blogs/blog/a-guide-to-the-tea-grading-system 

    Lo Curto, Rosario. “Uses of Juice and By-Products.” Citrus bergamia: Bergamot and Its Derivatives. Ed. Dugo, Giovanni and Ivana Bonaccorsi. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2013. pp. 531-542. https://doi.org/10.1201/b15375

    Nishida, Kei.  “What Does Astringency Mean for Tea Drinking?” (n.d.) Japanese GreenTea Co. https://www.japanesegreentea.in/blogs/japanese-green-tea-lovers-in-india/what-does-astringency-mean-for-tea-drinking 

    Petite Histoire. (July 7, 2023).  “The [Complete & Complex] Guide to Natural vs. Synthetic Fragrance: What’s the Difference?” https://nyc.ph/blogs/inspiration/the-complete-guide-to-natural-vs-synthetic-fragrance

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

  • The Earl Grey Year Part 19: Even More Variations

    The Earl Grey Year Part 19: Even More Variations

    While I haven’t 100% recovered from the virus that hit me hard at the end of September, I’m happy to report that my senses of taste and smell are back! I got back into tasting as soon as I could in order to get caught up and stay on track with my goal. 

    I’m also still farther behind on blogging than I’d like to be. This portion of the project is certainly in better shape than it was mid-year, but I’m still not quite where I’d like to be. As I’ve said elsewhere, I don’t want to finish my tasting and then have a large number of samples left to review. So here’s another post in quick succession.

    I had a number of unreviewed Special Variations in my tasting queue, so these take the focus for today’s entry. I hope you enjoy this overview of four unique Earl Grey blends, one of which really stood out among the rest. 

    Duchess Grey, Ohio Tea Company

    With Duchess Grey, the Ohio Tea Company has made a truly summer-inspired Earl Grey blend. Consisting of black tea, chrysanthemum petals, orange pieces, peach flavor, and bergamot, this is a bright, sweet blend that is lovely hot, and would also be a delightful iced tea to enjoy on a picnic. 

    The dry leaves are gorgeous, with the cornflower petals providing a summery pop of color. The orange and bergamot scents work together, and are the strongest, with the peach and tea aromas on the back end. I didn’t detect much of the herbal chrysanthemum in the dry cup. The steeped aroma, on the other hand, smells strongly of peach and tea, followed closely by the herbaceous nature of chrysanthemum, with the orange and bergamot coming from behind. 

    The tea actually tastes chrysanthemum-forward, with a floral, herbal tone throughout. The peach followed close behind with the orange and bergamot once again working together. Ultimately, the flavor of the tea is an undertone supporting the added ingredients. This blend is fresh and enjoyable, and while enjoyable year-round, should definitely have a place in next summer’s tea cabinet. 

    Citrus Paradisi, Simpson & Vail

    For Citrus Paradisi, Simpson & Vail added grapefruit oil along with bergamot for a different approach to sweet and sour. When I smelled the dry cup, I was suspicious. The grapefruit smell was overwhelming; I couldn’t detect anything else. While I love grapefruit, it’s not necessarily a flavor I want dominating my tea. 

    The steeped aroma, on the other hand, smelled more strongly of tea than citrus. I also had a difficult time distinguishing the scent of the grapefruit and the bergamot. When I tasted it, though, the flavors were fortunately well-balanced and I could detect all of them. 

    While I love grapefruit, this tea ultimately didn’t blow my mind. I’m certainly glad I tried it; I think this is the first Earl Grey I’ve encountered that included grapefruit as the dominant citrus flavor. Simpson & Vail has certainly created a unique approach to Earl Grey, but this isn’t my favorite of their variations. Still, if you’re a grapefruit fan, you might want to order a 1-oz sample and give it a try.  

    Paris, Harney & Sons

    This tea put me in a tizzy with regards to its classification. The Harney & Sons blend contains black tea, oolong tea, black currant flavor, vanilla flavor, bergamot oil, and caramel flavor. We have the makings of a special variation (oolong tea, black currant, caramel), but the presence of vanilla suggests a creme Earl Grey. Ultimately, though, the sheer number of additional ingredients compelled me to make this one a special variation.

    The dry leaves smell delightful. The bergamot comes first, with the vanilla and caramel coming through as well. The black currant and tea aromas don’t quite come through on the dry leaf, but the farther I go in this project, the more I understand the vast range that can appear between the dry aroma, steeped aroma, and final taste. In this blend, the steeped liquor has a caramel- and vanilla-forward aroma, then bergamot. Again, I don’t get much in the way of black currant or tea.

    When I tasted the tea, the caramel and vanilla were once again in the forefront. I did pick up on notes of bergamot, but it had faded into the background. The black currant and tea flavors never quite came through, and I wonder if they served more as silent partners to keep the caramel flavor from tasting too sweet. But if that was the case, they didn’t quite get the job done. Not only did I find the tea quite sweet, but it tasted so creamy that I almost considered going back and labeling this one a Cream Earl. However, I decided to stick with my original decision. This is a nice tea, but ultimately neither the tea nor bergamot flavor were enough for this to feel like a true Earl Grey to me. I’m honestly bummed; Harney & Sons is one of the most reputable United States tea blenders, and yet I haven’t found anything of theirs on this project I’ve really loved.  

    Earl Grey de la Crème, Tea Market

    On their website, Tea Market describes this blend as, “Our version of Lady Grey.” In addition to black tea and bergamot, the blend contains vanilla bean, English lavender, and raspberry leaf. Since the most common definition of Lady Grey is an Earl Grey blend with the addition of citrus peel (see the second post in this series), seeing this tea described as a Lady Grey is confusing. Then, of course, we run into other difficulties with how to classify this blend. The presence of lavender could render it a Floral Grey. However, the inclusion of vanilla, plus the name of the tea, suggests that this would be a Creme Earl. But raspberry leaf indicates a special variation; I’ve definitely never seen that in an Earl Grey blend before! Given the sheer complexity of this tea, I decided the “crème” in the name wasn’t invoking cream, but instead crème de la crème (the best of the best). With that, I marked this one as a Special Variation on my spreadsheet. 

    The dry aroma is vanilla-forward, and the raspberry leaf is strong as well, followed by bergamot and lavender. I struggled to detect the scent of tea. This is a medium-body tea, and the steeped aroma has the progression of lavender, vanilla, bergamot, raspberry, and tea. The flavor, meanwhile, is lavender-forward, followed by raspberry, bergamot, vanilla, and tea. 

    Given the sheer number of additions to this blend, plus the fact that I don’t love raspberry leaf, I did not expect to enjoy this tea. However, it wound up earning a place on my best-of long list. I realized that the raspberry leaf tempers the vanilla and lavender, which can both get overwhelming. All of the ingredients are perfectly balanced and work together rather than fighting. What this blend teaches me is that a disliked ingredient doesn’t have to be a dealbreaker when used in the right context.   

    By the Numbers

    As of today I’ve tasted 82 teas, meaning I’m caught up from September and getting back on track for October. It’s such a relief to have my senses of taste and smell back!

    That being said, since so little has changed since my last update, I’m not going to spend time on this section today, as I don’t think it yields any new or interesting information. But I do have two more tea orders that should arrive in the next few days, so there should be some interesting things to report in the next update!

    Support the Project

    Read previous installments here:

    The Earl Grey Year Part 1: Four Classics

    The Earl Grey Year Part 2: Four Florals

    The Earl Grey Year Part 3: Four More Classics

    The Earl Grey Year Part 4: Greens and Tisanes

    The Earl Grey Year Part 5: Cremes and Special Variations

    The Earl Grey Year Part 6: Classics and Florals

    The Earl Grey Year Part 7: Classics and Special Variations

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

    The Earl Grey Year Part 9 : Four More Florals

    The Earl Grey Year Part 10: Halfway Point

    The Earl Grey Year Part 11: Kusmi Tea

    The Earl Grey Year Part 12: Cremes and Classics

    The Earl Grey Year Part 13: Four More Special Variations

    The Earl Grey Year Part 14: Tisanes and Classics

    The Earl Grey Year Part 15: European Classics

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

    The Earl Grey Year Part 17: Creams and Greens

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

    This month I’m taking part in the #OctoberTeas2024 challenge on Instagram. If you’re a tea drinker on the ‘gram, follow the hashtag and play along with us!

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

    Project References

    Note: This is an ongoing list of all the reading I have done so far for this project. The bibliographic entries here are not necessarily cited in this specific post.

    American Chemical Society. (1965). “Bergamot Joins Lineup Of Synthetic Oils: Glidden process breaks down ß-pinene, back-blends components.” Chemical & Engineering News Archive 43 (33), 24-25. DOI: 10.1021/cen-v043n033.p024a 

    Avila-Sosa, Raúl et. al.  “Bergamot (Citrus bergamia) Oils.” Essential Oils in Food Preservation, Flavor and Safety. Ed. Preedy, V.R. (2015). Elsevier Science & Technology. pp. 247-252. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-416641-7.00027-4

    Di Giacomi, Angelo and Giovanni Dugo. “Origin, History, and Diffusion.” Citrus bergamia: Bergamot and Its Derivatives. Ed. Dugo, Giovanni and Ivana Bonaccorsi. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2013. pp. 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1201/b15375

    Dugo, Giovanni and Ivana Bonaccorsi. “Composition of Leaf Oils.” Citrus bergamia: Bergamot and Its Derivatives. Ed. Dugo, Giovanni and Ivana Bonaccorsi. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2013. pp. 227-236. https://doi.org/10.1201/b15375

    Galper, Amy. (December 14, 2022.) “Shelf Life of Essential Oils.” Cliganic. https://www.cliganic.com/blogs/the-essentials/essential-oils-shelf-life 

    Heale, Christopher. (n.d.) “A Guide to the Tea Grading System.” Herbs & Kettles. https://www.herbsandkettles.com/blogs/blog/a-guide-to-the-tea-grading-system 

    Lo Curto, Rosario. “Uses of Juice and By-Products.” Citrus bergamia: Bergamot and Its Derivatives. Ed. Dugo, Giovanni and Ivana Bonaccorsi. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2013. pp. 531-542. https://doi.org/10.1201/b15375

    Nishida, Kei.  “What Does Astringency Mean for Tea Drinking?” (n.d.) Japanese GreenTea Co. https://www.japanesegreentea.in/blogs/japanese-green-tea-lovers-in-india/what-does-astringency-mean-for-tea-drinking 

    Petite Histoire. (July 7, 2023).  “The [Complete & Complex] Guide to Natural vs. Synthetic Fragrance: What’s the Difference?” https://nyc.ph/blogs/inspiration/the-complete-guide-to-natural-vs-synthetic-fragrance

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

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

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

    My ennui has fortunately lifted, though the second half of the month has been quite busy. I got a visit from one of my Austin friends, the chance to do a lot of dancing, and unfortunately, I came down with some sort of nasty bug. (But no positive COVID tests yet!) For this entry, I finally get a chance to review some floral blends for the first time in a while, and the look at two classic blends from the same tea company.

    Floral Greys

    The last time I blogged about any floral blends was back in Part 9! That was before I was even at the halfway point of tea tastings. It’s definitely been a while. I’m glad to have some more of these to write about. With only 17 teas left to purchase, I wonder how many more will show up, especially because it’s the end of the year and people aren’t blending with flowers as much. 

    Vintage Earl Grey, The Tea Girl

    I’m glad I keep detailed tasting notes, because though I tasted the Vintage Earl Grey from The Tea Girl back in June, I’m somehow just getting around to writing about it! Though this is an unforgettable blend and I didn’t really need help from my notes for this entry. The Vintage Earl Grey blend includes Sri Lankan tea (from the Kenilworth Estate), plus French lavender and Italian rose petals to complement the bergamot. It’s truly an international blend!

    The dry aroma is, as you might imagine, potent! I noticed the rose first, followed by lavender, bergamot, and tea. One of the things that puts me off from rose-infused teas is that I associate rose petals with potpourri, but there’s no risk of that here. Think of a high-end aromatherapy candle rather than a dusty antique store. (No shade to antique stores. I love them! Some just . . . smell nicer than others.)

    The steeped liquor has a medium body, and when I smell the infused aroma, everything is well-balanced. That melding comes across when I sip the tea, as well. The lavender and the rose complement each other perfectly. They come across in equal measure, bolstered by the bergamot and the black tea. The recommended three-minute steep time was perfect, so I recommend you follow the directions for this one!

    Lavender Earl Grey, The London Tea Merchant

    When the London Tea Room – St. Louis closed down in early September, I went in and bought up every single Earl Grey tea they had for sale. This was a chance to fill up my tasting queue at a discount, after all. I walked away with five blends in all, but they only had one-pound bags of the Lavender Earl Grey left. That equates to roughly 100 cups of tea. So it’s a good thing I loved this blend! (By the way, while the tea room is closed, The London Tea Merchant still conducts online sales!)

    This blend has an amazing dry aroma: the bergamot shines first, followed by the lavender, and then the tea. The steeped liquor smells faintly of honey beneath the flowers, which I think comes from the tea leaves themselves.

    This is a tea blend that is going on my best-of long list. The lavender dominates the taste, but it isn’t overpowering, and it doesn’t taste soapy. The tea and bergamot work together to complement the lavender. I might have bought an excessive amount of this tea, but it was worth it. No regrets!

    Classics

    I ended up buying two classic blends from the Ohio Tea Company: Earl Grey and Classic Earl Grey. As the owners explain on the website:

    The Earl Grey uses an Orange Pekoe Ceylon tea from Sri Lanka, has cornflower petals, and is flavored with natural flavoring derived from the bergamot fruit, the Classic Earl Grey uses an Assam tea as its base and is naturally flavored with bergamot oil.

    While these are both classic Earl Grey blends, they are quite different, so I decided to stack them against each other. You might be wondering why I didn’t classify the Earl Grey as a floral blend, since it contains cornflower petals. I admit, I struggled with that decision a bit myself. If I set clear guidelines, I need to follow them, after all. However, cornflower has a negligible impact on flavor. Since it’s often incorporated for aesthetic purposes more than flavoring properties, I decided it was not really a Floral Grey, as those typically use much more fragrant/flavorful flowers. 

    Earl Grey, Ohio Tea Company

    This blend has a gorgeous-looking dry cup; the cornflowers really pop against the tea leaves. It also smells well-balanced; the bergamot and the tea both shine in equal measure. The steeped liquid smells more strongly of tea than bergamot, but both are present; the finished cup also smells a touch smoky. 

    When I drink this tea, especially in comparison to the Classic Earl Grey (described below), I become truly aware of how different natural and synthetic bergamot can be. I’ve written about this before on the blog, but it really hits home when tasting these two teas side-by side.

    This Earl Grey is quite delicious. However, the synthetic bergamot just doesn’t meld with the tea quite as well. It’s sharper. While I do like a strong bergamot taste, this one is drawing attention away from the tea. It’s not a bad blend, but it does make me aware that synthetic bergamot doesn’t work with the tea leaves the exact same way as natural bergamot.

    Classic Earl Grey, Ohio Tea Company

    The dry leaves of this blend smell incredible, with a hearty dose of bergamot at the top of the aroma. When I steeped the tea, I made sure it was covered. Lifting the lid off of my infuser mug, the scent of bergamot wafted up immediately to greet me. The scent of the tea is in the aroma as well; you can tell the balance is there. But I appreciated the way the bright citrus steam shone through. 

    When drinking this tea, the bergamot unsurprisingly hits first. The tea flavor then follows in short order. And the taste progression is absolutely perfect. I think the Assam tea they used was just right to complement the bergamot. Assam brings just a touch of sweetness that I think complements the other flavors well.

    This is an all-day drinkable Earl Grey blend that is getting a spot on my best-of long list. I did try a few steeping times with this blend, and I liked the 4-minute steep the best. However, experiment and adjust to your liking! 

    By the Numbers

    I’m ending September one tasting behind schedule because I got quite sick at the end of the month, and my senses of taste and smell are compromised. Each of these tastings deserves the full power of my tastebuds, so I decided it was worth getting behind in order to have a healthy palate. Besides, one tea tasting behind schedule isn’t a big deal; I’m confident I can get back on track quickly.

    There isn’t much new to say in the tea proportions department. I am amused by how generally steady proportions have stayed over time, even though I have deliberately made an effort to seek out teas across every category. 

    Thanks to stocking up at the LTR – St. Louis closing sale, I only have to add seven teas to my queue for October. Ideally I’d have purchased them by now, but the month was busy, and getting sick really threw a wrench in my plans. I’m not sure what I’m going to order yet, but I look forward to whatever comes next!

    Support the Project

    Read previous installments here:

    The Earl Grey Year Part 1: Four Classics

    The Earl Grey Year Part 2: Four Florals

    The Earl Grey Year Part 3: Four More Classics

    The Earl Grey Year Part 4: Greens and Tisanes

    The Earl Grey Year Part 5: Cremes and Special Variations

    The Earl Grey Year Part 6: Classics and Florals

    The Earl Grey Year Part 7: Classics and Special Variations

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

    The Earl Grey Year Part 9 : Four More Florals

    The Earl Grey Year Part 10: Halfway Point

    The Earl Grey Year Part 11: Kusmi Tea

    The Earl Grey Year Part 12: Cremes and Classics

    The Earl Grey Year Part 13: Four More Special Variations

    The Earl Grey Year Part 14: Tisanes and Classics

    The Earl Grey Year Part 15: European Classics

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

    The Earl Grey Year Part 17: Creams and Greens

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

    Project References

    Note: This is an ongoing list of all the reading I have done so far for this project. The bibliographic entries here are not necessarily cited in this specific post.

    American Chemical Society. (1965). “Bergamot Joins Lineup Of Synthetic Oils: Glidden process breaks down ß-pinene, back-blends components.” Chemical & Engineering News Archive 43 (33), 24-25. DOI: 10.1021/cen-v043n033.p024a 

    Avila-Sosa, Raúl et. al.  “Bergamot (Citrus bergamia) Oils.” Essential Oils in Food Preservation, Flavor and Safety. Ed. Preedy, V.R. (2015). Elsevier Science & Technology. pp. 247-252. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-416641-7.00027-4

    Di Giacomi, Angelo and Giovanni Dugo. “Origin, History, and Diffusion.” Citrus bergamia: Bergamot and Its Derivatives. Ed. Dugo, Giovanni and Ivana Bonaccorsi. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2013. pp. 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1201/b15375

    Dugo, Giovanni and Ivana Bonaccorsi. “Composition of Leaf Oils.” Citrus bergamia: Bergamot and Its Derivatives. Ed. Dugo, Giovanni and Ivana Bonaccorsi. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2013. pp. 227-236. https://doi.org/10.1201/b15375

    Galper, Amy. (December 14, 2022.) “Shelf Life of Essential Oils.” Cliganic. https://www.cliganic.com/blogs/the-essentials/essential-oils-shelf-life 

    Heale, Christopher. (n.d.) “A Guide to the Tea Grading System.” Herbs & Kettles. https://www.herbsandkettles.com/blogs/blog/a-guide-to-the-tea-grading-system 

    Lo Curto, Rosario. “Uses of Juice and By-Products.” Citrus bergamia: Bergamot and Its Derivatives. Ed. Dugo, Giovanni and Ivana Bonaccorsi. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2013. pp. 531-542. https://doi.org/10.1201/b15375

    Nishida, Kei.  “What Does Astringency Mean for Tea Drinking?” (n.d.) Japanese GreenTea Co. https://www.japanesegreentea.in/blogs/japanese-green-tea-lovers-in-india/what-does-astringency-mean-for-tea-drinking 

    Petite Histoire. (July 7, 2023).  “The [Complete & Complex] Guide to Natural vs. Synthetic Fragrance: What’s the Difference?” https://nyc.ph/blogs/inspiration/the-complete-guide-to-natural-vs-synthetic-fragrance

    Rosen, Diana. (November 3, 2020). “New – Coffee Leaf Arabica tea.” TeaSmart. https://www.teasmart.com/article_201106.html 

    Twinings. (n.d.) “What is Bergamot?” https://twinings.co.uk/blogs/news/what-is-bergamot

  • The Earl Grey Year Part 6: Classics and Florals

    The Earl Grey Year Part 6: Classics and Florals

    This week, I return to both Classic Earls and Floral Grey blends. I believe this is also the first post in which every tea is international (to me, at least). Two of the blends are from The Cove Tea Company in Canada, and the other two come from Emeyu Tea and Chaplon Tea, which are both Danish. The latter two teas were part of the lovely tea package that came from my Instagram friend @royal_teacups.

    This post is also one where I unconsciously started incorporating the knowledge I was getting from my tea sommelier training into my tasting evaluations. The information is starting to really settle in my brain to the part where I can now apply it outside of structured assignments. While I am only on the second course of the program, I can see how consistent engagement with the course material is helping me as I continue with this project.  

    Two Classics

    This week, I found myself wondering whether I could continue finding interesting things to say about classic blends. I feel like many of the standard Earl Grey teas I’ve tasted lately are good. However, it’s difficult to write about things that are simply good. Even when it comes to excellent blends, I was beginning to think I was reaching to find more to say about tea and bergamot oil.

    Fortunately, my in-progress tea sommelier training came to the rescue! Now that I’m learning more about the components of tea and the experience of tea tasting, I’m developing a new vocabulary to augment these reviews. 

    Earl Grey, The Cove Tea Company

    The Cove Tea Company uses Sri Lankan black tea and Italian bergamot in their Organic Earl Grey. This is an absolutely refreshing blend that is easy to sip on all day. The bergamot shines through, and there is just the right amount of astringency to make the tea brisk without becoming overwhelming. 

    I’ve been learning more about astringency in Tea 102, which I’m enrolled in right now as part of my Tea Sommelier training. While we won’t go more in-depth until future courses, even this brief overview has helped me understand this flavor component of the tea-drinking experience. The big revelation for me is that astringency and bitterness are not the same thing. I had always conflated the two. Rather, bitterness is a flavor, while astringency is a mouthfeel sensation. Think of the dryness you might feel in your mouth after eating underripe fruit. (For more detail, including some science, check out “What Does Astringency Mean for Green Tea Drinking?”)  

    Ultimately, I do enjoy a bit of astringency in my black tea. That’s even one of the things I enjoy about it. If my black tea isn’t a touch astringent, I’m actually a little disappointed. (Conversely, I would be annoyed by an astringent white tea.) But that dry mouthfeel can get overwhelming, which is why balance is so crucial. Since bergamot is citrus, it is also astringent, meaning that an Earl Grey can become overwhelming.

    My belief at this point in the project is that the way to prevent overwhelming astringency is to single-source black tea from a consistent region, and blend accordingly. Since tea and bergamot are both crops, there are a number of variables that impact astringency from harvest to harvest, so not everything is in the blender’s control. But single-sourced black tea seems to be a defining feature. Earl Grey from The Cove Tea Company exemplifies that. 

    Tiny Kingdom, Emeyu

    Emeyu Tea doesn’t specify what kind of black tea they use in their Tiny Kingdom blend, but Italian bergamot is listed as the next ingredient. On the very first sip, the bergamot came on quite strong and the tea seemed a little weak, but as my cup cooled, things evened out. By the end of my tasting, everything felt well-balanced.

    One of the things I’m noticing as I continue with this project is that there are a number of blends out there that are nice, but don’t wow me. I don’t regret tasting them, and certainly wouldn’t object if someone served me them, but I also wouldn’t buy them if left to my own devices. For me, Tiny Kingdom is one of those. On the whole, I enjoyed my sample of it, but ultimately, I felt that while it was perfectly nice, it didn’t rock my world. 

    I’ve stated this before, but I’ll say again that every palate is different, so these tasting reviews are ultimately subjective. You might try Tiny Kingdom and think it’s exceptional rather than good. I do think this is a blend worth trying if you can easily get a hold of it. It’s a truly straightforward Earl Grey, and if you enjoy a tea that is no muss, no fuss, this might be just right for you.

    Two Florals

    This week, I tasted two different floral blends. One is the familiar Earl Grey with a lavender addition. Given what I’ve learned about astringency this week (which I detail even further below), it’s a little amazing to me that lavender is such a common addition, as I’ve learned one reason why this flower, while beautiful, can also throw off the entire tasting profile of a specific tea.

    I also tried a blend that incorporates rose and jasmine. While I didn’t delve into astringency levels for these additions, one thing I did start thinking about is how each addition has the potential to introduce a new level of complexity to a tea. Of course, more is not always better. Any sort of addition beyond bergamot means the tea blender has an additional type of challenge: how to incorporate the new flavor in a way that truly enhances the tea tasting experience, rather than distrancing from it. 

    Provence, The Cove Tea Company

    The Provence blend from The Cove Tea Company contains black tea, bergamot, and French lavender. I was impressed with the balance of lavender to bergamot. While the lavender outshines the bergamot just slightly, it doesn’t overwhelm it completely. I get a well-rounded cup of black tea, lavender, and bergamot flavors.

    One of the things I learned in my reading about astringency this week is that lavender is even more astringent than black tea! That makes a lavender Earl Grey extra challenging for blenders. As mentioned above, black tea and bergamot are already astringent. When you add lavender, that’s yet another astringent layer, and it’s more potent than the tea base! No wonder it’s easy for the bergamot and/or the tea flavor to become overwhelmed in a Floral Grey.  

    As you might have surmised, I’m fascinated by everything I’ve learned about astringency over the past few weeks. I’m loving applying what I’m studying to this tea tasting project. My major takeaway with this blend is that the folks at The Cove Tea Company once again have a good sense of the different levels and types of astringency in each component of this tea. This is an excellent blend that I would add to my regular tea rotation.

    Earl Grey, Chaplon Tea

    Because the ingredient list includes jasmine oil and rose petals in addition to bergamot oil, I decided to classify the Earl Grey from Chaplon Tea as a Floral Grey. In this blend, Chaplon blenders have used black tea from the Uva province of Sri Lanka. 

    All in all, this was a lovely tea to enjoy on a spring day. (St. Louis has since been plunged back into winter weather.) The black tea has a nice, bright quality to it. There’s some astringency, but it’s not overwhelming. I found it quite refreshing. 

    My one minor disappointment in this tea was that the jasmine got overshadowed by the bergamot and rose. I love the taste of jasmine, and when I saw the ingredient list on the tea bag wrapper, I got really excited. I certainly have no complaints about bergamot in general (it would not have been smart for me to take on this challenge if I did). As I’ve noted in previous posts, it can be easy for bergamot to get obscured by other flavor additions. Here was the first time I felt that the bergamot was the one doing the obscuring! 

    This was still a perfectly enjoyable tea. Honestly, if I hadn’t read the ingredient list on the wrapper, I wouldn’t have noticed the jasmine didn’t come through. This was an enjoyable tea that I could imagine drinking all day long. I also wonder how it would fare as a cold-brewed iced tea; it’s possible the jasmine might come through better.

    By the Numbers

    As of this writing, I’ve tasted 29 Earl Grey blends. I only needed to be at 27 for March (I mistakenly said 28 in my Part 5 post), so I’m a little bit ahead. I’m going to spend much of the remainder of the month tasting non-blended teas in order to pass my cupping exam for Tea 102 as part of my Tea Sommelier training. I feel like the cupping exam for this course is going to be much more challenging than the Tea 101 exam was, and I want to give myself ample opportunity to prepare. 

    With four more teas tasted since my last post, the proportions haven’t changed that much, but Floral Greys and Special Blends have taken a slightly larger share of the proverbial pie. One of the things that’s interesting for me to note is that outside of the Classic blend, teamakers tend to lean toward florals, followed by additions that don’t fit neatly into a single category. I thought I’d have ended up with more Creme Earls in my tasting list at this point (since that’s an established category), as well as more Tisanes, since not everyone wants caffeine. However, since I’m not even at the halfway point yet, there is still plenty of time for things to change.

    While I haven’t entirely settled on the topic for the next post, I have a feeling it will be a mix of classics and special variations. While I’d initially planned on four of a single category per post, there are far more classics in my queue than there are other varieties. With that in mind, reviewing two categories per post seems like the best way to maintain a variety throughout the course of the project.

    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

    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 

    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