- Bastille Day!
- Ice cream at Ices Plain & Fancy and Clementine’s
- Calhoun County peaches (Technically Illinois, but close enough)
- The chicken panko burger on the Stew’s summer menu
- That almost every neighborhood has a Concerts in the Park series
Tag: summer
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The Best of It: Summer in St. Louis Edition
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The Best of It: Late May Edition
- Being honored with a 2025 Soulard Star award at this year’s membership party.
- The success of this year’s rummage sale.
- It’s iced tea season.
- The Roaring exhibition currently running at the St. Louis Art Museum.
- Getting to show Texas friends around the neighborhood.
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The Best of It: End of August Edition
- Maybelle enjoying all-day playtime at Grateful Pets twice a week
- Selling my books at the Spine Bookstore indie book fair
- Perfecting my pimento cheese recipe
- Egg salad sandwiches at Crown Candy Kitchen
- Getting my first tea pet from The Oolong Drunk’s pop-up shop
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The Earl Grey Year Part 16: Even More Classics and Variations
August is winding down, and I’m looking forward to some cooler temperatures and chai flavors, which are perfect for the change of season. For now, though, I want to share four more sets of tasting notes, including one tea that was blended with summer in mind. And while Earl Grey brings associations of spring and summer for me with its light sense of citrus, I know I’ll still be enjoying this blend into the fall.
Classics
Earl Grey, Tea and Whisk
I was surprised to find Earl Grey for sale at Tea and Whisk. Their specialty is primarily straight teas, largely from East Asia. However, while Earl Grey seems anachronistic in the Tea and Whisk catalog, their products are excellent, so I had to give this one a try. The website indicates they use Sri Lankan tea and bergamot from Southern Italy.
The dry leaves smell amazing, with an excellent balance of bergamot and tea. The steeped liquid has the same fragrance levels of each ingredient. This tea is medium-bodied, and would make a fantastic cold-brew blend in addition to being delicious as a hot beverage.
I know I’ve already referred to the word balanced above, but that is the singular word I would use to describe this particular Earl Grey. I’ve written many reviews in this series in which blends don’t quite get the ingredient proportions right, with either the tea or the bergamot overwhelming the other ingredient. With special blends that have further additions, balance gets even more complicated. Tea and Whisk did an excellent job of keeping the blend simple and getting things just right.
Earl Grey, Soulard Spice Shop
I can’t believe I got so far into this project before I remembered that I have a source for tea practically in my own back yard! Soulard Spice Shop, one of the inner stores in the historic Soulard Market, and they have a long list of tea, including Earl Grey. One Saturday, I happened to be at the market shopping for dinner ingredients, and when I passed the Spice Shop, I realized I had an easy opportunity to add some tea to my tasting queue!
The Soulard Spice Shop isn’t focused just on tea, and I’m guessing that’s part of the reason they don’t put detailed ingredient or tasting notes on their site. The dry cup smells more strongly of tea than bergamot; that’s true in the steeped liquid as well. The cup has a dark, full body.
Unfortunately, the tea-heavy balance carries over into the taste. The bergamot is there, but easily overwhelmed by the tea. This won’t put me off from buying more tea at Soulard Spice Shop, but I will probably stick to straight teas rather than blends.
Special Variations
Lady Grey, Sybillan’s
The Lady Grey blend by Sybillan’s is visually stunning. Dried flowers and citrus rind contrast beautifully with the black tea leaves. Per the website, this blend contains lemon and black currant in addition to bergamot.
The steeped liquid has a light mahogany color. The aroma features tea and citrus, but I didn’t detect much black currant. I admit that I was reticent about this blend after reading the ingredient list, because while I don’t hate currant, I wasn’t sure it would really pair well with citrus.
The flavor of this tea is light and refreshing, something that I could drink all day. Ultimately, my worries about the currant were unfounded. The flavor is subtle, acting more as a silent partner to balance the double-dose of citrus with a hint of sweetness. If you have access to this Swedish company, I recommend this tea!
Summertime Earl Grey, Simpson & Vail
With summer coming to an end, I wanted to make sure I tasted the Simpson & Vail Summertime Earl Grey. You could certainly wait and drink this in winter to savor a taste of summer, but given the way bergamot can break down, I just didn’t want to leave the blend in my tea cupboard for too long.
In addition to black tea and bergamot, this blend includes peach flavor and marigold petals. The dry scent has a progression of peach, then bergamot, then tea. The steeped tea, on the other hand, smells almost aggressively of peach, then tea, then bergamot.
I was nervous about the flavor based on the intensity of the peach scent, but fortunately, the peach flavor was not at all aggressive. The tea, bergamot, and peach flavoring were well-balanced, though ultimately, I didn’t love this blend. There’s nothing wrong with it, but peach feels out of place in an Earl Grey blend. But if you’re a peach lover, you might want to give this a try.
By the Numbers
I’m comfortably on track with the remainder of this project. I still have to add three teas to my tasting queue for September, but I’m not in a huge rush. I’ve grabbed a few things from my wish list, but I also like to wait and see if any teas I hadn’t thought of come my way. I found one surprising and unique blend early in August, which I plan to review next month. I don’t want to ossify my tasting queue too early and rule out the surprises that chance brings my way.
The Tisane and Green categories have grown slightly due to seeking out some of these blends more deliberately. One thing that I thought was most interesting, though, was how Special Variations and Florals have stalled out. I haven’t added a Floral blend to my queue in nearly two months, and there haven’t been many special variations, either. While I haven’t been explicitly seeking out these blends, I haven’t been avoiding them, either. The data breakdown continues to surprise me as the project goes on.
I have to my 81st tea in September to stay on track, meaning that at the end of next month, I will be more than 20% done with my Earl Grey tastings. I admit that there have been times when I got a little tired of drinking so much Earl Grey, but the solution to that has been to take breaks and not push myself. I don’t need to be ahead of schedule. I just need to enjoy my tea.
Support the Project
Read previous installments here:
The Earl Grey Year Part 1: Four Classics
The Earl Grey Year Part 2: Four Florals
The Earl Grey Year Part 3: Four More Classics
The Earl Grey Year Part 4: Greens and Tisanes
The Earl Grey Year Part 5: Cremes and Special Variations
The Earl Grey Year Part 6: Classics and Florals
The Earl Grey Year Part 7: Classics and Special Variations
The Earl Grey Year Part 8: Cremes and Variations Part 2
The Earl Grey Year Part 9 : Four More Florals
The Earl Grey Year Part 10: Halfway Point
The Earl Grey Year Part 11: Kusmi Tea
The Earl Grey Year Part 12: Cremes and Classics
The Earl Grey Year Part 13: Four More Special Variations
The Earl Grey Year Part 14: Tisanes and Classics
The Earl Grey Year Part 15: European Classics
Enjoying this series? You can support my tea wishlist here, or contact me if you have samples you want to share!
You can also connect with me at the MyTeaPal app, where I’m posting under the username @haikuallyson.
Project References
Note: This is an ongoing list of all the reading I have done so far for this project. The bibliographic entries here are not necessarily cited in this specific post.
American Chemical Society. (1965). “Bergamot Joins Lineup Of Synthetic Oils: Glidden process breaks down ß-pinene, back-blends components.” Chemical & Engineering News Archive 43 (33), 24-25. DOI: 10.1021/cen-v043n033.p024a
Avila-Sosa, Raúl et. al. “Bergamot (Citrus bergamia) Oils.” Essential Oils in Food Preservation, Flavor and Safety. Ed. Preedy, V.R. (2015). Elsevier Science & Technology. pp. 247-252. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-416641-7.00027-4
Di Giacomi, Angelo and Giovanni Dugo. “Origin, History, and Diffusion.” Citrus bergamia: Bergamot and Its Derivatives. Ed. Dugo, Giovanni and Ivana Bonaccorsi. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2013. pp. 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1201/b15375
Dugo, Giovanni and Ivana Bonaccorsi. “Composition of Leaf Oils.” Citrus bergamia: Bergamot and Its Derivatives. Ed. Dugo, Giovanni and Ivana Bonaccorsi. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2013. pp. 227-236. https://doi.org/10.1201/b15375
Galper, Amy. (December 14, 2022.) “Shelf Life of Essential Oils.” Cliganic. https://www.cliganic.com/blogs/the-essentials/essential-oils-shelf-life
Heale, Christopher. (n.d.) “A Guide to the Tea Grading System.” Herbs & Kettles. https://www.herbsandkettles.com/blogs/blog/a-guide-to-the-tea-grading-system
Lo Curto, Rosario. “Uses of Juice and By-Products.” Citrus bergamia: Bergamot and Its Derivatives. Ed. Dugo, Giovanni and Ivana Bonaccorsi. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2013. pp. 531-542. https://doi.org/10.1201/b15375
Nishida, Kei. “What Does Astringency Mean for Tea Drinking?” (n.d.) Japanese GreenTea Co. https://www.japanesegreentea.in/blogs/japanese-green-tea-lovers-in-india/what-does-astringency-mean-for-tea-drinking
Petite Histoire. (July 7, 2023). “The [Complete & Complex] Guide to Natural vs. Synthetic Fragrance: What’s the Difference?” https://nyc.ph/blogs/inspiration/the-complete-guide-to-natural-vs-synthetic-fragrance
Rosen, Diana. (November 3, 2020). “New – Coffee Leaf Arabica tea.” TeaSmart. https://www.teasmart.com/article_201106.html
Twinings. (n.d.) “What is Bergamot?” https://twinings.co.uk/blogs/news/what-is-bergamot -
The Earl Grey Year Part 15: European Classics
This week, I noticed there were only five teas left from my friend royal_teacups left to review, and four of them were classic blends. So I decided that Part 15 would focus on the remaining Continental classics. Spoiler alert: none of the four got rave reviews, but none of them were bad, either. The first two were underwhelming. The second two were enjoyable, but not spectacular. A truly middle-of-the-road set of reviews. We’re sitting pretty much in the middle of the bell curve this week!
Earl Grey, Øgo (Denmark)
Due to language differences, I struggled to find out much about this brand. (One thing that did intrigue me was that I found a collecting site that lists a number of this brand’s tea bags! Unfortunately, I also found it listed in a Danish study about tea brands that have excessive levels of fluoride.) However, it’s definitely a straightforward Earl Grey, with just black tea and bergamot.
I didn’t get much smell from the tea bag itself, and honestly, the steeped liquid didn’t have much of an aroma, either. That being said, aroma isn’t a 1:1 correlation with overall taste. However, in this case, the lack of aroma corresponded with a bland overall flavor. Not only did I not taste much bergamot, but the tea itself didn’t have much in the way of flavor. Even with a five-minute steep, this tea tastes weak.
As I encounter underwhelming teas, it’s worth noting that even if I don’t think a tea is particularly good, it may still be drinkable. This Earl Grey is definitely drinkable, even though it’s bland. There have been a few cups of Earl Grey in this challenge I couldn’t even finish; this isn’t one of them. However, it would be more of a tea I’d grab if I didn’t have many other options, rather than being something I’d seek out.
Earl Grey Organic, 365 Økologi (Denmark)
The 365 Økologi (Organic) brand is part of the 365 Discount chain in Denmark, focused on providing organic products at reasonable prices. Due to my inability to read Danish and the inevitable limitations of translation apps, I struggled to find much detail about this blend online. However, I can tell that it’s a no-frills tea bag with just black tea and bergamot.
The tea bag and the infused liquid are both tea-forward, and I’m not detecting much bergamot in either aroma. The bag steeps quickly, and the final beverage is quite dark after just a few minutes. It’s so dark that it could almost pass for coffee. Unfortunately, when I tasted it, I could not detect much bergamot at all.
While I’ve been a tea bag snob in the past, throughout this challenge, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by many of the bagged teas I’ve tasted. It’s been convincing me to reconsider my snobbishness. Unfortunately, this tea is an example of why I was resistant to tea bags in the first place. It certainly wasn’t the worst tea I’ve tasted for this project, but it definitely didn’t inspire me.
Earl Grey, Since 1836 (Germany)
This blend from Since 1836 has a robust, tea-forward aroma in both the dry cup and steeped liquor. The instructions told me to steep for 3-5 minutes, and I went for the maximum time. However, even though I generally prefer a longer infusion time, I think this one would benefit better from 3 or 4 minutes. The body is quite full and dark. I’m not opposed to that, but my personal preference is translucence in the cup; this tea is opaque.
Although I was skeptical based on the opacity of this tea, I found the flavor quite enjoyable. This blend is an example of why, while the scent is an important part of the overall experience, it’s not necessarily a predictor about the overall taste. The tea-forward nature of the aroma was so strong that I thought the tea was going to taste bitter, but I was wrong. This actually was very well-balanced, with tea and bergamot in harmony.
Ultimately, this was an enjoyable tea, though it didn’t blow my mind. I’m glad I had the opportunity to try it, and while I wouldn’t be disappointed if someone served it to me, I wouldn’t go out of my way to purchase it, either. But if it’s available in your area and you want a straightforward Earl Grey, you should try this.
Earl Grey, Life by Follis (Sweden)
I’ll close with another perfectly enjoyable blend. The Earl Grey by Life by Follis has a tea-heavy scent on both the dry cup and steeped liquor. The liquid has a medium body, which I prefer. Their website lists organic black tea and natural bergamot for the Earl Grey blend.
Earlier in this challenge, I was blown away by the differences between natural and artificial bergamot. I haven’t become a snob about it; I know one of the blends on my best-of list uses artificial bergamot (but that won’t be revealed until the end of the project). Still, there’s something special about natural bergamot, and I can see how it makes a difference here. Based on a currency converter, this is a fairly middle-of-the-road tea in terms of price. It’s not extravagant, but the natural bergamot does make it feel a little more luxurious.
I wish I could end on a more spectacular review. I don’t find any particular faults in this tea, but it also doesn’t rock my world. It’s simply another Earl Grey that is lovely to drink, but I don’t feel disappointed that I don’t have regular access to it. I’m glad I got the chance to give it a try, especially because it’s not available in the United States. But I won’t be figuring out how to import it from Sweden, either.
By the Numbers
With just two teas left to taste in August, I’m 70% of the way done with my tea tastings! I don’t see myself getting to the 75% mark by the end of the month, but that’s not an issue. I’m still going to end August on schedule.
The distribution hasn’t changed much, though I’ve continued to seek out more green and tisane blends, so you will probably see more of those reflected in the pie chart soon! Most of what I added to my queue in August is in the Special Variation category, so I’m interested to see how that proportion changes. While I try not to over-buy in one category, there were some irresistibly interesting options.
I’m planning on another post soon, because I want to update right when I hit the August milestone. Plus, I’m trying to get the blogging more in sync with the tasting. I think it would feel odd to finish the tastings and still have four posts to write!
Support the Project
Read previous installments here:
The Earl Grey Year Part 1: Four Classics
The Earl Grey Year Part 2: Four Florals
The Earl Grey Year Part 3: Four More Classics
The Earl Grey Year Part 4: Greens and Tisanes
The Earl Grey Year Part 5: Cremes and Special Variations
The Earl Grey Year Part 6: Classics and Florals
The Earl Grey Year Part 7: Classics and Special Variations
The Earl Grey Year Part 8: Cremes and Variations Part 2
The Earl Grey Year Part 9 : Four More Florals
The Earl Grey Year Part 10: Halfway Point
The Earl Grey Year Part 11: Kusmi Tea
The Earl Grey Year Part 12: Cremes and Classics
The Earl Grey Year Part 13: Four More Special Variations
The Earl Grey Year Part 14: Tisanes and Classics
Enjoying this series? You can support my tea wishlist here, or contact me if you have samples you want to share!
You can also connect with me at the MyTeaPal app, where I’m posting under the username @haikuallyson.
Project References
Note: This is an ongoing list of all the reading I have done so far for this project. The bibliographic entries here are not necessarily cited in this specific post.
American Chemical Society. (1965). “Bergamot Joins Lineup Of Synthetic Oils: Glidden process breaks down ß-pinene, back-blends components.” Chemical & Engineering News Archive 43 (33), 24-25. DOI: 10.1021/cen-v043n033.p024a
Avila-Sosa, Raúl et. al. “Bergamot (Citrus bergamia) Oils.” Essential Oils in Food Preservation, Flavor and Safety. Ed. Preedy, V.R. (2015). Elsevier Science & Technology. pp. 247-252. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-416641-7.00027-4
Di Giacomi, Angelo and Giovanni Dugo. “Origin, History, and Diffusion.” Citrus bergamia: Bergamot and Its Derivatives. Ed. Dugo, Giovanni and Ivana Bonaccorsi. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2013. pp. 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1201/b15375
Dugo, Giovanni and Ivana Bonaccorsi. “Composition of Leaf Oils.” Citrus bergamia: Bergamot and Its Derivatives. Ed. Dugo, Giovanni and Ivana Bonaccorsi. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2013. pp. 227-236. https://doi.org/10.1201/b15375
Galper, Amy. (December 14, 2022.) “Shelf Life of Essential Oils.” Cliganic. https://www.cliganic.com/blogs/the-essentials/essential-oils-shelf-life
Heale, Christopher. (n.d.) “A Guide to the Tea Grading System.” Herbs & Kettles. https://www.herbsandkettles.com/blogs/blog/a-guide-to-the-tea-grading-system
Lo Curto, Rosario. “Uses of Juice and By-Products.” Citrus bergamia: Bergamot and Its Derivatives. Ed. Dugo, Giovanni and Ivana Bonaccorsi. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2013. pp. 531-542. https://doi.org/10.1201/b15375
Nishida, Kei. “What Does Astringency Mean for Tea Drinking?” (n.d.) Japanese GreenTea Co. https://www.japanesegreentea.in/blogs/japanese-green-tea-lovers-in-india/what-does-astringency-mean-for-tea-drinking
Petite Histoire. (July 7, 2023). “The [Complete & Complex] Guide to Natural vs. Synthetic Fragrance: What’s the Difference?” https://nyc.ph/blogs/inspiration/the-complete-guide-to-natural-vs-synthetic-fragrance
Rosen, Diana. (November 3, 2020). “New – Coffee Leaf Arabica tea.” TeaSmart. https://www.teasmart.com/article_201106.html
Twinings. (n.d.) “What is Bergamot?” https://twinings.co.uk/blogs/news/what-is-bergamot -
The Best of It: Mid-August Edition
- Finally getting to visit La Patisserie Chouquette
- For the first time in nearly two years, having the bandwidth to have people over for dinner on a regular basis
- The chimichangas at La Crazy Margarita
- Blowing giant bubbles for my nephew to chase (and watching Maybelle hunt bubbles as well)
- Breakfast at Nadine’s Hash House
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The Earl Grey Year Part 14: Tisanes and Classics
While the blogging has been a little slower than I’d like, I realized as I sat down to write that I’m more than halfway through with that portion of the project! This time around, I’m focusing on a few tisanes (which I’ve deliberately sought out), and my ever-growing list of classic blends. Two were good, one was great, and one was unfortunately not to my liking at all. But ultimately, this week is truly reflective of the project as a whole: mostly good blends, a few stellar ones, and a few I couldn’t finish.
Tisanes
One of this week’s tisanes is a real outlier; it’s a blend with a coffee leaf base! The other is a rooibos-based blend, which is the most common tisane base I’ve encountered on the project. The tisane section in this entry consists of the tea I found incredible, and the one I found undrinkable.
Arabica Earl Grey, Adagio
I didn’t really understand what Arabica tea was when I first saw the Arabica Earl Grey Blend on the Adagio site. However, I saw the blend was getting discontinued, so I went ahead and ordered some to ensure I had a chance to taste every Earl Grey variation from Adagio.
I have since learned that Arabica tea is actually a tisane. Specifically, the brew consists of Arabica coffee leaves steeped like tea (Rosen 2020). It’s a traditional beverage in Indonesia and Ethiopia. In her article about Arabica tea, Diana Rosen describes the flavor as, “smooth, delicate-tasting, with a sweet edge” (2020).
The instructions said to steep for a minimum of 5 minutes, but that the flavor would develop if the leaves sat longer. I decided to do a minimum steep first, just to get a baseline. Unfortunately, I did not find this tisane to be smooth, delicate, or the slightest bit sweet. The smell of the steeped leaves reminded me of asparagus; I couldn’t detect any bergamot at all.
The tasting wasn’t any better; I couldn’t detect any of the bergamot or orange listed. The added cornflowers didn’t mellow anything out. The steeped liquid was intensely vegetal and bitter. Even adding a large quantity of honey didn’t help. I cannot imagine what a longer steeping time would have been like.
Arabica Earl Grey reminded me of maté, so if you enjoy that, you might like this, but I cannot seriously recommend it. Unfortunately, I accidentally bought three sample packs of this, and I haven’t touched it in weeks. It might end up as compost for my plants, unless someone really wants to try the two unopened samples. I would be happy to send them your way!
Rooibos Earl Grey, Simpson & Vail
The Simpson & Vail Rooibos Earl Grey is a blend that is definitely getting a spot on my best-of longlist! The smell of the dry blend has an incredible bergamot aroma. The steeped liquor has a rich, bold body that is a lovely shade of mahogany, and the infused aroma is well-balanced between the base and the bergamot.
When I taste this tea, the balance of rooibos and bergamot are absolutely perfect. There are no additions beyond bergamot, which I think is what gives this infusion an edge over some of the other tisane blends I’ve tasted. The bergamot doesn’t have to compete with cornflowers, vanilla, or other herbs. The rooibos and citrus flavors can simply coexist.
Obviously, if you can’t stand rooibos (it’s really a love-or-hate thing for most tea drinkers), this isn’t the blend for you. But if rooibos is something you enjoy, this is truly a blend you could drink all day and not get tired of it. I bet it would make a lovely cold brew as well!
Classics
These two blends are the ones that were solidly enjoyable. They didn’t blow my mind, but the deeper I go into the project, the harder that becomes. The competition becomes stiffer, because I have found a few true gems, and those become the standard by which everything else is judged. But if you’re an Earl Grey fan, you’re likely to enjoy these. Both of these blends came from my friend royal_teacups.
Earl Grey, Kung Markatta
Kung Markatta is a Swedish company that produces a variety of food and beverage products. They use fair-trade tea and organic bergamot oil in their Earl Grey blend. The body is fairly light, and bergamot fragrance dominates when smelling the steeped liquid.
When tasting the tea, I found the bergamot to be nice and strong. The citrus came through each and every sip. It’s definitely a bergamot-forward blend, and the tea seems a little weak by comparison. I found it bright, refreshing, and enjoyable, though ultimately, the balance between citrus and tea was a bit skewed.
If you are a true bergamot lover and have access to Swedish teas, you will probably love this one. If you’re more of a tea-forward person, this might not be the best option for you. All in all, though, it’s a pleasant tea, and I’m glad I had the opportunity to try it.
Organic Earl Grey, Fredsted
Fredsted is a Danish tea company, and I would once again like to thank Google Translate for helping me get more information from the company’s website. (As far as I can tell, organic is not a 1:1 translation for the Danish word Økologisk, but it’s the best I can come up with. Someone please correct me if I’m wrong!)
This Earl Grey blend has a strong, dark body. The scent of the tea is woody, and not much bergamot came through on the aroma. The bergamot was on the lighter side, and came through best at the back of my palate. It was on the subtle side, and took some time to emerge. This would probably be most enjoyable for someone who prefers a milder Earl Grey.
On the Fredsted website, the instructions for this particular blend say to steep for 5-6 minutes. I was surprised to see that; I can’t recall a time where I’ve been instructed to steep a true camellia sinensis blend for longer than 5 minutes. (I definitely have seen longer steeping times for tisanes without any actual tea.) When I tasted this, I only steeped it for 5 minutes, which is my go-to steeping length for black tea. However, I wonder if the bergamot would have shined a bit more if I’d let the teabag sit for an extra minute.
By the Numbers
I’ve taken a little bit of a tasting break for the end of July and beginning of August. Life is quite full, but I’m still well on track with the teas I need to taste this month. I’m only six teas away from my August minimum, and I already know what they’re going to be. Having a plan helps!
I’ve deliberately sought out some Tisane Earl and Green Earl blends, so those numbers have increased slightly, but the fact remains that these are simply less represented in the tea world. I get that; black tea is the classic base. But I really do love the combination of green tea and bergamot, so I wish there were more Green Earl Greys out there!
I’m just about ⅔ of the way through the tasting portion of this project! I’m a little more behind on blogging than I’d like to be, but I have a plan to make more progress with that portion of the project. Be on the lookout for another update soon!
Support the Project
Read previous installments here:
The Earl Grey Year Part 1: Four Classics
The Earl Grey Year Part 2: Four Florals
The Earl Grey Year Part 3: Four More Classics
The Earl Grey Year Part 4: Greens and Tisanes
The Earl Grey Year Part 5: Cremes and Special Variations
The Earl Grey Year Part 6: Classics and Florals
The Earl Grey Year Part 7: Classics and Special Variations
The Earl Grey Year Part 8: Cremes and Variations Part 2
The Earl Grey Year Part 9 : Four More Florals
The Earl Grey Year Part 10: Halfway Point
The Earl Grey Year Part 11: Kusmi Tea
The Earl Grey Year Part 12: Cremes and Classics
The Earl Grey Year Part 13: Four More Special Variations
Enjoying this series? You can support my tea wishlist here, or contact me if you have samples you want to share!
You can also connect with me at the MyTeaPal app, where I’m posting under the username @haikuallyson.
Project References
Note: This is an ongoing list of all the reading I have done so far for this project. The bibliographic entries here are not necessarily cited in this specific post.
American Chemical Society. (1965). “Bergamot Joins Lineup Of Synthetic Oils: Glidden process breaks down ß-pinene, back-blends components.” Chemical & Engineering News Archive 43 (33), 24-25. DOI: 10.1021/cen-v043n033.p024a
Avila-Sosa, Raúl et. al. “Bergamot (Citrus bergamia) Oils.” Essential Oils in Food Preservation, Flavor and Safety. Ed. Preedy, V.R. (2015). Elsevier Science & Technology. pp. 247-252. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-416641-7.00027-4
Di Giacomi, Angelo and Giovanni Dugo. “Origin, History, and Diffusion.” Citrus bergamia: Bergamot and Its Derivatives. Ed. Dugo, Giovanni and Ivana Bonaccorsi. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2013. pp. 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1201/b15375
Dugo, Giovanni and Ivana Bonaccorsi. “Composition of Leaf Oils.” Citrus bergamia: Bergamot and Its Derivatives. Ed. Dugo, Giovanni and Ivana Bonaccorsi. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2013. pp. 227-236. https://doi.org/10.1201/b15375
Galper, Amy. (December 14, 2022.) “Shelf Life of Essential Oils.” Cliganic. https://www.cliganic.com/blogs/the-essentials/essential-oils-shelf-life
Heale, Christopher. (n.d.) “A Guide to the Tea Grading System.” Herbs & Kettles. https://www.herbsandkettles.com/blogs/blog/a-guide-to-the-tea-grading-system
Lo Curto, Rosario. “Uses of Juice and By-Products.” Citrus bergamia: Bergamot and Its Derivatives. Ed. Dugo, Giovanni and Ivana Bonaccorsi. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2013. pp. 531-542. https://doi.org/10.1201/b15375
Nishida, Kei. “What Does Astringency Mean for Tea Drinking?” (n.d.) Japanese GreenTea Co. https://www.japanesegreentea.in/blogs/japanese-green-tea-lovers-in-india/what-does-astringency-mean-for-tea-drinking
Petite Histoire. (July 7, 2023). “The [Complete & Complex] Guide to Natural vs. Synthetic Fragrance: What’s the Difference?” https://nyc.ph/blogs/inspiration/the-complete-guide-to-natural-vs-synthetic-fragrance
Rosen, Diana. (November 3, 2020). “New – Coffee Leaf Arabica tea.” TeaSmart. https://www.teasmart.com/article_201106.html
Twinings. (n.d.) “What is Bergamot?” https://twinings.co.uk/blogs/news/what-is-bergamot -
The Best of It: Weekend Adventures Edition
- Mushroom foraging at the cabin
- Summer dinner parties with good friends
- Summer cheese boards
- Celebrating Bastille Day
- Hikes and picnics in state parks
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Five Strategies for Completing the Buson Challenge
Last week, after at least five failed attempts over the past four years, I finally completed the Buson Challenge. The goal of this challenge is to write 10 haiku a day for 100 days. Other than that, there aren’t many guidelines, though you can hear Mike Rehling talk a bit about it in his 2020 HSA conference talk here: YouTube link.
Even if you dare to write badly, writing that many haiku in that short a time is difficult. So if you think you want to give this a try, read on for some tips that finally helped me make it to the finish line.
1. Get a challenge buddy
This attempt at the Buson Challenge was the first one where I put out the call for an accountability partner. I found one in the haiku Discord group I’m part of; we started on the same day, and occasionally sent each other updates and drafts. We didn’t check in every day, but just often enough to keep each other motivated and on track. Knowing there was another person in it with me helped me stay focused. Plus, I appreciated having someone to share both my good and bad writing days, who really knew what it was like to not feel the creative spark but to show up and write anyway. Even when your community is small, having community at all is a game-changer.
2. Don’t overthink it
Most days, you’re going to write at least a few haiku that are duds. That’s okay. If you get too hung up on trying to write 10 absolutely skillful poems a day, I think you’re going to struggle unnecessarily. Don’t worry if they’re good enough; just write them down. If, after your 10 poems, you have a creative burst and want to write more, write more; you don’t have to limit yourself if your creativity becomes completely unbridled. Don’t worry if you think you’re repeating yourself thematically (you probably are). Don’t worry if your haiku feel repetitive; sometimes that might be true, but sometimes it might just be your perception after trying to write so many haiku. Just get the writing done. All you have to do is write 10 haiku a day. Let that be good enough.
3. Have a tracking system
When you’re trying to do something every day for an extended period of time, having some sort of tracker helps you stay organized and on track. You can do whatever you want; in the past, I’ve just used a spreadsheet with the day and the number of poems I managed to write. This time around, I set up the tracker in my bullet journal. I I had the date, what day of the challenge it was, and the number of poems I wrote that day. I also had a space to keep track of my extras (described below). Using the tracker made it easier for me to remember what day I was on and to keep myself motivated. It wasn’t just an organizational tool; it was a concrete depiction of my challenge progress.
4. Bank your extras
You might think that there’s no possible way that you might write more than 10 haiku a day. I know I was surprised when one morning, I attended a haiku group and drafted 14 poems during the writing period. On one particularly emotional day, I drafted 23 haiku and senryu. Days when I drafted more than 10 were few and far between; I only wrote extra pieces on 6 out of 100 days. Still, those extras mattered. While one of my challenge buddies chose to apply their extras to the next day (so if they wrote 12 one day, they only had to write 8 the next day), I chose to bank mine for days when things didn’t go as planned. I kept a running record of how many extras I had in my haiku bank, and on one of the 7 days I didn’t manage to write 10 poems, I simply applied the extras toward that day, and adjusted my banked amount accordingly. I still completed the challenge with 13 extras!
5. Plan a reward
In theory, writing 1,000 haiku in just over 3 months would be a reward unto itself. However, sometimes you don’t just need a finish line; you need a shiny trophy at the end of it. So decide how you’re going to celebrate. Maybe you’ll buy a new notebook (since this challenge is a great way to fill all those half-used ones lying around), or a haiku anthology you’ve had your eye on. I decided to make myself a set of stickers for crossing the finish line. Making myself a medal wasn’t practical, but stickers sure were! And the best part is, they’re easy to share! I’m mailing them out to my challenge buddies. (If you’ve completed this challenge in the past and would like a sticker, I’m happy to mail you some as well! Just message me at my contact form.)
While the Buson challenge could be considered a once-in-a-lifetime writing event, I actually find myself wanting to try yet again. I’ve decided I’ll start another round on January 1st, 2025. Starting the new year with a big writing challenge sounds fun. I’ll be posting more about those plans in December to keep those who want to join me in the loop.
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The Earl Grey Year Part 13: Four More Special Variations
Last week, I reached the minimum number of teas I needed to stay on track for July. With that, I’ve taken a little break, though I’m sure I’ll taste a few more teas this month. I do like staying ahead of schedule, after all.
When I was planning this post, I noticed that I had a number of un-reviewed special variations in my writing queue. With that in mind, I decided to devote this installment to that category. While there was one tea I didn’t enjoy, the other three were all solid, well-made blends. I hope one of these piques your interest enough to give it a try!
Orange Earl Grey, Osterlandsk
The Osterlandsk website description notes that this tea contains a Keemun base combined with Celyon (Sri Lankan) black tea, hand-pressed bergamot, and orange peel. The dry cup smells lovely; all of the additions are present. The steeped cup has a full and well-balanced body, with the orange and bergamot both coming through.
The drinking experience provides a smooth cup that is flavorful and refreshing. I found it quite enjoyable as a summer tea. It’s fantastic hot, and I think the blend would make an excellent cold brew as well.
Osterlandsk doesn’t have a huge presence in the US, so I’m grateful to royal_teacups for sending me a sample of this excellent tea! I might not have had a chance to taste it otherwise.
Earl Grey Bella Luna, Adagio
Adagio only makes the Earl Grey Bella Luna blend available for sale on the full moon. I’m not opposed to their limited-release blends (I wish the Brigadoon Breakfast was available more than once every four years!), but this tea is, to my mind, not worth the hype.
The tasting notes on the website say that this blend contains bergamot, coconut, and cream flavor. While the dry blend is visually stunning and the steeped liquor has a nice body, the coconut overwhelms both the scent and the taste of the tea. The cream flavor is also quite strong, with the result being that the bergamot and tea flavors are completely washed out.
I tried playing with the steeping time to see if that would improve things, but ultimately, the bergamot never came through the way I was expecting. Throughout my sampling, I couldn’t really get this blend to taste like an Earl Grey; it tasted more like a coconut cream pie. And I love coconut cream pie! But it’s just not what I’m looking for in my Earl Grey.
Earl Grey Supreme, Adagio
I’ve made at least two posts wondering why certain tea companies that make excellent special Earl Grey blends don’t just stick to those rather than adding an underwhelming classic Earl Grey to the mix. I have to say that Adagio is one company that focuses just on their special Earl Greys without having a standard two-ingredient (tea and bergamot) blend. Unfortunately, not only was I disappointed in the Bella Luna reviewed above, but a while back I also wrote about being unable to finish their Lavender Earl Grey. Fortunately, the Earl Grey Supreme is a big improvement over the other two.
All of Adagio’s Earl Grey variations look beautiful when you measure out the dry leaves; it’s a good reminder that you can’t judge a tea based on its appearance. On the web page for this blend, Adagio lists the ingredients as black tea, Keemun Concerto tea, silver needle tea, natural bergamot flavor, and white cornflowers. The contrast between black teas, white tea, and white flowers does stand out; the Earl Grey Supreme also smells better than the other two blends I’ve reviewed. While the lavender smelled artificial and the coconut was overwhelming, the Supreme has a lovely aroma.
Like the dry cup, the steeped liquid has a well-balanced aroma. This blend also tastes much better than the other two Adagio Earl Greys I’ve discussed. For one thing, the bergamot really shines! While I don’t get much of the silver needle flavor, I nonetheless find this to be an enjoyable cup. It’s a blend that I would buy again.
Winter White Earl Grey, Harney & Sons
Harney & Sons has several Earl Grey blends, but I think this one is the most unique. I haven’t found many Earl Grey blends that use white tea as a base, which is why I had to try this one. The blend consists of pai mu tan along with bergamot oil.
The dry leaf blend has an amazing scent. The steeped liquor has a lovely golden body that manages to be full without being opaque. The steeped scent is heavy on the bergamot, but the pai mu tan definitely comes through.
This blend is more flowery than an Earl Grey made with black tea, and is also slightly vegetal. The flavors of both the tea and bergamot are strong, but manage to stay balanced. This is a popular Earl Grey variation among many of my tea-drinking friends, and I can definitely see why!
By the Numbers
Honestly, when I started this challenge, it seemed like I was going to struggle to drink 9 different Earl Grey blends a month. Clearly I didn’t realize how much tea I just drink as a matter of course!
There are times when this does feel like a challenge. However, it’s becoming clear as I go that I’m developing not just a deeper understanding of Earl Grey as a blend, but also of tea in general. This attempt at deliberate, focused tastings has been illuminating. And most of the time, I’m enjoying myself.
In addition to my recent haul from Simpson & Vail, I ordered four Earl Grey blends from Ohio Tea Company that I am so excited to try! I do still need to order one more tea in order to hit my August quota. Let me know what you think it should be!
Support the Project
Read previous installments here:
The Earl Grey Year Part 1: Four Classics
The Earl Grey Year Part 2: Four Florals
The Earl Grey Year Part 3: Four More Classics
The Earl Grey Year Part 4: Greens and Tisanes
The Earl Grey Year Part 5: Cremes and Special Variations
The Earl Grey Year Part 6: Classics and Florals
The Earl Grey Year Part 7: Classics and Special Variations
The Earl Grey Year Part 8: Cremes and Variations Part 2
The Earl Grey Year Part 9 : Four More Florals
The Earl Grey Year Part 10: Halfway Point
The Earl Grey Year Part 11: Kusmi Tea
The Earl Grey Year Part 12: Cremes and Classics
Enjoying this series? You can support my tea wishlist here, or contact me if you have samples you want to share!
Project References
Note: This is an ongoing list of all the reading I have done so far for this project. The bibliographic entries here are not necessarily cited in this specific post.
American Chemical Society. (1965). “Bergamot Joins Lineup Of Synthetic Oils: Glidden process breaks down ß-pinene, back-blends components.” Chemical & Engineering News Archive 43 (33), 24-25. DOI: 10.1021/cen-v043n033.p024a
Avila-Sosa, Raúl et. al. “Bergamot (Citrus bergamia) Oils.” Essential Oils in Food Preservation, Flavor and Safety. Ed. Preedy, V.R. (2015). Elsevier Science & Technology. pp. 247-252. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-416641-7.00027-4
Di Giacomi, Angelo and Giovanni Dugo. “Origin, History, and Diffusion.” Citrus bergamia: Bergamot and Its Derivatives. Ed. Dugo, Giovanni and Ivana Bonaccorsi. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2013. pp. 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1201/b15375
Dugo, Giovanni and Ivana Bonaccorsi. “Composition of Leaf Oils.” Citrus bergamia: Bergamot and Its Derivatives. Ed. Dugo, Giovanni and Ivana Bonaccorsi. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2013. pp. 227-236. https://doi.org/10.1201/b15375
Galper, Amy. (December 14, 2022.) “Shelf Life of Essential Oils.” Cliganic. https://www.cliganic.com/blogs/the-essentials/essential-oils-shelf-life
Heale, Christopher. (n.d.) “A Guide to the Tea Grading System.” Herbs & Kettles. https://www.herbsandkettles.com/blogs/blog/a-guide-to-the-tea-grading-system
Lo Curto, Rosario. “Uses of Juice and By-Products.” Citrus bergamia: Bergamot and Its Derivatives. Ed. Dugo, Giovanni and Ivana Bonaccorsi. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2013. pp. 531-542. https://doi.org/10.1201/b15375
Nishida, Kei. “What Does Astringency Mean for Tea Drinking?” (n.d.) Japanese GreenTea Co. https://www.japanesegreentea.in/blogs/japanese-green-tea-lovers-in-india/what-does-astringency-mean-for-tea-drinking
Petite Histoire. (July 7, 2023). “The [Complete & Complex] Guide to Natural vs. Synthetic Fragrance: What’s the Difference?” https://nyc.ph/blogs/inspiration/the-complete-guide-to-natural-vs-synthetic-fragrance
Twinings. (n.d.) “What is Bergamot?” https://twinings.co.uk/blogs/news/what-is-bergamot
