365 Days of Tea Challenge – Day 5/365
Yay, I’m finally writing about one of the A&D teas that I ordered a few weeks ago! I was so excited to see them back in stock, so I immediately pounced on a 3-pack of Black Sunshine, Tiger Assam, and this tea. According to the website, this Earl Grey is on an Asian black tea base. Obviously, that’s a bit vague since all three of the most popular black tea regions are in Asia… I don’t often drink “plain” Earl Grey blends, tending to prefer those with added citrus or vanilla, but I figured this one would be worth having as I’m sure the base is high quality.
I steeped this using my usual black tea parameters – 3 minutes at 200°, even though the website recommends a longer and hotter steep. I guess I’m just a creature of habit!
I will say, I’m very much enjoying this one. The base tea is definitely at least partially Chinese – smooth and mellow with nice malty bread and earth notes. There’s a bit of woodiness present as well. I love Chinese black teas – they’re not sharp or astringent, but they’re still so flavorful.
This one makes a lovely base for the bergamot. I was worried about the strength of the bergamot, as I’ve had Earl Grey blends in the past where I found it to be overpowering. But here, the bergamot seems perfectly balanced to me. It has a pleasantly sharp citrusy flavor without being floral or perfumey. There’s also a bit of a pine/eucalyptus note from the bergamot, which really drives home the great outdoors theme of the tea for me.
Delicious! I’m so glad these A&D teas are so tasty, as the tins are so gorgeous that I would likely buy them regardless… ;)
Flavors: Bergamot, Bread, Citrus, Earth, Eucalyptus, Grapefruit, Lemon, Malt, Pine, Smooth, Wood
Sounds delicious! I love Chinese blacks as the base for flavoured teas and can only imagine how delicious this would be!
I should have reread my comment and used a synonym instead of delicious twice… awkward. :D
Doubly delicious! ;)