I tried this tea in the bagged form as it was part of a set of THE O DOR teas that I had purchased. When I opened the bag, the aroma of bergamot permeated my nose, while hints of sweetness from fig and cherry were also apparent. Visually, there were pieces of what looked to be fruit mixed in the black tea in the bag (THE O DOR uses silk bags, so you are able to visually inspect what’s in the bag).
After four minutes (THE O DOR recommends 4 to 5 minutes), the colour was that of a deep amber liquor and the overwhelming bergamot aroma was mellowed. Instead, the fruity aroma of the tea shone through much more.
Upon the first taste, the bergamot was the forefront flavour, but soon the delicious fruitiness of fig and cherry came through as well as the slightest hint of lotus and jasmine. Looking at the label, I think the citrus elements of the tea help to cut through the bergamot, as instead of being heavy, there’s a freshness to the tea that I definitely didn’t expect. If you like tea with a bit of sugar or lemon, I think the tea could hold up to these, but I think with milk/cream some of the nuances of the tea may be lost.
As I’m not a big Earl Grey fan (I’ll leave those to my husband) I wasn’t expecting to like this tea at all, but I have to admit, not only is it delicious, I thoroughly enjoyed it. If you’re not a huge Earl Grey fan or would like to wade into the waters that are bergamot teas, this may be a great introduction to see if you like it as there’s enough other flavours going on that you if you decide you don’t like bergamot, you’d most likely still enjoy this tea. Unfortunately THE O DOR teas are no longer being carried locally, but I may just have to bite the bullet and reorder this one online once I’m finished the bags that came in the set.
