I’ve had Lavender Earl Greys and I’ve had Green Earl Greys, but I’ve never had a Green Lavender Earl Grey. Given my good experiences with Verdant’s Alchemy line so far, and my interest in various Earl Greys including those of the lavender persuasion, I had to ask for a sample of this one with my latest order. Thanks, David, I’m excited to try it!
The dry leaf smells pretty lavendery with some greenish teaish scents and is that some bergamot? The bergamot isn’t really the main player in the aroma of the dry leaf. I steeped this according to the directions for the base tea (Jingshan green) and the resulting cup smells very intriguing. Lavender, yes, but with a warm, almost cookie-ish aroma. Well that was a surprise. Again, I can’t really pick out the bergamot in the scent. The flavor is intriguing and unexpected. Lavender is the most forward flavor in this tea, but overall it is very light and delicate with a faint sweetness. It is somewhat bright, but more “crisp” than anything else. I’m afraid I don’t actually taste the bergamot nor the lemongrass. I am very much enjoying this cup of tea, but what it’s really making me want is a cup of this tea unflavored, and perhaps to see it in a straight Green Earl Grey blend sans lavender. From reading tasting notes of the base tea, I feel like the lavender, light as it is in this blend (seriously the least obtrusive I’ve ever had in a tea), is steamrolling over the other flavors a bit.
Preparation
People who liked this
Comments
Thanks- I am such a sucker for lavender that I have to check myself sometimes. I will blend up the next batch with your note in mind and see if I can’t get it a little more balanced- honestly, when I tried this batch after blending, I was super excited and just loved it. However, I am noticing that the bergamot profile changes a lot as it dries out and sits with the tea. It was an even match for the lavender to start out. I will blend up more this week to different parameters and set it aside to taste in a few days. Hopefully I will get this one down to a science soon.
That’s interesting about the bergamot, but I guess that’s why bergamot level is tricky to get right in an Earl Grey. And my flavor identification might be more difficult because this base tea is completely outside of my experience… and totally awesome from what I can tell, BTW!
Thanks- I am such a sucker for lavender that I have to check myself sometimes. I will blend up the next batch with your note in mind and see if I can’t get it a little more balanced- honestly, when I tried this batch after blending, I was super excited and just loved it. However, I am noticing that the bergamot profile changes a lot as it dries out and sits with the tea. It was an even match for the lavender to start out. I will blend up more this week to different parameters and set it aside to taste in a few days. Hopefully I will get this one down to a science soon.
That’s interesting about the bergamot, but I guess that’s why bergamot level is tricky to get right in an Earl Grey. And my flavor identification might be more difficult because this base tea is completely outside of my experience… and totally awesome from what I can tell, BTW!