looseTman Send Message

Question: When is an Earl Grey, not an Earl Grey?
A Tale of Two Different Cups of Tea

Per: http://www.smithtea.com/shop/black/bergamot:
“About this Tea
A flavor somewhat superior to traditional Earl Grey. Fragrant Ceylon Dimbulla and Uva are artfully combined with select teas from India’s Assam valley, then scented with the flavor of bergamot from the realm of Reggio Calabria, Italy.

Ingredients
Ceylon Dimbulla, Uva and Indian Assam full leaf teas and natural bergamot flavor.

Preparation
For best flavor, bring freshly drawn filtered water to a boil. Steep five minutes. If possible, play a little opera softly in the background.”

(Note: Neither the package or the SST website stated how many ounces of water to use with a sachet.)

Introduction: My wife and I have been drinking loose Earl Grey for over 30 years.

The typical Earl Grey tea has a 100% Ceylon base. Some Ceylon teas used in E.G. can be quite astringent. This Lord Bergamot is different in that it’s a blend of two Ceylon teas as well as an Assam tea.

Most E.G. teas are also light- to medium-bodied. While my wife loves the aroma and flavor of a well-balanced EG, she typically does not find them to be strong enough. To compensate, she will increase the amount of tea leaves and/or the brewing time. However, you can only increase those two parameters so much.

Cup #1:
Technique: Previously, my wife prepared a sachet: 8 oz. filtered water with TDS of 26 ppm / 212*F / 5 min. as she prefers a truly full-bodied Earl Grey. She’s also used to brewing an 8-oz. cup of tea. No sweeteners, milk or cream were added.

First impressions: This tea provided a very smooth full-bodied Earl Grey without any hint of bitterness. She also noted a vegetal flavor that’s typically not found in a classic Earl Grey.

Per: Alex Pieroni of SST: “I would say 1 sachet for every 12 oz. of water.”

Cup #2 (several days later):
Technique: I prepared a sachet: (2.5 g – My Weigh Durascale D2 660), 12-oz filtered water with TDS of 26 ppm / 212*F / 5 min. Brewed in a covered mug. No sweeteners, milk or cream were added.

Fragrance: “Fruity” – different than a classic bergamot EG.
Dry leaf: Medium-long dark brown full leaf – http://www.smithtea.com/shop/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/286x/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/l/o/lord_b_teabag.jpg
Liquor: Clear & coppery

5-min.: This medium-bodied black tea is expertly balanced. The fruity aroma does not overshadow the base black teas. There was no hint of tartness. The addition of Assam provided a very smooth sip. There was no bitterness or hint of a vegetal flavor. This black tea has an understated bergamot flavor.

I then presented this cup to my wife without telling her what type of tea it was or of my impression:
“I don’t know what it is. It’s not a regular black tea is it? It has a fruity aroma. An earthy flavor – Assam? Not bad – smooth! It’s not EG. It’s a little astringent toward the bottom of the (12-oz.) cup.” (I suspect this may be due to the high-altitude grown Ceylon Uva.)

Second Impressions:
This is a very smooth, expertly well-balanced, medium-bodied black tea with a pleasing fruity fragrance that does not overshadow the Ceylon/Assam base teas.

My wife enjoyed this very special medium-bodied black tea enough to want to purchase some as a change of pace from her regular Earl Grey. This is the first Earl Grey (not including EG cream) out of 14 EG teas, that she’s been interested in buying. Quite an accomplishment!!

Question: When is an Earl Grey, not an Earl Grey?
Answer: When it’s a Lord Bergamot!

Thanks to Alex Pieroni of Steven Smith Teamaker for providing this free sample.