Vanilla Whipped Lavender Grey

This has been such a stressful few months. Started with weird partial power outages, after the first of which the compressor on my fridge died. This weekend culminated in my water heater element burning out, and the main breaker on my power dying. I have one of those brains that just can’t “shut off” when something is disrupting my status quo and I can’t fix it immediately, but the water heater install should be this morning and hopefully then I can finally calm down and get back to situation normal.

This tea was the perfect fit because I wanted a nice caffeinated breakfast option, but also something calming… so lavender Earl Grey, and what a nice lavender Earl Grey it is! The bergamot is tasty but doesn’t overwhelm the cup, and with the added vanilla note it leans into a sort of “lemon cream” aftertaste on my tongue. The lavender is just the right amount, potent enough to be an easily noticable flavor but not so strong as to wash out other flavors or make the cup bitter. The tea itself lends a malty and somewhat brassy undertone and goes down real smooth.

Delicious and just what I needed this morning.

My own tastebuds confuse me. Why do I enjoy lavender but dislike bergamot? Who knows. There’s just a slightly metallic edge to bergamot that never sits well with me.

Still, I always trust 52Teas’ Earl Grey blends, because there’s always something there to play off the bergamot and add a little somethin’ extra! This one is no exception. It’s nicely balanced between the lavender and the bergamot; I do wish there were a bit more of the creamy vanilla coming through, though, because I’m barely noticing it.

This is making me want to bake something with lavender… :D

This tea was reblended as part of March’s teas of the week (which were all reblends except for 1 – which was a last minute creation because I lacked the ingredients for the reblend I had planned) – anyway, this tea was the one I was probably most excited about because I loved the original batch – and I think i might love this reblend even more!

LOTS of vanilla & marshmallow-y notes which lends a nice sweet creaminess to the sharp, tangy bergamot (softens it beautifully!). Let’s also not overlook that Lavender + vanilla = true love & when you include some bergamot, it becomes the most awesome 3some imaginable.

I love this tea & it’s going fast! I better grab myself an extra pouch before it sells out!

Leafed regularly, this ends up a bit too mild for me. I can taste that there’s a little creaminess, though that could be amped up. It could also do with more lavender since it’s really the smallest hint at the moment. And I’d prefer if the black tea were a little bolder too – essentially, more of everything! I overleafed the second time I had this, and I enjoyed it a lot more. There’s a lovely amount of creaminess, and it all blends quite well. The cream is the main flavor, with just hints of everything else. I really enjoyed it and wouldn’t have minded another few cups, but unfortunately it’s gone.

Still on a purple flower kick. This is a nice level of lavender, and a pleasant twist on an earl grey (the bergamot is super light), but it can be finicky to steep up. I oversteeped it to the point of bitterness a couple of times, but milk helps with these things. Also, even if I butchered the first steep, the second steep was deliciously smooth.

My 50g did not last at all; I pull out teas like this (ex – earl greys & citrusy black tea blends) when I can’t make up my mind, but want caffeine plus a little flair.

After a bad start to the day (my kettle lid will no longer open!!), I had a most excellent tea day. Either I chose a great lineup of teas, or my tastebuds were just particularly receptive today, not sure, but it was good. This was one of today’s four, and was absolutely delicious as usual. Such a soft, fluffy vanilla cloud with lavender, bergamot, and a solid and delicious black base. Love this tea so much.

2021 Sipdown #9

This one is a sad sipdown! I have really enjoyed this tea and hope to find something like it! This particular cup was a lot heavier on the vanilla than the previous ones, and not quite as much lavender. Either way, au revoir, you will be missed!

Sip down 2.
Added some milk this time around. The vanilla/whipped aspect is much more pronounced, which I’m really loving. The lavender is still quite strong, which I also love. Overall an absolutely delicious earl grey, and one I’m sad to see go.

52 Teas 12 Teas of Christmas – Day 6

Leave it to Anne to make a Lavender Earl Grey sound appealing. The Vanilla Whipped was calling me. And this smells awesome!! Like I want it as a perfume or a candle or something. However, in taste its lavender forward which is not for me. One of my best friends informed me she loves Lavender Earl Greys though so I know the perfect place to send this.

Cold Brew Sipdown (1334)!

This was a January sipdown – I’m just a bit behind on my tasting notes.

I steeped this one in a 75/25 mix of water and coconut milk, and it was pretty good. It’s hard to say if this was because of the coconut milk or just the prep method change up, but I actually liked it less cold brewed than I did hot – it didn’t seem richer/creamier, which was my expectation. It was still delicious with silky vanilla notes and a fresh lavender taste but the bergamot was almost “brassier” tasting in a way. I think I would have been better off trying this last portion hot with the coconut milk instead of cold.

Oh well – you live and you learn, right?