Milady Grey (formerly Lady Grey)

I ordered this tea so long ago that I have had the UNOPENED package sitting in my cupboard all this time, and I pulled it out, and the expiration date was 05/2019. …And THIS is why I refuse to buy/trade/etc. anything that has to do with tea. SIGH. At least it still smells nice when I cut it open, bright citrus with floral undertones, so I suppose I can use it for sachets if nothing else…

Aroma off my steeped cup isn’t very strong, which is a bit worrisome, coming across more like a standard English Breakfast — that malty black tea aroma, with a subtle lemon aroma. However, the sip is far more pungent than the waft was letting on. It isn’t so strong of bergamot (which is okay with me, I don’t mind bergamot these days, but it isn’t a necessity for me either, and this is already scripting itself as an EG blend rather than the Earl himself) so rather it’s a strong citrusy black tea, with notes of orange, lemon, and a more subtle hint bergamot mixed in that citrus flavor. I’d say the bergamot is waxing somewhere a little between a lime and grapefruit. It packs quite a tart hit with three citrus notes paired together, and they are the strongest flavor in the tea, though there is a noticable rose floral flavor that comes out at the end of the sip, towards the back of the tongue, after the bitterness of the citrus starts to subside and the sweetness of the floral is able to fill the mouth. I really like it, but I also am keen on tart/sweet flavor combinations, and I particularly am known to have a palate that can handle tart/sour flavors better than most (I drink hibiscus straight with no sweetener). I think most would probably find the citrus in this one too strong, even with the floral chaser.

A little while back I was on a earl/lady grey and jasmine teas kick. I finished off the last of my EG from Tealyra and decided to reorder, along with the ‘lighter’ Lady Grey.

I’m not sure if it was because their batch of flavoring was bad this time or if it was a heavier hand, but this tea and my order ‘grey’ teas that I ordered at the same time were very very heavy on the bergamot, and thus very artificial tasting. Needless to say, I was not very happy.

This Lady does seem a little more tempered when made into an iced tea, but still very aromatic. Like the old ladies where you can smell their perfume a half block away. Other than the scent, it’s not a bad tasting tea, but maybe I should save this for when I have a cold and can’t smell much. Even now though, my nose is slightly stuffed with allergies and this is overwhelming.