Earl Grey Citrus Black Tea

As mentioned in my prior tasting note on this, this has a nice prominent citrusy bergamot flavor, but I had trouble finding any character within the tea. So I steeped it longer (6 minutes) to see if that changes things.

It didn’t. Tastes exactly the same.

It is a pleasant drink, however. I can think of brands I can get in Earl Grey teabags from the grocery store shelves however that I would get before this. But only because this tea is lacking. The bergamot flavor here tastes a bit better than that store brand.

Salted Caramel Sweet Cream Cold Foam Latte Sipdown (201)

E is for…Earl Grey Citrus Black Tea and you can check out my “E” teas here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CRNIMfkBjg9/?utm_medium=copy_link

This latte is really good. It actually tastes like a nut brittle with so much caramel notes and a roastiness that is rich and nutty. I think it’s my sweet cream I have to thank for that though. The Earl Grey adds a nice counterpoint to the sweet caramel though so overall I’m happy with this.

Adventaggedon Day 5 – Tea 4/6

I think this is my first Earl Grey out of advents!? Honestly, for such a classic profile, I’m surprised that I’m only just now getting one between the six that I’m doing.

It’s not a bad Earl Grey – very intense and heavy handed bergamot with that crisp, tannic and brisk black tea base that Vahdam seems to use in their flavoured non-Chai black tea blends quite frequently. I’m not the customer for this tea, but I think if you like a really robust and classic Earl Grey that this would likely perfectly hit the spot. Here’s what I don’t get though – and I mean this in general and not just for Vahdam…

Why does there seem to be a resurgence of “Citrus Earl Grey” blends!? I mean, bergamot is a citrus fruit – arguably closest to what most people envision in their heads as a “classic orange”. So, when you “add citrus” to an Earl Grey you’re really only beefing up a flavour that’s already there, and in most cases the citrus added seems to be lemon/orange so it… doesn’t really add anything? Like, when I drank this tea today I didn’t go “Ooh, extra citrus! How delightful!”. Instead, it just felt like someone upped the percentage of bergamot – and, in that case, doesn’t it seem like better marketing to promote the blend as an “Earl Grey Bold” or something like that!? In my head, it’s sort of like if someone was selling a “Masala Chai Cinnamon” – redundant, because Masala Chai already includes cinnamon.

I don’t know – I’m not an Earl Grey customer generally so maybe I just don’t get it, but I don’t understand where this angle is coming from!?

Advent Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/CIbj3zAAE0C/

Sipdown! (54)

Yay, one Vahdam advent tin down! These have been getting a little neglected with all the other categories of sipdown teas I have. Old teas, subscription teas, swap teas… I had three of these mini tins that I selected at random sitting on the counter, and this was one of them. I’ve been making London Fogs fairly often since I got a new milk frother, so this one went quite quickly!

I cuddled up with a giant latte on the couch tonight, which was lovely. I steeped a tablespoon of tea in 8 ounces of hot water and then added another 8 ounces of warm frothed milk with a bit of vanilla syrup added in. So scrumptious! I used dairy milk this time, but I’m sure almond or oat would be just as tasty.

Happy to have one mini tin finished off! Maybe I’ll try to get one cup of Vahdam leftovers in per day. Ugh, the thought of all of those turmeric tisanes… XD

203/365

This came as a free sample with my first order from Vahdam Teas. I say first order, but I have shopped with them previously when they were still Golden Tips Tea. That was many moons ago! What I’d forgotten is that their shipping is so fast! It struck me as rather ironic that an order from India arrived faster than an order from inside the UK, but there you go. Can’t fault their customer service, so far.

I like the level of information on their packaging, which includes all the usual things (name, ingredients, brewing guidelines), but also the month of picking (in this case, October 2017), and the grade of tea (FTGFOP1). I feel like they’re things I rarely come across, but I like knowing. I think it adds a little something to the experience.

As EG goes, this one is pretty good. It’s not too heavy on the bergamot, which is a bonus, just delicately citrussy. It’s sweeter than I’m used to finding; smooth and mellow rather than harsh and biting. The black tea is the real star here, though, being sweetly malty with the tiniest background hint of spice. This could be a good EG for EG haters, I think!

Today’s cup was straight and black, but I really want to try this as a London Fog. On the list of things to try it goes!

I’m not a huge fan of Earl Grey, but this is a very enjoyable tea once in a while for me. There’s plenty of black tea flavor and a nice amount of bergamot to compliment it but not over power it. Nice and refreshing, I may not buy more but I wouldn’t complain about getting it in a sampler again.

Quick disclaimer again – I am not a regular drinker of any flavored or scented teas. I am reviewing a number of flavored teas from Vahdam due to an incredible package deal they offered a while ago, which included FF Darjeelings, green teas, oolongs, and a host of other tasty treats. Flavored teas were a part of the package, so I figured I would add my two cents.

For me, I found the bergamot notes quite strong. It wasn’t sour per se, but the citrus flavor was powerful. If you are a hard-core Earl Grey fan, you will likely appreciate the boldness of the bergamot flavors.

In terms of the tea itself, the tea leaf is high-quality FTGFOP1. Despite the assertiveness of the bergamot, I could detect some malty richness from the leaves as well as a grape-leaf savory sweetness.

Recommended for those craving a real Earl Grey experience, with good quality leaf and real bergamot oils.

The dried tea leaves were very dark—they appeared more like a smoked Lapsang Souchong tea than a pure Indian tea.

I brewed 5 grams of dried tea leaves in 12 ounces of near boiling water for 4 minutes. The tea liquor had a light brown color to it, lighter than I expected for a black tea.

This was an excellent Earl Grey tea. The bergamot oil was not too overpowering—it was flavorful but restrained. I also liked the additional citrus flavor within it—more of an orange flavor than lemon or grapefruit. The combination of the two was very pleasant. I didn’t notice any additional flavors beyond what was identified in the name. In general, one of the best Earl Grey-style teas I have had.

NOTE: The tea I used had a month of packaging date of August, 2016.

I am not an expert on Earl Grey teas. The citrus in this one is very strong and a little bit sour. Overall it is good.

I steeped this one time in a 16oz Teavana Glass Perfect Tea Maker/Gravity Steeper with 3 tsp leaf and 190 degree water for 3 minutes.