Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Tea for All Reasons
Tea Description:
Legend has it that one Baroness Grey, who lived sometime in the 16th or 17th century, was married to a man who was a Ship’s Captain in the Royal Navy. As the story goes, his ship never returned from a trading voyage to China. Refusing to believe that her husband would never return, the Baroness would walk to the port lands every morning to greet each ship hoping for news of her husband. Sadly, she continued this practice until the day she died. In honor of this loyal Baroness Grey, our Earl Grey blend, with the traditional bergamot and the addition of lemon represent the bitter tears shed over her beloved.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I’m sure it comes as no surprise that I was excited to try this Baroness Grey Black Tea from Tea For All Reasons. I love me some bergamot! This blend combines the great taste of a traditional Earl Grey tea together with additional notes of lemon and hints of rose … and I’m loving every sip.
The bergamot is not quite as strong as you might experience in a straightforward Earl Grey. The additional lemon adds sweetness … believe it or not! It’s as if someone liquefied a dollop of sweet, creamy lemon curd and added to a cup of Earl Grey black tea.
I don’t get a lot of tart from the lemon notes, just a sweet, smooth flavor that rounds out the tangy bergamot notes. I was expecting more of a tart or even a bitter note from the lemon … but, I am not getting that as much as I expected. There is some tartness here, certainly, but, what I’m noticing is the sweeter side of lemon here, and I like it. The combination of bergamot and lemon is very nice … they go together very well.
At the finish and into the aftertaste is where I start to notice the lemon’s impact on the tea. The flavor becomes slightly more tarty, and those tart notes tickle the palate in the aftertaste.
The black tea base is a robust, well-rounded black tea. It’s not overly strong, but there is an invigorating astringency to this that leaves the palate feeling clean. The floral notes of rose is very soft and subtle and really, barely noticeable unless you slurp to aerate the sip.
Overall, this is a very pleasant take on the classic Earl Grey. I really enjoyed this cuppa, and I’d recommend this to those who enjoy a gentle bergamot flavor in their Earl Grey style teas.
