Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Zest Tea
Tea Description:
Earl grey has been a popular blend since it was introduced to the British Earl, Charles “Chaz” Grey, in the 1830’s. Most Earl Greys are made with low-quality base teas, but not ours (remember the whole not compromising thing?). Zest’s Earl is made with premium Nilgiri Indian black tea blended with a delicious bergamot essential oil. Don’t thank us. Thank Chaz.
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about Zest High-Octane Tea here.
Taster’s Review:
With this cup of Earl Grey Black Tea from Zest Tea, I have now tried all four teas offered by Zest Tea. And if you are familiar with me as a tea drinker, you might notice that I’ve saved what I thought would be the best tea for last. Earl Grey? Um … yes, please! It’s a rare occasion – very rare! – when I’ll turn down a cup of my beloved, the suave and charming Mr. Grey.
And this Earl Grey is quite charming, indeed!
The aroma of bergamot filled the room when I opened the pouch. If a nose could actually smile from what it was smelling, my nose would have been grinning from ear to ear. Which is kind of weird if you think about it. So, it’s probably best not to think about it.
Anyway, the bergamot fragrance here is absolutely delightful. It’s a strong scent, and that’s just the way I like my bergamot! Good and strong!
And I’m also appreciating that even though there is a strong essence of bergamot to this tea, I’m not being overwhelmed by bergamot flavor. I taste the Nilgiri black tea base, and it tastes smooth and rich and it has just a hint of malt. I like the way the sweet notes of malt mingle with the tangy citrus notes of bergamot. It’s lovely.
I know I’ve said this before, but it’s something that bears repeating. Bergamot is one of those things that when done right, it’s a beautiful thing. But, bergamot can be done wrong. The first way it can be done wrong is that a cheap bergamot oil can be used, and this results in a really icky tasting tea. Fortunately, Zest Tea doesn’t compromise and they’ve used a top quality oil here, and therefore, the result is YUM.
Another way bergamot can be done wrong is that it can be overdone, producing a very strong bergamot aroma but it also ends up creating an overwhelming bergamot flavor that ends up tasting more like your grandfather’s cologne than tea. I don’t know about you, but I don’t fancy drinking a cup of my grandfather’s cologne.
But I do fancy drinking another cup of this tea! That’s because while the minds behind this Zest Tea product decided to go big with the bergamot essence, they didn’t go overboard. They did bergamot just right.
After trying all four teas that Zest Tea currently offers, I like to think that I have a little bit of experience with this High-Octane tea thing. And I’m a fan! I know that there has been some thoughts and tea chatter about this, and I welcome your thoughts on it if you care to comment. I personally like having a product like this, where I can start my day with an extra boost of caffeine because some days I really need that extra boost, and I like that I can get that extra boost without the jitters of coffee. Coffee affects me adversely, so I like that I can get this extra caffeine in a drink that I can enjoy and not feel sick afterwards.
And of the four teas that Zest Tea currently offers, I have to say that this one is my favorite. I enjoyed the others, too, but, this is Earl Grey, after all. And yes, I’m happy to say that I did save the best for last!
