Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: The Secret Garden Tea Co.
Tea Description:
A lovely mix of Vanilla, Bergamot, and Rose Petals in honor of Avalon Centre!
Ingredients: Black tea, rose petals, natural flavors.
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
This tea smells heavenly! The dry leaf has a strong bergamot fragrance that is tempered slightly by the presence of sweet vanilla. I don’t smell much from the rose in the blend, but then, with the bergamot as strong as it is, I wasn’t surprised.
The dry leaf is as pretty to the eye as it is to the nose too. Black tea leaves with cornflower petals and rose petals strewn throughout the blend. To brew this tea, I used my Breville One Touch Tea Maker. I measured 2 bamboo scoops into the basket of the tea maker and then poured in 500ml of water and set the temperature for boiling (212°F) and the timer for 2 1/2 minutes.
The brewed tea smells like a delightful combination of vanilla and bergamot with notes of black tea. Yummy!
And it is yummy. This is a tasty Earl Grey Creme type tea but with a hint of rose that weaves its way in and out of the sip. The rose is quite delicate, but, it is discernible (especially if you slurp the sip to aerate the tea over your palate).
The black tea is a brisk flavor in the background. It isn’t too aggressive a flavor, but it is strong enough to hold its own with the other flavors that are playing in the foreground. I would categorize this as a medium-bodied black tea base, I suspect it’s a Ceylon. It’s flavorful and supports the bergamot and vanilla nicely. It has a dry, moderate astringency toward the tail.
There is a good balance between the flavors of bergamot and vanilla. The bergamot is tangy and bright. The vanilla softens the sharpness of the bergamot and the two flavors together create a delightful caramel-y flavor. It is sweet, a little tart and tangy and absolutely lovely.
This is the first tea that I’ve tried from The Secret Garden and I think we’re off to a good start with this blend. I really pleasant twist on an Earl Grey Creme! And when I saw that this was a blend created in honor of the Avalon Centre, I decided to google Avalon Centre … and I hope I got the right place! I have great respect for a company when it takes the time to recognize services like the Avalon Centre. It makes me appreciate this tea and this company even more!
Correction: This appears to be the right place! And it certainly is another worthy service to recognize through a lovely tea such as this.
Actually the Avalon Centre that the Secret Garden Tea Company is this one http://avalonrecoverysociety.org/
Thank you for pointing me in the right direction!