Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
This tea is available from Amoda Tea.
Tea Description:
This tea brings together the best of all the earl grey worlds – bergamot, vanilla, cream and lavender. Why have them in 4 separate Earl Greys!? This is a sweet, creamy, delicious black tea with floral hints. The vanilla and cream soften the bergamot citrus edge. You can still enjoy this variation with milk.
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Taster’s Review:
I received my Amoda box a few days ago and this is the first tea that I’ve tried from the box! While it’s not a surprise that I should reach for the tea that would be my clear favorite in the box, I generally like to save the one that I think will be my favorite for last. Like dessert, right? You save dessert for after the meal, but sometimes, you have to give in to the inner child and have dessert first!
So, I gave in to the inner child and drank the tea that I was sure would be my favorite in this month’s box first. So, it should come as no surprise that I’m loving this Lavender Cream Earl Grey Black Tea from Aromatica Fine Teas!
To brew this, I used my Breville One Touch. The entire sampler packet appeared to be just enough tea for one small pot of tea from my tea maker, so I poured the contents of the packet into the basket and added 500ml of water to the jug. I set the parameters for 205°F (I like to go with slightly lower than boiling temperatures when I have herbs in the tea – in this case, the lavender and hibiscus) and 2 1/2 minutes.
Then I let the tea cool for about three minutes before sipping. I’ve got to tell you that they seem the longest three minutes ever when you’re waiting to take a sip of something so aromatically alluring!
Mmmm! I’m loving this tea!
Rich! The black tea is a vibrant tasting tea – it’s good and strong. There is a fair amount of astringency to this tea, and if I’m to offer any complaint about it at all, that would be it. I would like the astringency to be toned down just a bit.
The flavoring, though, is spot on! The bergamot is strong and flavorful. The vanilla cream notes are pretty evenly matched with the bergamot, with maybe just a little bit more bergamot than cream. The combination of the two is sweet, creamy and tangy with a bright flavor of crisp bergamot.
Then there is the lavender. Ah … I do adore lavender. Lavender is a lot like bergamot, in that it can be overdone in a tea and end up tasting a bit more like soap than a flavoring. Here, the lavender is done nicely, not tasting even a bit soapy, instead, it has a touch of floral to this cup. It’s a pleasing contrast, the floral notes of the lavender with the silky sweetness of the vanilla cream and the energetic flavor of the bergamot. It’s a compelling flavor combination that keeps me sipping and makes for one very happy tea sipper.
So, this is definitely a win. My only real complaint is – again – the astringent black tea base. But this is something that I can overlook because the flavors are so delightful! And those who detest hibiscus like I do, take note: I can’t taste the hibiscus here! Yippee! That’s a win right there!
