Earl Grey Sun – or Earl Grey Mandarin – I believe they are one in the same – but I could be mistaken.
When I last bought this tea it was labeled Earl Grey Sun but the only one I can currently find on their website is Earl Grey Mandarin but I think they are the same tea because I can distinctly remember the lovely orange notes of the flavored Earl. But it was more than just your standard Bergamot. And more than your common Orange. I’m pretty sure the glorious ray of sunshine in the flavored black tea – flavored Earl Grey (more specifically) was that of the might mandarin.
Regardless – this was a fantastic cup! One of the more impressive flavored Earl Grey’s I’ve had to date. And probably in my Top 5 teas offered at TeaLeafs.
The black tea base itself is that of a High grown Ceylon tea and it’s sturdy and tasty in its own right.
This is surely a tea that has brightened my day and I hope you are able to try it at some point because I think you will, too, be a fan!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Tea Leafs
Description
Ingredients: Black Tea, Bergamot, flavoring from Germany, Mandarin
High grown Ceylon tea with Bergamot and Mandarin
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Mighty Organic Earl Grey Black Tea from Tea Leaf Co
This tea really lives up to its name — it’s super-mighty!
I don’t know whether I am using the word “mighty” because I was primed to think it from the label, or whether I would have used the word “mighty” on my own. Packaging and word choice is vital.
“Mighty” is an Earl Grey with a TON of extra flavoring added. It’s like the Kool-Aid Man breaking through walls. “OH YEAH,” he yells. “BERGAMOT.”
“Oh,” he adds. “And caffeine.”
Between the flavor and the caffeine, this is a total wake-up tea. Perfect for getting you moving on Monday mornings, especially. (As I’m writing this.) ZING! GO GO MIGHTY TEA!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Flavored Black Tea
Where to Buy: Tea Leaf Co.
Description
A GBOP grade of black tea for this earl grey and blended with extra bergamot essence creates an infusion especially well suited for London fogs or for those seeking a strong bergamot flavor in their tea. Much stronger than the classic, malty notes, and a lively cup.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Mighty Organic Earl Grey Black Tea from Tea Leaf Co
This tea really lives up to its name — it’s super-mighty!
I don’t know whether I am using the word “mighty” because I was primed to think it from the label, or whether I would have used the word “mighty” on my own. Packaging and word choice is vital.
“Mighty” is an Earl Grey with a TON of extra flavoring added. It’s like the Kool-Aid Man breaking through walls. “OH YEAH,” he yells. “BERGAMOT.”
“Oh,” he adds. “And caffeine.”
Between the flavor and the caffeine, this is a total wake-up tea. Perfect for getting you moving on Monday mornings, especially. (As I’m writing this.) ZING! GO GO MIGHTY TEA!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Tea Leaf Co.
Description
A GBOP grade of black tea for this earl grey and blended with extra bergamot essence creates an infusion especially well suited for London fogs or for those seeking a strong bergamot flavor in their tea. Much stronger than the classic, malty notes, and a lively cup.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Brown Sugar Organic Oolong by Tea Leaf Co.
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Tea Leaf Co.
Tea Description:
A wonderfully bold and smooth organic tea blend of dark oolong and maple, a perfect pairing. While the oolong is bold, full-bodied, and lightly smoked, the maple is light, aromatic, and sweet. The combination of the two flavors results in a well-balanced, featured favorite maple tea blend.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve been drinking quite a lot of Oolong recently, and some of it has really challenged my assumptions about the variety. I thought for a long time, for example, that I didn’t like Oolong at all. Then I realised that mostly what I don’t like are dark or roasted oolongs, but lately I’m even beginning to wonder whether that’s true. Mostly because of teas like this one! The dry leaf smells good – just like opening a fresh packet of brown sugar. It’s a mild toffee, molasses-like scent. Sweet and delicious. The leaf is fairly thick and wiry, with red safflowers. So pretty! I used 1 tsp of leaf for my cup, and gave it 3 minutes in water cooled to around 180 degrees. The resulting liquor is a bright golden brown, the scent heavily vanilla.
All of this gave me very high expectations, but I’m pleased to say that the taste more than lived up to them. This is a truly delicious tea. While drinking it, I almost completely forgot it was an Oolong because the flavour is so strong and accurate. The initial sip is hard to describe. It’s like taking a spoonful of brown sugar and letting it sit on your tongue – there are notes of toffee and vanilla, with a deeper, richer, molasses flavour running underneath. The mid sip is beautifully buttery and smooth, and reminds me a little of toffee popcorn. The flavour lingers long in the aftertaste, fading slowly and gradually into a fudgey, sweet, sugary ghost. I think this is as close to drinking brown sugar as it’s possible to get, and obviously so much healthier! I can hardly taste the base tea at all, which is a good thing in my book when it comes to flavoured teas. I want to be convinced by the flavours I’m drinking, and on this occasion I really, really am.
I think it’s easy to tell that I loved this one. I’d drink it again and again if I could – and I’d unhesitatingly choose it as a desert island tea if it ever came to that. It’s desserty decadence — pure deliciousness in a cup!
Mighty Organic Earl Grey Tea from Tea Leaf Co.
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Tea Leaf Co.
Tea Description:
A GBOP grade of black tea for this earl grey and blended with extra bergamot essence creates an infusion especially well suited for London fogs or for those seeking a strong bergamot flavor in their tea. Much stronger than the classic, malty notes, and a lively cup.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This Mighty Organic Earl Grey Tea is the last of four teas that Tea Leaf Co. sent me to sample. I figured I’d save the Earl Grey for my last day as a tea reviewer and go out with all my favorites!
When I opened the pouch, I was a little surprised by the aroma. I could smell the bergamot, certainly, but I could also smell licorice. I thought my olfactory nerves were deceiving me!
I brewed this tea in my Kati Tumbler (seriously, folks, if you haven’t gotten yourself one of these yet, you really SHOULD!) I measured 1 bamboo scoop of tea into the basket of my Kati and then poured 12 ounces of boiling water into the tumbler. I let it steep for 3 minutes.
After the brewing was complete, I lifted the cup to my nose to smell the brewed tea. Again … I smell licorice! Weird! At this point, I’m starting to worry that I’m coming down with something.
But the flavor is NOT licorice! The flavor is bergamot! Distinctly! It’s tangy and it’s a little sweet, it’s citrus-y and it’s bright. It’s bergamot.
So don’t let my weird experience with the aromatics throw you off – this is an Earl Grey tea – a “Mighty” fine Earl Grey! The black tea is richly flavored and has a pleasant, robust taste that’s just right to greet you in the morning and give you that gentle shake awake that you need. It has notes of malt that mingle with the bergamot in a pleasant way.
The bergamot – along with the orange peel – offers a sunny flavor. These two citrus notes together create more of a citrus-y flavor rather than a straightforward bergamot note which I don’t really mind because I can still taste the distinguished flavor of bergamot.
Overall, a really good Earl Grey. Where does it rate in my Earl Grey ratings? I think it would be somewhere in the upper echelon of Earl Grey, but it’s not in the top three, or even the top ten. It’s much better than many of the Earl Grey teas I’ve tried, but not as good as some. I’d definitely recommend it to the Earl Grey aficionados out there – it’s absolutely worth trying, you might find your new favorite even though I didn’t find mine!
