Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Fashionista Tea
Tea Description:
Organic, high grown estate black tea hand blended with cornflowers, fragrant oil of bergamot and a touch of French Vanilla.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Well, this is it, folks! This is the last tea that I have to try from the Fashionista Tea collection! And I saved (one of) the best for last! Organic Creamy Earl Grey Black Tea!
If you’ve been reading my reviews for any length of time, you are probably pretty aware of my love affair with the smooth Mr. Grey. I’ve never made it any secret of how much I adore the combination of rich black tea and the tangy bergamot fruit. And I’m always excited to try variations of the classic combination of bergamot and black tea … like this Creamy Earl Grey from Fashionista Tea.
They combined the delicious flavor of the traditional favorite and added a touch of French Vanilla, which adds a smooth, creamy note … eliminating the need to add milk or cream to get that delicious latte flavor! This has that flavor built right in!
But that’s not the reason I love it so much (because I rarely add milk or cream to my Earl Grey tea … make that VERY rarely … as in nearly never!) I love this because the creaminess of the vanilla gives the Earl Grey a really different kind of flavor. It is smooth and creamy, of course, and sweeter than the standard Earl Grey, but it is the play between those sweet, creamy notes and the bergamot that I really enjoy. It gives it an almost “creamsicle” kind of taste … only more interesting because the orange notes here are bergamot orange! It tastes like an exotic creamsicle.
The bergamot is markedly toned down here, it is not as sharp or tangy as it is in the classic version of Earl Grey. But don’t mistake that as meaning that there is less flavor – because this cup is definitely a full-flavored tea. It has a rich, solid flavor that offers a creamy overtone, tangy mid-notes and a strong, black tea base that supports it all. It is not overly astringent (it’s quite mild as far as astringency goes!) and not at all bitter. Just … really enjoyable!
After having tried all of the teas in the Fashionista Tea collection, I really must say that this company has some MUST TRY teas in their collection … and this one is among them. I’d also recommend their Fashionista Blend and their White Tip Jasmine Tea. Of course, you can’t go wrong with the Basic Black Blend, either. And you’ll LOVE getting a package in the mail from them – the packaging is as much fun as the tea!
Citrus Earl Grey Black Tea Blend from Naked Teas Galore
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Amoda Tea
Tea Description:
There’s a whole lot of tang in this tea: orange peel, lemongrass, bergamot oil. The Ceylon (Sri Lankan) base tea can also have a tangy character. This is a smooth, medium-bodied cup. Obviously, the citrus in this tea is bold, but it’s not aggressive or bergamot-heavy.
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn how to subscribe to Amoda’s Monthly Tea Tasting Box here.
Taster’s Review:
This Citrus Earl Grey Black Tea Blend from Naked Teas Galore is the second of the three teas I received in this month’s Tea Tasting Box from Amoda Tea. I really do enjoy these boxes, and this month, they did things a little different. Instead of providing three different teas/tisanes from three different tea vendors, they chose just one vendor to focus on, and selected three different teas from them.
I kind of like this change … it gives me the opportunity to try not just one tea from a tea company, but, three! Let’s just hope that the company they choose will be a new-to-me company – like this month’s vendor, Naked Teas Galore.
I am very happy with this particular selection – Citrus Earl Grey. Of course, Bergamot is already a citrus, but Naked Teas Galore really zoomed in on the citrus notes by adding Lemongrass and Orange Peel. These additional citrus flavors soften the sometimes sharp bergamot flavor and create a sort of “medley” of citrus-y flavor … sort of like a citrus punch, if you can imagine that. The bergamot is still distinct, of course, but just … more mellow. Smoother. Sweeter! The orange peel and lemongrass do not offer a strong, specific flavor of their own in the brewed cup; instead, these ingredients contribute to the aforementioned “citrus punch” like taste.
The black tea is sort of a mellow-tasting black tea that sits off in the background, content to let the citrus-y flavors play. It is a solid black tea flavor, but it is definitely off in the background. It is not an aggressive flavor, but I think a stronger black tea flavor would have interrupted the citrus-y notes that I think Naked Teas Galore was trying to hone in on with this blend. It might be interesting to see how a stronger black tea base would have tasted here, but as it it, I find this to be a really tasty tea, perfect for one of those lazy afternoons, when you just want to sit and contemplate the joy of tea!
Victorian Earl Grey Black Tea Blend from Tiesta Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Tiesta Tea
Tea Description:
We’re still trying to figure out how this Earl Grey tastes better than any other Earl Grey we’ve ever had. We’ve combined the classic bergamot taste, with a flowery lavender finish that even a non-tea drinker can enjoy.
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
Ah … Earl Grey! There is something about the combination of bergamot and black tea that makes my palate happy. And I like the way this Victorian Earl Grey Black Tea Blend from Tiesta Tea infuses the great classic flavor of Earl Grey with the floral notes of lavender and rose.
The lavender and rose seems to soften the bergamot notes here … either that, or the blenders at Tiesta Tea prefer to flavor with a lighter hand when it comes to oil of bergamot. Either way, I’m finding this to be a softer bergamot flavor … but there is certainly enough of the exotic orange to please this bergamot lover. Tangy and distinct! Very nice.
One thing that the lavender does do is appear at the finish. I love the way it comes through here. It barely insinuates itself throughout the sip, offering mere hints of its presence, and then when the sip is nearly finished, the lavender comes through. It is sweet but not overdone. It doesn’t taste soapy or perfume-y.
The rose is a little less discernible … but it is still definitely there. It’s a very soft rose taste, and it melds beautifully with the other components of this tea. The black tea is also not to be forgotten here, it is a pleasant tasting black tea base – I suspect this is a Ceylon, because it is a moderate, even-tempered kind of tea – not overpowering, but still strong enough to say “hey, I’m here too.”
Overall, this is a well-composed variation of the traditional Earl Grey, and I enjoyed it immensely. It is smooth, sweet, tangy, and floral. A very enjoyable cuppa from Tiesta Tea.
The Earl’s Garden Black Tea Blend from David’s Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: David’s Tea
Tea Description:
When he wasn’t in China discovering secret tea recipes, Britain’s second Earl Grey lived at Howick Hall in England, just like his ancestors had done since 1319. And also like his ancestors, he was a keen gardener and outdoorsman. This tea would no doubt have suited him, with the characteristic black tea and bergamot highlighted by strawberries and essence of black currant.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
As I’ve said many times before, I love it when I come across an Earl Grey blend that is a twist on the classic favorite. And I’m really enjoying this: The Earl’s Garden black tea blend from David’s Tea. It’s a delightful combination of the traditional bergamot flavored black tea blended with strawberry and black currant notes.
I’ve tried a few Earl Grey teas that have combined either strawberry or raspberry, and I’ve enjoyed those. But I think that this may be the first that I’ve tried that has combined both strawberry and black currant. And I really like the dimension of flavor that the essence of black currant adds to this cup. It gives the tea an almost “wine-like” tone, and the tart notes of the currant meld in a really interesting way with the tangy taste of the bergamot. And the sweet-tart notes of the strawberry really brighten the overall cup. It’s a really interesting amalgamation of tastes.
The black tea base is a bit on the mellow side … this is not a tea that I’d reach for in the morning as my first cup of tea. Rather, this is something that would make a nice afternoon pick-me-up … something that is uplifting in its own way but not overly stimulating. But the black tea is definitely there … it doesn’t just roll over and allow the bergamot, strawberry and black currant to get all the attention. It is strong enough to offer a pleasing, earthy background to the cup without being overly aggressive. It is a fairly smooth black tea with a fair amount of astringency, but no bitterness.
The bergamot is not overly aggressive here either. It is tangy and citrus-y, and it hasn’t been overdone. It doesn’t taste soapy the way some bergamot flavored teas can taste. It’s on the milder side, but, again, not so mild that it goes unnoticed. This is definitely an Earl Grey tea!
I really enjoyed this blend … it’s a nice variation of the classic favorite. Definitely something I’d be happy to enjoy now and again.
Devonshire Earl Grey Black Tea from Upton Tea Imports
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Upton Tea Imports
Tea Description:
A recent addition to our Earl Grey Blends. The base for this tea is an elegant long-leaf Ceylon BOP1. The fresh, full bergamot flavor is married with lemon notes to produce a rich and full bodied tea.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I’m always interested (and excited!) to try a new-to-me Earl Grey blend, so when my SororiTea Sister, TeaEqualsBliss, sent me a sampling of this Devonshire Earl Grey Black Tea from Upton Tea Imports, I was thrilled!
The aroma of the dry leaf is captivating – with that distinctive bergamot fragrance mingling with a lemon-y note … it’s very citrusy … very aromatic! The brewed tea has more of a lemon note than bergamot … the bergamot is still there, but the lemon definitely stands out as the stronger scent. It almost smells like a lemon scented furniture polish … let’s hope it doesn’t taste like it!
Fortunately, it doesn’t taste like furniture polish! It has a strong citrus-y flavor, with the bergamot notes playing a balancing act with the lemon notes. Together, the two taste more like a homogeneous citrus flavor rather than a distinguished bergamot and/or lemon flavor.
The black tea takes a backseat to the strong citrus tones – that is not to say that the Ceylon BOP1 is overwhelmed completely by the citrus flavors, but, the Ceylon is not quite strong enough to hold it’s own here. It is tasted, but it doesn’t offer a bold presentation. I do like it’s smooth character though, and the moderate astringency of the tea does accentuate the citrus flavors quite nicely.
Overall, this is a pleasant Earl Grey offering. Not my favorite, but, not a bad Earl Grey tea. It would be a good Earl Grey for those who like the focus to be on the citrus-y qualities of the bergamot fruit. As for me, I found myself wanting a little more black tea flavor in the background, and I wished there were more obvious bergamot notes to the cup. Not bad though!