I love a good cuppa Earl. But I also like to pick out what makes an Earl Grey DIFFERENT, too! Today I have a WONDERFUL Earl Grey offering for you! It’s Earl Grey from Metolius Artisan Tea.
First…what makes Earl Grey from Metolius Artisan Tea different? A few things. Metolius Tea combines three high-grade black teas from small production farmers in Yunnan, China, combined with genuine farm-direct Italian bergamot, pure Madagascar vanilla bean, and bachelor’s buttons.
What are Bachelor’s Buttons, you might ask? Well, I know I sure did ask. It’s a start shaped annual that is native to Europe and Asia. Their frilly blossoms shows in pale blues, purples, pinks and reds. They are also known as cornflowers. But they looked more vibrant purple/blue than most I have seen in other Earl Grey’s and even other teas. So that was one thing I had to make mention of in this review for sure! A little fun fact…Bachelor’s Buttons were discovered in the tomb of King Tutankhamen who died in 1340 B.C. The 1-1/2 inch blossoms were woven into a beautiful wreath and given to the King to aid in the afterlife. Tip of my hat to Planet Natural for that tidbit!
Next I have to mention that the tea leaves in Earl Grey from Metolius Artisan Tea are a gorgeous mishmash of shapes and sizes. Some are longer and winding and others are rolled. Magnificent!
Earl Grey from Metolius Artisan Tea is one of the more intensely flavored EGs I have ever had! So if you LOVE Earl or love to try different ones, like to see who has the biggest and the best when it comes to the more intensely flavored EGs I would HIGHLY recommend Earl Grey from Metolius Artisan Tea. It’s so good I am going to include it in one of my upcoming Top Tens…so be sure to be on the look out for that! Yup! Two thumbs up on this tea from me…a true diamond in the rough when it comes to Earl Grey’s!!! YUM!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Metolius Artisan Tea
Description
Our mission in life: create the best Earl Grey on the market. We bring you three high-grade black teas from small production farmers in Yunnan, China, combined with genuine farm-direct Italian bergamot, pure Madagascar vanilla bean, and bachelor’s buttons. Enjoy!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Luna Tea from Moongleam Tea Shoppe #VeganMoFo2016
Today’s prompt for Vegan MoFo is greyscale so I couldn’t resist posting about an earl grey tea!
Luna Tea from Moongleam Tea. I’m not going to lie…I love the name of the tea as well as the name of the tea company! My love for this tea goes beyond the names, folks! The ingredients include Black Tea, Lavender, Chamomile, Bergamot, and Basil. You may already know that I cannot get enough black tea in my life! I start each day with at least 1 (or 5). The Lavender is strong in this flavored black tea but I like it! Chamomile is one of the ingredients I could normally go without but if done right I can enjoy. Let’s just say that the Chamomile in Luna Tea from Moongleam Teas is done right! The Bergamot offers the citrus, juiciness I was craving. And the Basil seems to even everything out nicely.
With all of this in mind I have to say that this blend of flavors awakened all of the senses and put a smile on my face, too! It’s very calming and makes for a peaceful cuppa. I found this to also be a comforting tea – much like a comfort food would be comforting on a stressful day – or a cold fall day – both of which I have been faced with lately. Luna Tea from Moongleam Teas is a pure delight!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Moongleam Tea Shoppe (Etsy)
Description
This classically crafted tea is one of the first blends I ever created.
Smooth bergamot, coupled with chamomile, black tea, lavender, and basil, gives this tea a punctuating freshness. I have always loved Earl Grey because of the Bergamot in it, so I tweaked it to make it even better!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Earl Grey Cream Tea from Aromatica Fine Teas
Just what my morning needed…Earl Grey Cream Tea from Aromatica Fine Teas! This is a mighty fine Earl Grey Cream! Upon opening the package I could clearly see the ingredients of Ceylon Black Tea and Cornflower Petals. The aroma was what you would expect for an Earl Grey with a bit of sweet-cream to boot!
Once I added my hot water to this Earl Grey Cream Tea from Aromatica Fine Teas the tea in the cup infused to a medium shade of brown and filled the air with a creamier Earl Grey aroma. The aroma was ‘just right’ it wasn’t overly strong to make your eyes water but it was certainly pleasing!
On the taste buds – Earl Grey Cream Tea from Aromatica Fine Teas – lived up to its name! The Earl Grey flavor was a solid strength and followed by just the right amount of smooth from the ‘cream’. This tea was fantastically done!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Aromatica Fine Teas
Description: Ceylon black tea, cornflower blossoms, flavour.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Earl Grey Manhattan Tea from Aromatica Fine Teas
Earl Grey Manhattan Tea from Aromatica Fine Teas is one of those teas that I have been searching for and didn’t even know it! This eye-opening Earl Grey is much more than that – Earl Grey Manhattan Tea from Aromatica Fine Teas – is the 2015 1st Place Winner of the North American Tea Championship – and I can see why! It’s everything you want in an Earl Grey and more!
Earl Grey Manhattan Tea from Aromatica Fine Teas provides your stereotypical Earl Grey flavor at first sip but then morphs into a bit more floral and ends on a smoother note than most. Something that I noticed in the aroma but not-so-much in the taste was a speck of sweetness. This intrigued me. I appreciate that they not only used sunflower blossoms – but mallow blossoms, too! They were both a lovely addition.
Eventho Earl Grey Manhattan Tea from Aromatica Fine Teas is the first of their teas that I am reviewing here – I have tried their Walnut Green Tea, too, (and will be reviewing that soon) and have REALLY enjoyed both offers already! I’ve already had 2 glowingly-positive tea experiences with this company and I can’t wait to jump in to their other offerings! I know that their other teas have also received awards but after tasting 2 of them I think they need to get a bigger shelf for all of their awards they will start collecting! Earl Grey Manhattan Tea from Aromatica Fine Teas was FABULOUS! My morning my start the RIGHT WAY now!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Aromatica Fine Teas
Description:
North American Tea Championship: 1st Place – Earl Greys category – 2013 Fall – Hot Teas Division
Also known as “Manhattan Earl Grey” yields a bright taste and extremely fragrant cup. Black tea, sunflower blossoms, flavour, mallow blossoms.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Earl Grey Black from Camellia Sinensis
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Camellia Sinensis
Tea Description:
From Dooars, in northern India, this quality black tea is scented with a natural flavouring extracted from organic Italian bergamot, a highly aromatic citrus fruit. You’ll be spellbound after one sip of this English classic.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Recently I made an order with Camellia Sinensis for some teaware and they included several free teas such as this tea. Personally, I’ve never really sought to purchase an EG blend from Camellia Sinensis; I do enjoy Earl Grey but not enough to need more than one good kind on hand (and currently I’m loving the Liquid Proust’s Peach vs. Bergamot twist on the traditional Earl Grey) and when I’m ordering from Camellia Sinensis, which I frequently do, it’s more for the interesting and often unique straight/pure teas they carry or for the teaware.
That said, I’m grateful for the inclusion: I love the fact this Earl Grey is both organic and fair trade as those as aspects of tea I look to support as often as possible. This sample was a sachet style tea bag, and I ended up making it early in the morning before work. I have to say, I thought the dry leaf smelled fairly mild and quite floral and even as it was steeping up I was noticing more floral traits than anything overwhelmingly bergamot-heavy. However, the taste wasn’t bad! I enjoyed how smooth and clean the overall flavour was in addition to the light floral notes and medium concentration of bergamot flavour. There was also a very natural sweetness which I was fond of. That said, I wouldn’t have minded if the bergamot was a little stronger. For people who really LOVE Earl Grey and drink it on a more daily basis this could be perceived as a little light handed.
Overall, not a ‘stand out’ Earl Grey but a solid choice if you’re already placing a Camellia Sinensis order and want to do all your shopping in one place. And like I pointed out, the fact it’s Organic and Fair Trade (and still reasonably priced) makes it a tea easy to get behind.
