Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black Tea

Where to Buy: Zest Tea

Tea Description:

Earl grey has been a popular blend since it was introduced to the British Earl, Charles “Chaz” Grey, in the 1830’s. Most Earl Greys are made with low-quality base teas, but not ours. Zest’s Earl is made with premium Nilgiri Indian black tea blended with a delicious bergamot essential oil. Don’t thank us. Thank Chaz.

Tea Base: Flower Orange Pekoe

Base Region: South India

Ingredients: South Indian Flower Orange Pekoe Black Tea, Bergamot Flavor, Natural Caffeine

20 pyramid bags per tin!

Caffeine: Approximately 150 mg/ cup – About the same as a cup of coffee!

 

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

This Earl Grey Black Tea from Zest Tea is more than just a black tea.  It’s more than your average Earl Grey tea.  What makes this different from others is the caffeine content.  Zest Tea prides themselves on being the most caffeinated tea on the market.  They have 3 times the caffeine than other standard black teas.  This fills a nice niche for those who like tea but also need that caffeine buzz early in the morning (or any time of day, really.)

With this specific tea – being as highly caffeinated as it is – you may be surprised that there is little to no jitters or crash like with other caffeine crazed beverages.  Zest Tea is packed with amino acids, including L-Theanine, which has a synergistic relationship with caffeine and helps to moderate caffeine’s effects according to their website.

I have to say the first time I tasted this tea I wasn’t sure my opinions at first but long term results shows I ended up enjoying the tea because my tin is near empty.  I’m actually holding on to the last bag for a day when I REALLY need it!

The taste was a bit hardcore at first.  It kind of reminded me of those chocolate covered caffeine balls I had years ago and/or chocolate covered coffee beans.  I’m not saying they actually TASTED like coffee but the taste of pure caffeine, I guess.  Anyhow…After I got past that initial shock of flavor I noticed the strong black tea base which was pretty good.  There was the Earl Grey flavor, yes, but it wasn’t your standard Earl Grey that you have come to know and love.  I would say 60/40 caffeine to Earl Grey flavor ratio.

The draw to this tea is that it DOES provide you with that pick-me-up and that is EXACTLY what I used it for an kept it on hand for.  Overall I appreciate this tea as a NovelTEA and ended up really liking it on those hard-to-get-into-mornings!