Earl Grey and I have an uneasy relationship. I like good Earl Grey. Not so good Earl Grey? I will have a glass of water, thank you.
Off the table for me are strong bergamot layered on super fruity Ceylon, and artificial bergamot flavor. Too sour! Both of them!
What a nice surprise this Zest Tea Earl Grey is! Zest is all about caffeine, which is the opposite of important to me. I don’t need it. I don’t really want it. But sometimes people do want it or need it. And getting it from tea gives you the added benefit of L-theanine.
Since this is supposed to have more caffeine than a cup of coffee, I expected it to be harsh. I gave the sachet a sniff when I opened the individually wrapped pouch (+1 for freshness) and it was a delightful, uplifting bergamot aroma.
The steeped tea is definitely toned down aroma-wise from the sachet, as is expected, but the tea is still bright and sparkling with cheerful bergamot. The Nilgiri base is pretty smooth with just the right amount of briskness. Most remarkable to me is how balanced the base and the bergamot are.
I drink my tea plain, but I bet this could take milk and sugar if that’s how you roll. Caffeine warriors, rejoice! This tea may be your new love! So I take it back. Zest isn’t all about caffeine. They are all about providing good tasting, good quality tea with extra caffeine kick, smoothed by L-theanine.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Zest Tea
Description
Earl grey has been a popular blend since it was introduced to the British Earl, Charles 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.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Mediterranean Grey from Balcony Teas. . . . .
Mediterranean Grey by Balcony Teas, is a variation on the Earl Grey theme that includes orange blossom and calendula petals. This gives it a sweetness that feels pastel to me. It’s springy! It’s joyous!
If you do a Google Image Search for “Pride and Prejudice picnic,” that’s the exact aesthetic I’d give this tea.
If I were naming this, I’d name it Cute Grey.
(This is why I don’t get to name anything.)
(I am permitted no responsibility in almost any aspect of my life.)
(Why is there a term for “man-child” but no corresponding “woman-child”?Women can be JUST as ill-suited to adulthood as men. #feminism)
If you love that bergamot, but there are days when it feels a little too SERIOUS, come romp with me in the land of Cute Grey. You will not regret it!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Balcony Teas
Description
We love this version of traditional Earl Grey with a Mediterranean twist. We have blended light and refreshing Ceylon black tea with zesty bergamot oil, fragrant orange blossom and sunny calendula petals.
Ingredients:
Black Tea – Finest Ceylon black tea to set off this blend perfectly. Orange Blossom – Deliciously fragrant with delicate floral honeyed aroma. Calendula Petals – A beautiful splash of sunshine yellow. Bergamot Flavour – The best quality Bergamot, a distinctively zesty citrus fruit of which the oil is used to flavour this tea, is grown in the Mediterranean.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Earl Grey Tea from Wissotzky Tea. . . . .
For someone who does not like bergamot all that much, I seem to keep coming across Earl Grey inspired snacks all the time. First the London Fog Donut from Glory Hole Donuts and then the London Fog Caramels by Tout de Sweet, both of which I have written about here on SororiTea Sisters. Well, my most recent find is an Earl Grey truffle from The Golden Apple here in Toronto, Canada. Actually, I am not the one who found it, my sister was and she brought it home for me to try.
I decided to brew up an Earl Grey tea to see how the two compare. This particular tea bag is brisk. The citrus, rather than being soft or bright, is sharp. I am not one for adding to my teas but this might benefit from a bit of milk, which should curb the crisp bergamot. I would say this is a good means of waking you up but for me, it is maybe a bit too harsh.
The truffle, on the other hand, beautifully decorated with silver and lilac food paint, is creamy. The chocolate ganache is rich and holds the bright citrus of the earl grey well. I will say that at first the bergamot is more subtle than I would expect from an Earl Grey Truffle but it builds overtime. Maybe not my favorite offering from this particular shop but that could be because I didn’t have high hopes going into this given my personal biases against bergamot. Nonetheless, I can appreciate that it is a nice truffle and those who enjoy this flavor would probably be pleased.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Wissotzky Tea
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
