Tea Type:
Honeybush
Where To Buy:
Red Leaf Tea
Product Description:
This is one of the most original takes on Earl Grey tea available, Honeybush Earl Grey, takes the classic taste and puts it with a honeybush based tea instead of the traditional black tea. True to its name, this is one sweet tea that takes the addition of bergamot orange perfectly for a fruity and sweet cup of tea that is sure to please any palate. Made with only premium South African honeybush tea and true bergamot the taste is a distinct Earl Grey that will become a staple in your day. Perfect for a treat, or to satisfy the sweet tooth of the sugar lover in your home.
Tasters Review:
“How good could this be?” I asked myself as I opened the package and took my first sniff. Well, it smelled like Earl Grey and Honeybush…but was it going to be an “average” EG imposter?
The answer was NO. This was NOT average! This was above the rim of anything I thought it could be! The product name and description couldn’t be any more accurate! It’s PURE Honeybush and Earl. I ended up REALLY liking the Earl Grey paired with the Honeybush and think more companies should try this combo. But I will give you a heads-up…it will be hard to beat as Red Leaf Tea hit this one out of the ballpark!
This is certainly one of the better nontraditional EG’s I have had and I LOVE the fact that Red Leaf Tea is schooling so many other companies to think outside the box when it comes to different Earl-Offerings! They have a great selection of everything from traditional to “out there”…and I for one…LOVE the ones in left field! Great job, Red Leaf! Great job!
SororiTEA Sisters’ Special Blend from Blends for Friends
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Blends for Friends
Product Description:
A blend for those who truly appreciate the taste of a great beverage. A bright and diverse infusion of creative characters that are full of flavorsome charm. Enjoying fine top notes and far-flung origins, this lovely combination is the perfect accompaniment to rest, relaxation, and reviews!
Ingredients:
Only the finest quality tea: Sri Lanka Uva Black Tea for bright liquor and fine top notes. Cocoa Shells for flavorsome charm. Orange Blossom for bright character. Rose petals for creative style. With natural Bergamot and Chocolate flavor for great taste.
Taster’s Review:
I have been excited to try this ever since it was made for Jennifer (aka TeaEqualsBliss) and I. Yes… MADE for US! That’s the beauty of this company, you simply answer a series of questions about yourself (or about the person you’d like to gift a wonderfully personalized tea), and Blends for Friends will create the blend based upon the responses.
And it arrives ready to give (or to receive, if you’re gifting yourself!) I didn’t have the opportunity to see the all packaging except through the vivid description provided by Jennifer, but I did get to check out the tin – and it’s beautiful. I’m a collector of tins and I love this one! This is a tin that you’ll want to keep refilling (and the price on the refills from Blends for Friends is quite reasonable!)
For the purposes of this review, I had tried this blend on three different occasions and chronicled my thoughts about each tasting. As Jennifer indicated in her review, it tastes a little different each time it’s prepared, but there are also one notable consistent with each tasting: specifically, the black tea. The black tea is a strong, solid yet unimposing presence at every tasting. It is a rich, delicious tea that enhanced the other flavors, and while it didn’t interfere with the other flavors, it still managed to make its presence known.
The first time I tried it, I tasted the chocolate immediately. The orange/bergamot tones and the rose were hints of flavor that would emerge every now and then. During my second tasting, I could taste more of the rose flavor. This time, the rose and chocolate were almost competing with one another – but not in a bad way! – and were about equal in strength. One sip would be very rose-y, while the next would be quite chocolate-y. Both made me smile. The bergamot was also there, but it was more of a whisper of a presence. While I do love bergamot (and I often prefer my bergamot to be much stronger), I really appreciate the softness of the bergamot here. It’s a wondrous kind of flavor, like a happy daydream.
For my third tasting, the chocolate was without a doubt the most prominent flavor, but the bergamot was the flavor that was peeking through more so than the rose. The rose was there too, but it seemed to take the position that was previously taken by the bergamot for the two previous tasting, being more of a hint of flavor than a strong contender.
All three tastings were quite wonderful and delicious. What I like best about this blend is that it’s a little different each time that I drink it. I’m never sure quite what to expect. This adds to the excitement and anticipation of that first sip, and it really embraces what I’m about as a tea drinker. As you’ve probably noticed, I drink a lot of tea every day, but I rarely drink the same tea every day. I like to try different teas (which is probably good since I review teas!) But what Blends for Friends has managed to do is create a whole blend that is a little different every time I taste it. They really NAILED what I think SororiTea Sisters is all about, which I think is what Blends for Friends is all about: creating a perfect blend for the intended drinker (or drinkers).
Organic Earl Grey from Teas Etc.
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Teas Etc.
Product Description:
All natural, high quality Bergamot essential oil is added to a full bodied blend of organic Nilgiri teas creating a traditional cup that is a cut above. Rich, aromatic and well balanced.
Taster’s Review:
Not too long ago, I reviewed Key Lime Coconut from Teas Etc, and whilst browsing through their website to find more information about that tea, I ended up placing an order. This Earl Grey is one of the free samples that was sent to me with that order. I love it when tea companies send out samples! More tea!
I told you that because there is a little more to the story than just what I’ve told you. The fact is that there was a problem with the order I placed, and as a result, they sent me a box of three extra samples – separate from my order – to make up for it. I tell you this because I wanted to share with you that Teas Etc. not only has a vast array of teas from which to choose, but they have top-notch customer service too. I might try out a tea company because they have a tea that’s caught my attention, but I will continue to shop with that company if they provide excellent customer service. Teas Etc. won me over as a repeat customer.
Now… let’s talk a little bit about this Earl Grey, shall we? Because this just may be one of those teas that ends up on my next order! As most of you are probably well aware by now, I love Earl Grey. But the truth is, while I’ve found many good Earl Grey teas, there are but a handful of Earl Grey teas that stand out for me as exceptional. This is one of them.
The organic black tea base is a Nilgiri blend, which really makes a big difference. The teas produced in the Nilgiri District of India are among some of my favorite tasting black teas. They are bold, possess less astringency than some other black teas, and have a beautiful undertone of sweetness.
The bergamot here tastes fresh and tangy. There is a very agreeable balance to this bergamot, and I suspect that has something to do with the aforementioned Nilgiri tea base. It tastes smoother. It tastes richer. It tastes REALLY good.
If you’re a fan of Earl Grey, you really should try this. Add this Earl Grey to my top five list (which seems to be growing to a larger count than just five).
Earl Grey from Tea Forté
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Tea Forté
Product Description:
A symphony of robust Assam leaves with a light liquoring of cold-pressed, Italian Bergamot citrus. Our blend of this classic tea has been carefully crafted to define how an Earl Grey should taste. Deeply aromatic with a bold flavor.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve tried this tea before, and I liked it. I even reviewed it before. I don’t know that there’s much more I can say about this tea that I’ve not said before … but since I do have this tea sitting before me now, I thought I’d mention some of the key aspects of this Earl Grey.
Today, I am drinking the Earl Grey in the new Eco-Teabag from Tea Forté. These basically look like “regular” teabags, or what most of us have come to think of when considering teabags. This conventional, folded style teabag is made from unbleached filter paper, and rather than having the teabag tag string attached to the bag with a staple, it has been knotted.
Also something I want to point out about these new Eco-Teabags is that they are sealed in a pouch, rather than the origami-style folded paper that houses the elegant pyramid sachets for which Tea Forté is probably best known. What’s significant about that is this: the sealed pouches are airtight, which keep the tea fresher longer. While the beautiful folded paper is very attractive to the eye, it doesn’t seal in the freshness quite as well as these pouches. So while these Eco-Teabags may not be as appealing to the eye, they are definitely more appealing to my tastebuds!
This is a fantastic Earl Grey. I love that the tea base is an Assam base, because it provides a very bold, solid base for the bergamot flavor. It is malty and strong: strong enough to hold its own in the presence of the powerful bergamot.
The bergamot is delicious and citrus-y. It has just the right amount of tangy flavor. I also like that this tea is organic. Overall, the cup is just what I expected it to be, and maybe even a little more. I’ve enjoyed my time with this tea very much.
Chocolate Earl Grey from Upton Tea Imports
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Upton Tea Imports
Product Description:
A premium black tea combining the popular tastes of bergamot and chocolate with a hint of lemon. Decorated with flower petals and lemon peel for a delightful presentation.
Ingredients: black tea, chocolate pieces (sugar, cocoa, soy lecithin), cacao beans, lemongrass, lemon peel, corn flowers, jasmine flowers, sunflower blossoms, natural & artificial flavor
Taster’s Review:
When I saw this Chocolate Earl Grey on Upton’s website, I knew I had to try it. A chocolate flavored Earl Grey? Of course I had to try it! Fortunately, Upton Tea Imports offers their teas in sampler sizes that are very affordable.
The aroma of the dry leaf is very interesting – the combination of bergamot and chocolate creates a very unique scent, making it very difficult to describe. I mean, usually, when I take a whiff of a bergamot flavored tea, I *know* it! The scent is very distinctive – usually overwhelmingly so – but in a very good way! But when sharing the stage with the also distinctive fragrance of chocolate, the bergamot becomes a bit subdued, smelling a bit less like citrus and a bit more like the floral note that makes gives bergamot it’s “not just any citrus-y” scent. Combine that with an oh-so-subtle hint of jasmine as well as some lemon-y notes from lemongrass and lemon peel. The jasmine and lemon are very subtle, but there, and it adds a sense of intrigue to this blend. I could not wait to taste it!
The chocolate is the dominant flavor of this blend. The bergamot becomes more like “wallpaper” in this tea – you know it’s there, and sometimes it catches your attention, but, for the most part, it kind of blends in with the rest of flavors. It is the lemon essence that really adds some definition to the citrus flavor of the bergamot and helps to bring it out. I can even taste a pleasant lemon-y tang on the tip of my tongue in the finish.
There is no bitterness to this tea: just a deliciously sweet chocolate note at the start, a beautiful floral note in the middle, and a sweet-and-tangy citrus note at the finish with a slight astringency that lingers on the palate. The second infusion is quite different. The bergamot emerges with the second infusion, and the chocolate flavor has become more of a savory cacao flavor. Still very delicious – just different.
This is one of my all time favorite blends from Upton Tea Imports. It combines my top three favorite tea flavors – chocolate, Earl Grey and even jasmine! – in one exciting flavor.