Grand Earl Grey from Caraway Tea Company
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black & White
Where to Buy: Caraway Tea Company
Product Description:
You’ve not tasted an Earl Grey like this before, unless of course, you’ve tasted this one. One of our top teas, this Earl Grey starts with top quality Keemun tea, adds just the right amount of bergamot, and tops it all off with a sprinkle of Yin Zhen white tea.
Ingredients: Keemun Tea, bergamot, Yin Zhen.
Taster’s Review:
I love me some Earl Grey, so I was very happy for this opportunity to try this one from Caraway Tea Company.
And this is a superb Earl Grey! The black tea base is a Keemun tea which lends a more robust background flavor than is often found in Earl Grey teas. There is a strong, smooth flavor to the black tea. It tastes rustic, like freshly baked biscuits. There are even some vague hints of wood and a touch of smokiness to the cup. A very pleasantly complex Keemun.
All of these interesting features of the Keemun offer a very beautiful backdrop for the bergamot flavoring. It tastes vibrant and authentic – like real fruit without a chemical aftertaste. There is very little of the floral note that is often associated with bergamot. Not at all soapy or perfume-y, this Earl Grey.
And then there is the “sprinkle of Yin Zhen white tea” and I can’t say that the white tea is a particularly profound flavor in this blend, but I will say that it does influence the flavor. There is a delicate … almost creaminess to the taste of this cup.
Don’t get me wrong, this doesn’t taste like an “Earl Grey Creme” at all. But there is a certain sweetness that mingles perfectly with the tangy bergamot flavor that almost portrays itself as a creamy note without tasting like cream. A smooth, supple flavor that I don’t think I’ve ever experienced with an Earl Grey tea before. It’s quite lovely.
There is no bitterness to this tea, and very little astringency. What little astringency there is seems to hit just after swallowing the tea, as I begin to contemplate the aftertaste, I notice the very faint puckering sensation on my tongue from the astringency. It dries the palate only slightly.
This tea can be re-steeped with similar results. The flavor is a little lighter and smoother. Not quite as rustic tasting. But still very delicious.
This is one of the most amazing Earl Grey teas I’ve yet to encounter. It is right up there, in my top five, at least! I love this one, and I am going to have to order some soon so that I keep it in my permanent collection!
Grand Earl Grey from Mhai Diva
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Mhai Diva
About Mhai Diva Tea:
Mhaidiva is pure quality tea. In general the following applies: the higher the tea is cultivated, the better the quality. Mhaidiva comes straight from the plateaus of Sri Lanka, the Nuwara-Eliya district, known as the ‘champagne area’ of Sri Lanka.
99% of the Mhaidiva tea is picked by women at the tea plantations, the women control the picking of the tea leaves with the fingertips in perfection. Mhaidiva is made by 100% Orthodox picked tea, qualitative the best way of picking.
Taster’s Review:
In her review of this tea, TeaEqualsBliss aka Jennifer states that this doesn’t taste like a bagged tea. And I must concur … this is a very full-flavored, robust Earl Grey and if I hadn’t brewed it myself, I wouldn’t have guessed it was a bagged tea.
The black tea is brisk and energizing. It has a remarkably smooth flavor without bitterness and very little astringency. There is a hint of sweetness to the black tea – slightly caramel-ish. This is a black tea that would be delicious on its own, made even tastier with the addition of the flavor of the bergamot orange.
The bergamot is citrus-y and lightly floral. It doesn’t taste overly floral or perfume-y, just enough of a flowery note to add dimension to the overall cup. The flavor is bright and slightly sweet with a nice tangy finish.
I can’t get over the fact that this is a bagged tea. This is a bagged tea that will win over the loose leaf purists out there! Yes it’s that good!
Earl Grey Lavender from Tea Addiction
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Tea Addiction
Product Description:
Ingredients: Blended black tea, lavender, jasmine, and flavoring.
Is the stress of life getting to you?
Enjoy a cup of Earl Grey Lavender with its relaxing lavender scent and flavor. The beautiful purple flowers are said to ease headaches, insomnia, and stress. The addition of jasmine flowers is thought to relieve stress, elevate the mood, and aid in digestion. This steep is definitely not the typical Earl Grey!
Taster’s Review:
As the above description suggests, this is not the typical Earl Grey – but it is an excellent Earl Grey! Superb!
When I opened the package, my nose was greeted with the beautiful fragrance of bergamot, lavender and a hint of jasmine. I did not expect to see so many flower blossoms and petals in the tin – this is definitely a tea that you need to shake gently before opening to redistribute the flowers evenly throughout the tea. A small amount of effort to exert for one of the very best lavender flavored Earl Grey teas I’ve ever tasted!
The black tea flavor is pleasantly brisk and offers a nice background flavor. While it lends its strong flavor to the cup, it seems perfectly content to allow the flavors to really come through and express themselves fully.
The lavender is strong, but it doesn’t overpower the blend. Instead, it is masterfully balanced with the bergamot, giving just enough of its flavor to the bergamot to accent some of the flowery notes of the fruit. I can also taste a hint of the jasmine. It isn’t a strong jasmine presence but that little note of jasmine adds a very interesting dimension to the cup.
As I’ve already eluded to, this is a well-balanced cup. The bergamot does not try to overwhelm the lavender just as the lavender does not overpower the bergamot. And somehow, the addition of the flowery flavors not only enhances the flowery taste of the bergamot, but, it also allows the citrus flavors to shine through.
The overall cup is sweet, feminine and juicy! I love this!
Earl Grey from Hampstead Tea
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Hampstead Tea
Product Description:
Aromatic, smooth and sophisticated but never overpowering. We use only the true fine oil from the bergamot fruit to flavour our blend.
INGREDIENTS:
Fairtrade black tea, natural oil of bergamot
Taster’s Review:
I have often declared my love for Earl Grey tea, so I am sure it’s no big secret by now. But it never ceases to amaze me at how different one Earl Grey tea can be from another.
Take this organic, fair trade Earl Grey from Hampstead Tea for example. The black tea is brisk and strong (not unlike many other Earl Grey teas I’ve tried), and there is a smooth, malty note to this tea (again, not unlike some Earl Grey teas). But something that does make this unlike other Earl Grey teas is that that malty note melds so well with the bergamot flavoring that it presents a somewhat creamy note. Not like an Earl Grey creme type of creamy, but, more of a smooth, comforting creamy taste that makes it taste as though I added a splash of milk to the cup (but I didn’t!)
Hints of malt, notes of smooth, creamy texture and taste. This is an invigorating Earl Grey that is also rather soothing. The bergamot flavor is much juicier than a typical Earl Grey bergamot – this has not so much of the sharp floral notes (although there are some). This Earl Grey tastes much more like an orange than an exotic fruit, although there is enough of that exotic-esque quality to this bergamot to make it an Earl Grey rather than an orange flavored black tea.
So, you’re probably thinking by now: Just what is LiberTEAS going on about? I seem to be talking in circles. Basically, what it comes down to is that this is a high quality black tea blend that has been flavored with an exceptionally high quality bergamot flavoring – it doesn’t taste artificial, it doesn’t taste like perfume. It doesn’t taste like aunt Martha’s soap.
So then, what does it taste like? It tastes like a little bit of perfection right here in my teacup! Hampstead Tea got this Earl Grey spot-on!