Earl Grey tea is black tea with bergamot flavor, and there is a huge difference in natural bergamot – a type of sour orange – and artificial. Some people think they don’t like Earl Grey because they tried either a tea made with a poor substitute for the real deal or a base that too lemony and astringent to take on sour orange. Others love the stuff, any old way.
Enter Creme Brulee black tea. Plum Deluxe has blended a strong black tea base with orange peel, jasmine flowers (<3), blue cornflower, bergamot oil, vanilla extract, and….here I quote the package…love and gratitude.
This tea is STRONG. I don’t mean strong, in-your-face bergamot. I mean they didn’t wimp out on us for the black tea base. It is quality stuff. The first cup has deep, dark, rich color. The bergamot flavor is strong enough to please an Earl Grey lover, and balanced enough with the other ingredients to please the reluctant. The addition of vanilla adds a nice creaminess, and jasmine sweetens it. The aftertaste leaves a brisk tingle on the tongue.
To stretch my sample, I made a second steep. It was good, and sufficiently strong! In future, I would blend the two steeps together at the outset and double my tea dollar. The price is reasonable for a blend of this quality, but more money equals more tea! I was smitten with their Reading Nook blend, so I want to get the most bang for my buck so I can get all the teas I love and share them, too.
I checked out their accessories page and saw quite a few items that would make great gifts…or treats for me! I was rather taken with the pewter dragonfly strainer, but the Victorian infuser was really nice as well. This is also one of the more reasonable subscription boxes. Take a look!
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Plum Deluxe
Description
Creme Brulee Earl Grey was the winner in our recent customer appreciation month vote – it won by a landslide, which tells you how good it is. The creamiest of cream earl greys, the brisk bergamot notes balance nicely wonderful rich cream notes. It makes a dandy London Fog (earl grey latte) or just enjoy it with your favorite tea cookie or biscuit.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Foggy Coconut/52Teas. . . . .
Foggy Coconut blend was inspired by a coffee shop London Fog. First you need to know what a London Fog is, if you don’t know already! There may be variations but usually a London Fog is made with Earl Grey tea, lots of milk, and some vanilla and sugar, sometimes brown sugar.
The creator of this blend was ordering her London Fog with coconut milk instead of cow’s milk and loved the creamy coconut flavor. Hence, Foggy Coconut came into being.
When I served this tea, the reaction was instant. “Wow! I smell coconut!” And yes, that is the first you notice about this tea. Fortunately, we were all coconut lovers drinking it!
I love that you can still TASTE THE TEA, as a lot of flavored teas major on the flavors so much that the tea itself gets lost. This blend uses Assam and Yunnan tea that can stand up to plenty of flavors without going into hiding.
As for the bergamot, (which haters love to call blergamot) it is very refined. It comes through almost as a fruitiness rather than as edgy harsh citrus. I think the vanilla softens it wonderfully.
I drank this with no additions, but if you wanted to make a London Fog with it you could. You don’t need to, though, as all the flavors we look for in London Fog are right here. It is creamy and sweet, and the coconut lends it the full body usually provided by milk – dairy or otherwise – in a London Fog.
This was a delightful afternoon tea, and I will definitely be serving it again.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description
This tea is no longer available but click below for teas that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Maple Vanilla Earl Grey from A Quarter To Tea. . . .
Today I got to thinking about fun ways to make teas. Lately I have been experimenting. Cold brewing in chocolate milk. Topping iced teas with lemonade. I have been having fun playing with my teas. So when I had a Vanilla Frosty in my freezer from Wendy’s that seemed daunting to eat on its own, I thought to myself, “what can I do with this?” Well, an affogato came to mind.
For those of you that don’t know what I am talking about, an affogato is an Italian dessert that typically takes the form of a scoop of vanilla gelato or ice cream topped with a shot of hot espresso. Mine, on the other hand, took the form of two scoops of Vanilla Frosty topped with tea. Maple Vanilla Earl Grey tea by A Quarter to Tea to be specific. Why that tea? Well all recipes I looked at online suggested using strong flavored teas like chais or earl greys. I went with what I had readily available and the Maple Vanilla Earl Grey Affogato was born.
Since I have never had an affogato made by someone who knows what they’re doing I am not sure if this is right but I am sure it is good. It’s more a drink than a dessert you could eat with a spoon but there is a little ball of frosty still present. The liquid is so rich and creamy. Obviously it has a ton of silky vanilla flavor given both the frosty and the tea have vanilla flavoring. More than just the vanilla, there is a distinct maple sweetness that is a little more earthy than the vanilla but still very sweet as well as a little bit of a honeyed quality coming from the rooibos. The bergamot, for those that don’t like it very much, is actually really lovely here because it just adds a bit of brightness to counteract the other sweeter elements while the black tea base and cinnamon work to do the same thing in their own ways by adding some spice and some softer tea flavors. It’s really quite delightful because you get both the flavor of the frosty and the tea distinctly but at the same time they work together so nicely making for a delectably creamy and flavorful treat.
All in all, I would say this was one successful experiment if for no other reason than the affogato was gone in under five minutes. Seriously, i just kept drinking and actually finished the affogato before I finished the review. Oops.
Ultimately I am not sure how successful this tea would be on its own as I used the whole sample I had for the affogato but used the way it was here, this tea was certainly a home run.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: A Quarter To Tea
Description
A brisk cup of Earl Grey, mellowed with the sweetness of maple and the smoothness of vanilla with still giving you that satisfying bergamot punch that makes Earl Grey so special
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Lady Grey from Prestogeorge Coffee & Tea. . .
Ah, Lady Grey: the Earl’s stalwart, silky wife. It was with this vixen that I first fell in love, I’ll have you know. It wasn’t a loose leaf; it was some big brand boxed tea in bags, but it occurred to me that wow, tea was BECOMING MY THING.
So thank you, Lady Grey. You were my first love and I will always be indebted to you.
This particular Lady comes from PrestoGeorge, a HUUUUUGE tea and coffee shop in Pittsburgh, PA. It’s so grand one might call it an emporium. They have ENORMOUS glass jars of tea that you can pop open and sniff. Customers and staff are constantly popping around, grabbing tea off the massive shelves and replacing it. The turnover, chaos, and lovely smells make it almost a magical Harry Potter type of experience. (To be fair, if you went on a weekday, the experience would probably be calmer. Pittsburgh’s historic Strip District on a nice, warm Saturday is always crowded.)
Prestogeorge’s take on Lady Grey is, true to form, a more delicate Earl Grey. Lady Greys are typically more flowery and has less bergamot and more lemon/orange.
This Lady carries off her title with aplomb. The mouthfeel (ew, gross word) is EXTREMELY silky. This is some QUALITY stuff. The base tea is rich, a little bit malty and maybe a smidge woodsy. It feels like the Lady has put on a nice dress and is taking a stroll around the flowers and the grounds with her husband’s hunting beagles. It’s the last of late summer. They’ve wandered a bit afar, but she knows that the beagles will lead her home. She’ll let their noses lead the way back to her Earl’s arms.
If you’re interested in acquiring this tea for yourself, you can shop online and have it shipped to you. If, however, you’re anywhere near Pittsburgh, you should go check this place out in person. It’s enchanting.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Prestogeorge Coffee & Tea
Description
Whole Leaf black tea, blue mallow blossoms and begamot and citrus flavors. The bergamot flavor is more delicate than the Earl Grey Tea. Also a hint of citrus flavor is added to Lady Grey. Enjoyed the world over.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Mighty Organic Earl Grey Black Tea from Tea Leaf Co
This tea really lives up to its name — it’s super-mighty!
I don’t know whether I am using the word “mighty” because I was primed to think it from the label, or whether I would have used the word “mighty” on my own. Packaging and word choice is vital.
“Mighty” is an Earl Grey with a TON of extra flavoring added. It’s like the Kool-Aid Man breaking through walls. “OH YEAH,” he yells. “BERGAMOT.”
“Oh,” he adds. “And caffeine.”
Between the flavor and the caffeine, this is a total wake-up tea. Perfect for getting you moving on Monday mornings, especially. (As I’m writing this.) ZING! GO GO MIGHTY TEA!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Flavored Black Tea
Where to Buy: Tea Leaf Co.
Description
A GBOP grade of black tea for this earl grey and blended with extra bergamot essence creates an infusion especially well suited for London fogs or for those seeking a strong bergamot flavor in their tea. Much stronger than the classic, malty notes, and a lively cup.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!