Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: The Secret Garden Tea Co.
Tea Description:
A lovely mix of Vanilla, Bergamot, and Rose Petals in honor of Avalon Centre!
Ingredients: Black tea, rose petals, natural flavors.
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
This tea smells heavenly! The dry leaf has a strong bergamot fragrance that is tempered slightly by the presence of sweet vanilla. I don’t smell much from the rose in the blend, but then, with the bergamot as strong as it is, I wasn’t surprised.
The dry leaf is as pretty to the eye as it is to the nose too. Black tea leaves with cornflower petals and rose petals strewn throughout the blend. To brew this tea, I used my Breville One Touch Tea Maker. I measured 2 bamboo scoops into the basket of the tea maker and then poured in 500ml of water and set the temperature for boiling (212°F) and the timer for 2 1/2 minutes.
The brewed tea smells like a delightful combination of vanilla and bergamot with notes of black tea. Yummy!
And it is yummy. This is a tasty Earl Grey Creme type tea but with a hint of rose that weaves its way in and out of the sip. The rose is quite delicate, but, it is discernible (especially if you slurp the sip to aerate the tea over your palate).
The black tea is a brisk flavor in the background. It isn’t too aggressive a flavor, but it is strong enough to hold its own with the other flavors that are playing in the foreground. I would categorize this as a medium-bodied black tea base, I suspect it’s a Ceylon. It’s flavorful and supports the bergamot and vanilla nicely. It has a dry, moderate astringency toward the tail.
There is a good balance between the flavors of bergamot and vanilla. The bergamot is tangy and bright. The vanilla softens the sharpness of the bergamot and the two flavors together create a delightful caramel-y flavor. It is sweet, a little tart and tangy and absolutely lovely.
This is the first tea that I’ve tried from The Secret Garden and I think we’re off to a good start with this blend. I really pleasant twist on an Earl Grey Creme! And when I saw that this was a blend created in honor of the Avalon Centre, I decided to google Avalon Centre … and I hope I got the right place! I have great respect for a company when it takes the time to recognize services like the Avalon Centre. It makes me appreciate this tea and this company even more!
Correction: This appears to be the right place! And it certainly is another worthy service to recognize through a lovely tea such as this.
Lady Earl Grey Black Tea Blend from Simple Loose Leaf
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Learn more about Simple Loose Leaf here.
Tea Description:
Our very popular Earl Grey blend of citrus bergamot over an extraordinary Nilgiri Black Tea with the added indulgence of Vanilla. This mouthwatering combination is the perfect invigorating treat. For the famed “London Fog” effect, add steamed milk and enjoy a smooth and creamy delight.
Ingredients: South Indian Flower Orange Pekoe Black Tea, Earl Grey Flavor, Vanilla Flavor, Cornflowers
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about Simple Loose Leaf’s Selection Club subscription program here.
Taster’s Review:
How awesome is this? Lady Earl Grey in the Selection Club box for August. If I wasn’t already in love with these boxes from Simple Loose Leaf, they would have had me at this tea!
When I first saw the name of this tea – Lady Earl Grey – I thought that it might be a bergamot flavored black tea with either Lavender or Rose added. It wasn’t until I opened the pouch and smelled the tea and could immediately recognize the aroma of the vanilla that I knew that this was a Creme style Earl Grey. The vanilla is very well pronounced in the fragrance of the tea and this translates to the flavor.
I brewed this in my Breville One-Touch by pouring 500 ml of freshly filtered water into the jug, and then scooping out two bamboo scoops full of the fragrant loose leaf tea and putting it in the basket of the tea maker. I set the tea maker for 212°F and the timer for 2 1/2 minutes. This produced two cups of perfectly brewed tea! (Have I mentioned lately that I love my Breville One-Touch? Everyone should have one of these!)
This is one of the nicer creme Earl Grey teas that I’ve tried in a while. The bergamot is strong and flavorful, but the sharp edges of the Italian orange is softened beautifully with the vanilla notes. It’s so delightfully creamy and smooth!
The black tea base is nicely round and has a malty tone to it. I like how the malt-like flavors of the black tea marries with the vanilla flavors to create an almost caramel-esque flavor that is positively delectable. The black tea is an invigorating, full-flavored black tea. I like that it’s good and strong and isn’t overwhelmed by the flavors of bergamot and vanilla.
The bergamot is pleasantly strong. It’s not the strongest bergamot flavor that I’ve experienced from an Earl Grey tea, but, it’s by no means weak or lacking in any way, in my opinion. It’s balanced well with the notes of vanilla so that these two components are not competing with one another, but working very harmoniously with each other, making for a heavenly cup of tea!
Save 25% off when you sign up for the Selection Club. Use the coupon code SISTERSELECTION25 when you join. This discount is applicable only to the monthly Selection Club subscription and not the retail selection of teas.
Earl Grey Black Tea from Verdant Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black & Oolong
Where to Buy: Verdant Tea
Tea Description:
We start with our most popular tea, Laoshan Black for a chocolatey base, and build a crisp flavor with Yu Lu Yan Cha and a long sweet aftertaste with roasted Wuyi Oolong from the Li family. We accent the sweet richness of the teas and meld them together with a touch of vanilla, and finish with the fine organic bergamot oil. The result is decadent, creamy, rich and subtle.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This is one of the more unique Earl Grey tea blends that I’ve tried, and it comes as no surprise that this blend should come from Verdant Tea – because they always seem to take a very unique approach when it comes to classic tea flavors like Earl Grey.
That’s one of the things I absolutely love about this company – this is a company of artists! They think outside the box when it comes to traditional favorites. Sure, they could have taken one of their superior black teas and added bergamot oil and said, “there you have our Earl Grey.” But, they didn’t stop with just one of their superior black teas, they chose two – their Laoshan Black and their Yu Lu Yan Cha – and then they added their Wuyi Oolong just to kick it up a notch (or two!)
Wait a second. Oolong and Black tea? OK … so since Wuyi Oolong tends to be a darker Oolong, I went with 195°F and 3 minute steep time for the first infusion.
The dry leaf smells amazing. The bergamot notes are strong, but I can also detect those sweet notes of vanilla in there too. And then I smelled the chocolate-y notes of the Laoshan Black. These chocolate-y notes were very THERE as the tea steeped. My mouth was watering from the aroma that filled my kitchen.
The brewed liquid – surprisingly – smells more of the Laoshan Black tea than it does bergamot. I was a little worried … but just a little, because this is Verdant Tea, after all, and I hoped they wouldn’t disappoint me.
When the tea is very hot, the Laoshan Black tea is a very dominate flavor. After allowing the tea to cool to a drinkable temperature, though, the other flavors began to emerge.
Oh my! This is lovely! The Laoshan Black tea with its distinct chocolate-y flavors remains a dominate flavor profile in each sip. (Yeah, that means I get chocolate happiness with every sip!) And I like the way this tea melds with the flavors of bergamot and vanilla.
The vanilla tones are subtle at first, but as I near mid-cup, the vanilla flavors are developing. It’s creamy and sweet, but unlike some of the Earl Grey Creme teas that I’ve tried, it’s not a dominate flavor. It doesn’t “soften” the bergamot, it complements the flavor profiles of the Laoshan Black and the Yu Lu Yan Cha Black teas, encouraging those chocolate-y and malty notes to come forward.
The Yu Lu Yan Cha Black is a tea that I will be reviewing at a later date. I was actually going to be writing that review now, but, when I went to the Verdant Website, I noticed that the Yu Lu Yan Cha Black is currently out of stock and the Earl Grey was still in stock, but in very low quantities. (In other words, if this tea interests you, you should go forth and buy it now before it sells out.)
The Wuyi Oolong offers a very soft toasty, nutty note that offers a very harmonious flavor that marries perfectly with the chocolate and malt notes of the black teas. It also offers a nice – almost buttery – texture the cup that melds nicely with the creamy notes of the vanilla.
The second infusion is as delightful as the first – although it is a little different from the first cup. Most notably, the Laoshan black tea has mellowed a little, allowing the other flavors some “play time.” This cup is smoother and creamier than the first. I’m tasting a sweet potato note as well as notes of fruit from the Oolong. I am not tasting much from the bergamot nor the vanilla, but this is still a very tasty cup of tea!
As lovely as this tea is, I have to admit that the bergamot flavor is not as strong as I would like it to be. I like a bright, bold bergamot note and that is something that I’m just not getting here. I do get a nice tangy tingle of bergamot in the aftertaste and this flavor dances on the palate long after the sip. I like that … but I do find myself wishing that there was more of that tangy bergamot during the sip to contrast with the sweet chocolate-y flavors of the Laoshan Black, the hints of toasty flavor from the Wuyi Oolong and the malty, sweet notes of the Yu Lu Yan Cha Black.
That said, I really enjoyed this blend and it’s a tea that I’d be happy to drink any time. It’s a really delicious tea with lots of layers of flavors to discover.
Earl Grey Heaven Black Tea from The Persimmon Tree
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where To Buy: The Persimmon Tree
Tea Description:
A delicious fusion of organic black loose-leaf tea leaves, fragrant oil of bergamot and a touch of French vanilla, this divine black tea will fill your room with an aroma most heavenly! This creamy Earl Grey tea is rich and robust with refreshing citrus notes that will awaken your senses and put a spring in your step.
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
I brewed this tea before reading the above description, and as I was brewing it, I could tell it was an Earl Grey creme type tea. I could smell the vanilla with the bergamot as it was brewing – and it smelled so good!
And while it’s true that I do prefer a well-crafted Earl Grey over the creamy varieties of the bergamot infused tea, I do appreciate a really good Earl Grey creme now and then too. And this Earl Grey Heaven from The Persimmon Tree is a really good Earl Grey creme!
The strong bergamot notes are softened by sweet, creamy vanilla notes. The combination of the Italian orange and the French vanilla together create an almost “caramel-y” taste that is quite delectable.
The black tea base is a little on the mellow side, but, that’s alright. It provides a smooth, flavorful backdrop for the flavors of bergamot and vanilla but it’s not so mild that it becomes lost. It holds its own, but without being overly aggressive. It’s not bitter nor is it overly astringent, there’s nothing there that really detracts from the softly tangy-sweet combination of bergamot and vanilla cream.
A really nice Earl Grey creme – this Earl Grey Heaven from The Persimmon Tree. It makes a nice afternoon tea, or perhaps an indulgent morning cuppa!
Pumpkin Pie Crepe with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream and Chocolate Sauce Flavored Iced Tea from Southern Boy Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Learn more about Southern Boy Teas here.
Taster’s Review:
So, I’m thinking that this tea, this Pumpkin Pie Crepe with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream and Chocolate Sauce Flavored Iced Tea from Southern Boy Teas has the longest name ever for a tea, right? If you know of a longer name … let me know!
I hot brewed this tea because I wanted to be sure to get all the flavor out of it that I could. I find that when I cold brew, the flavor is a little more subtle. Usually its still good, but for the strongest flavor, hot brew is the way to go. At least that’s what I’ve found with the Southern Boy Teas line of iced teas.
I don’t know if what I’m tasting is a pumpkin pie crepe that has been topped with vanilla bean ice cream and drizzled with chocolate sauce. Then again, I haven’t ever had a pumpkin pie crepe that has been topped with vanilla bean ice cream and drizzled with chocolate sauce. I would definitely order said crepe if I ever saw it on a menu though.
What I am tasting, though, is an interesting medley of flavors that is a little bit of pumpkin, a little bit of vanilla, subtle notes of spice, hints of chocolate and notes of black tea in the background. It’s TASTY. I like all these flavors that I’m tasting in this glass of iced refreshment. It’s certainly an interesting combination of flavors, that’s for sure.
By the way, 52Teas/Southern Boy Teas has another Kickstarter campaign going on, this time to bring iced green tea (as well as white and honeybush iced teas) to the SBT line, as well as enable the company to become organically certified (they’ve been using organic products, but, its costly to become certified organic!) plus help to get Southern Boy Teas out to more customers. Check it out, and please consider contributing to helping this small business.
