I have a stack of Friday Afternoon Tea blends to try thanks to the generosity of the Sisters! I tried Rue The Day first and really enjoyed the anise in that one. Today I thought I would try this blend with bergamot for breakfast.
First of all, this is a blend of black tea and white. It is said to be “inspired by Pegasus” but I have always pictured Pegasus as all white! And Derpy Hooves appears to be a My Little Pony character, but I know nothing about that fandom so perhaps the mix of these tea types comes from there.
When two teas with really different parameters of steeping are brought together in one blend, it is difficult to know what to do, so I followed the company suggestion…which was a really surprising one to me. I would have made this at 185F in deference to the white tea but they recommend 175F and I behaved and did so.
But the problem I had with this tea is not due to the mix of black and white teas or the difficulty of getting the best notes from each type in the blend. The problem for me is the bergamot. I like the smell of bergamot, and I like blends with bergamot as long as the base is not a super lemony Ceylon.
But this bergamot smells strange. The flavor is somewhat better than the aroma, especially while I was eating, but honestly I couldn’t handle the aroma without food to cover up that smell. And although it says it contains cream flavor, I didn’t pick up cream at all.
I am glad of the opportunity to try it, and some bergamot lovers out there might dig it, but this one is not for me!
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Friday Afternoon Tea
Description
Enjoy this creamy black and white tea with delicate pops of floral citrus to keep you steady on those flightier days!
Ingredients: Black tea, white tea, marigold petal, bergamot oil, natural vegan cream flavoring
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Earl Grey Lavender/Teageschwendner -Ashmanra-
Nearly everyone has heard of Earl Grey, and I find a lot of people either love it or absolutely hate it. I am somewhere in between. I can really fall for the RIGHT Earl Grey. The trademark flavor of Earl Grey is bergamot, which is a type of sour orange. Most Earl blends are Ceylon black tea with bergamot oil, but Ceylon tea can already be very lemony and when you add sour orange…well, it just isn’t for me. It would be more palatable with milk and sugar but I don’t usually do additions. When you put a quality bergamot oil on Keemun or an a smoky base…now, that’s a different story. Or if you add cream flavor to counter the sour citrus, again, I can get on board. This one puts lavender second in the name, but I am finding it first in the flavoring, right after tea base. There is orange oil here as well, and I think that further gives a real roundness to the cup, as opposed to a punch in the tastebuds. The sweet floral lavender and cheerful orange takes the hard punch out of the bergamot and softens it into a very nice cup of tea, strong enough for breakfast (for me), yet smooth and sweet enough to be thoroughly enjoyable even without additions. As baby bear would say, this is “just right.”
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Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Teageschwendner
Description
Heady bergamot flavor meets the sweetly floral aroma of Lavender. A wonderful reinvention of a beloved classic!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
TeaLady Grey/Rare Tea Company – Stephenia-
I admit it, I am obsessed with earl grey tea. Every morning is started with a cuppa of earl grey and many times I end my day with a caffeine-free rooibos version. I literally have over 40 different varieties of the stuff from all sorts of companies in my tea collection but I am always looking for THE holy grail earl grey. I think I may have actually found it!
I recently saw that Rare Tea Company released a new version of earl grey. If you are not familiar with Rare Tea Company it was founded by Henrietta Lovell. She wrote a fantastic book called Infused which recounts how tea has shaped her life and has been a constant companion through times of trouble. I can’t recommend the book enough, especially if you love tea! At any rate she created a new blend called TeaLady Grey. I was immediately drawn to it because of the addition of lemongrass. Lemongrass is perhaps one of my absolute favorite herbals and I especially love when it is added to earl grey. It helps to deepen the citrus notes of the bergamot. I ordered the tea during one of their free ship events. Make sure you are subscribed to their email because free ship events are offered several times a year.
The tea begins with a beautiful base. And really, a tea blend is only as good as the base used with it. I find so many companies start with an inferior base in hopes that the other ingredients will mask the fact that the tea leaves are not good. The base is black tea from the Shire Highlands of Malawi. It is a smaller cut leaf typical of teas from this region. The base is strong, malty and a perfect tea to carry the Sri Lankan lemongrass, Malawi lemon verbena and Italian bergamot. Because Henrietta has such a great relationship with her tea farmers she is able to secure the highest quality and freshest ingredients which translates to an exquisite tea experience. This is an absolutely perfectly blended tea and on par with all the other great teas I have had from Rare Tea Company. The layering of the citrus notes from the bergamot, lemongrass and lemon verbena create a perfectly bright and well rounded cup. If you are a fan of earl grey I highly recommend this version. This blend checks all the boxes for me and then some on what I am looking for in a perfect earl grey.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Rare Tea Co.
Description
This tea is our Rare Tea Lady’s (founder Henrietta Lovell) riff on a traditional Earl Grey; a more delicately herbaceous and distinctly lemon blend.
Instead of containing just black tea and the essential oil of bergamot that composes a traditional Earl Grey Tea – we’ve built up the lemon notes, not with more citrus but uniquely with delicious lemon herbs.
Rich yet elegant black tea from the Shire Highlands of Malawi blended with Italian Bergamot, Malawi Lemon Verbena and Sri Lankan Lemongrass.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Ever Have a Tea Make You Sigh and Say “Thank You”. . . Organic Earl Grey Cream/Tigerlily Tea
Have you ever had a cup of tea that made you sigh and whisper “thank you” to no one in particular?
No? Prepare to.
This tea is a buttery, creamy, decadent romp through Earl Grey’s castle. You walk barefoot on lush, oriental carpets. You admire vibrant paintings of rosy-cheeked angels. You wear a robe of crushed velvet.
You taste bergamot, you taste flowers, and good heavens, you taste cream.
You are fancy. No, more than fancy. You are reckless in your bourgeois ways. You are DECADENT.
I don’t really have any complaints about this tea. I almost want a drawback, so I look like an Objective Journalist. Alas, I am not a Serious Writer or a Great Thinker. I am a girl who wears mostly slippers. I pet every dog I see on the street. I want to live in a Rococo painting. And I like this tea. So there.
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Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Tigerlily Teas
Description
A remarkably heady Earl Grey tempered with wickedly delicious cream flavour. One cup is not enough!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
all photo credits/logo credits: Tigerlily Teas
This tea was purchased for personal use and was not recieved to review.
Witer White Earl Grey/Harney and Sons
Earl Grey is one of the most well known hot teas amongst the general tea dabbling population. Even non-tea drinkers have heard of it, while staring blankly at you if you mention oolong.
Bit of trivia – Sir Patrick Stewart wanted his character on Star Trek to drink Lapsang Souchong, but producers said no one had ever heard of it and they wouldn’t know what it was. They insisted on Earl Grey being the drink of choice for Captain Picard and now Sir Patrick has Earl Grey out the proverbial wazoo sent to him by fans. For heaven’s sake, someone send the man some Lapsang!
Moving on. I don’t love Earl Grey but I like it occasionally. I especially don’t love Earl Grey made with Ceylon tea as the base because I feel the naturally lemon flavored base is too much when combined with the citrus-y Earl Grey. I prefer a good Keemun under my bergamot. And one does feel so elegant when one is drinking it!
I got curious about this Earl on a white tea base and ordered it. I went with sachets for ease even though I usually do loose leaf.
The bergamot is pretty forward here. I read the occasional review of some teas where it is claimed that the bergamot is light enough not to scare the haters, but this one definitely has it in the forefront. If you hate bergamot, I don’t think you are going to love this. But the white tea base lacks astringency and briskness that could make it overdone, so I find this far more drinkable than most Earls. If you love or even just like bergamot, I think this is worth a try. It gets a thumbs up from me, and the resteep is even better.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Harney and Sons
Description
A perennial favorite, our Winter White Earl Grey gives an evergreen classic a deliciously light twist. Beautiful Chinese Mutan White tea forms the base of this blend, providing light floral elements and a delicately grassy note. Natural lemony bergamot oil gives deep, multifaceted citrus qualities to the blend. A pleasant blend perfect for enjoying whenever the wish for something a bit different strikes.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!