Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tisane Description:
Earl Grey’s lesser known cousin, Earl Pink preferred an herbal tea with raspberry and bergamot. In honor of him, we’ve created this blend of caffeine-free green rooibos blended with freeze-dried raspberry bits (lots and lots of them) and natural and organic bergamot and raspberry flavors. Thanks to my lovely wife for help with the name. I’m not sure I have the skills to Photoshop a tongue onto the portrait of Earl Grey for an “Earl Raspberry”.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
I find that I’m always a little hesitant to try rooibos blends that have been flavored with bergamot … and such was the case with this Earl Pink Tisane from 52Teas. I think I must have had an Earl Grey Rooibos blend at some point that I found really disappointing, although, I don’t remember where it came from now.
Fortunately, I do not find this Earl Pink Tisane to be disappointing. The dry leaf is beautifully fragrant, with lovely bergamot and raspberry notes. It smells very fresh and inviting. Once the tisane is brewed, the fragrance wanes. I still smell hints of raspberry and a barely-there note of bergamot, but it is nowhere near as aromatic as the dry leaf.
The flavor is deliciously sweet. The green rooibos has a light, fruity flavor that almost sparkles on the tongue, and this seems to pair remarkably well with bergamot. Not as well as black tea pairs with bergamot, of course … that’s a classic! But, the light, crisp flavor of the green rooibos together with the invigorating, tangy flavor of the bergamot just seems to meld together really nicely.
And then there is the raspberry! There are LOTS of little bits of raspberry in the dry leaf, and the raspberry flavor is sweet and tart, and has a pleasing fruit taste. I don’t know if it’s because it is combined with the bergamot – which sometimes does come off tasting a little bit “perfume-y” – or if it’s because of the flavoring used, but, it does taste just a tad artificial to me. It doesn’t taste like true raspberry … in fact; it tastes sweeter than the fruit … like maybe raspberry candy that has been made with “real and artificial flavors.” That’s not to say it’s bad, I’m really enjoying it, but if you’re looking for authentic, true-to-the-fruit raspberry flavor, you might be a tad disappointed with what you find here.
As for me, I’m not disappointed by this tisane. It’s not my favorite tisane from 52Teas, but it’s certainly tasty and one I’ll enjoy again in the future. I suspect this one will be awesome iced … so I think I’ll save what I have left for iced tea.
Earl Black from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
It’s another hot day in Doo-Dah (I have no idea why Wichitans refer to the city as “Doo-Dah” but it feels right; feel free to enlighten me if you know where this comes from). I’m pretty sure that the global warming people were right. I’m just hoping we can fix it before we all turn into puddles of goo.
In the meantime, I’m relaxing with a big glass tumbler full of our new tea of the week. It’s a blend of shou mei white teas, dried black currants, organic bergamot flavor and natural black currant flavor. And it is seriously hitting the spot. I got some really nice shou mei for this blend: it’s light and sweet, but very much a presence in a cup that is otherwise a perfect balance of tart and sweet. I have always loved our black currant bai mu dan, and if you like that and like earl grey, I don’t think you can possibly go wrong with this blend. It is delicious!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
By the sound of the name, you might think: oh, this is just another Earl Grey with a black tea base. But it isn’t! This is truly an unusual tea – exactly the kind of tea that 52Teas is known for creating!
What makes this so unusual is that despite the name of this tea … it isn’t a black tea. It’s a white tea! Specifically, a Shou Mei. The black in the title refers not to the type of tea, but the fact that this tea is flavored with the essence of black currant. And, of course, bergamot (that’s where the Earl comes in!)
And wow! How is it that no other tea company has thought to combine the flavors of bergamot and black currant before? (0r, if they have, how is it that I haven’t yet discovered it?) This is really tasty. The flavor is sweet, tangy, tart and deliciously fruity.
The Shou Mei is a nice choice as a base for this tea. It gives the tea a bit more body and flavor than a typical Bai Mu Dan might while still managing to maintain a lightness to the cup. I think that a softer tea might have gotten lost in this blend, but a stronger tea might have overwhelmed the gentle balance tht exists between the two fruit flavors.
As it is, though, there seems a really pleasant balance between tea and fruit tastes. The tea has a pleasant texture – soft and silky … creamy even! This creaminess melds so nicely with the bergamot and black currant. The sweetness of the tea offers a nice contrast to the tart and tangy tastes of these two fruits, and also offers a slight nutty taste to the background.
The bergamot and black currant seem pretty evenly matched. The black currant gives a slight raisin-y, grape-y, wine-y kind of taste to the cup, sweet and just a little tart. The citrus-y bergamot matches that tartness with some of its own – giving it just enough tartness without causing me to pucker.
A very pleasant cup of tea – delicious hot, but even nicer as an iced tea! I can’t wait to try it cold-brewed with my Steep & Go!
Milord’s Grey from Kally Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Kally Tea
Tea Description:
Since we have a special tea blended for the “Earl”… we can’t forget our “Lord’s” cup, now can we? Kidding aside, we’ve taken Earl Grey and moved it up to another level. Adding dried apple pieces, calendula petals, and delicate elder blossoms and a touch of caramel. Now what else can one say, “Brew me a cup Milord!”
Ingredients: Black Tea, Apple Pieces, Mallow & Linden Blossoms, Cornflower Petals, Natural Flavors.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
As you may be aware, I’m quite fond of Earl Grey teas, and I’m always excited to try a variation on the classic Earl Grey. So, when I saw this tea on Kally Tea’s website (it’s really a lovely website – and very easy to navigate!) I knew I had to try it.
The verdict? This is a fabulous twist on the classic Earl Grey I so adore!
The black tea base is pleasant and mellow, not what I’d call overly bold or aggressive as far as black teas go. But, I am quite happy with its strength here, because, with the other flavors that are going on with this cup, a stronger black tea would have overwhelmed some of the delicate notes that I’m enjoying.
The first note that I really noticed was the floral presence of this tea. It isn’t a STRONG floral note, but, it is quite pleasant – like a medley of flowers in the distance. I think that this floral tone highlights the bergamot flavor in a really lovely way here, and it is especially appreciated because of the fact that the bergamot flavor is a bit milder than in a typical Earl Grey blend.
While I generally do appreciate a strong bergamot essence, with this particular cup, I think that the amount of bergamot flavor is just perfect. It is strong enough to provide its delicious, tangy citrus note, but it doesn’t overpower the hint of apple and caramel that give this blend it’s aforementioned fabulous twist.
The apple is very subtle, and I think that the presence of the bergamot accentuates it rather than subdues it. But it’s the caramel that I’m really loving. It’s sweet and adds such a lovely contrast to the bergamot’s distinctive tangy flavor. Together, these flavors – bergamot, caramel, and apple – work together to create a deliciously different “Earl Grey” that I LOVE!
This is the second tea that I’ve tried from Kally Tea and I am – again – impressed by what I’ve tasted. I am also quite impressed with Kally Tea’s website presentation as well as their packaging! Their teas come packaged in black flexible, resealable pouch … but what I really like about it is that it’s wider than most of the packaging like this that I’ve come across. Normally, the narrow packages that are utilized by many companies can be difficult to scoop out tea, but with these extra wide pouches, it is easy to scoop out the tea … even when you’re getting down to the last little bit at the end of the package! It may seem like a small thing, but, I think it’s these little details that make a world of difference!
Another wonderful tea experience thanks to Kally Tea! This tea goes on my shopping list! I need more!