NM Tea

Tea Information:

Leaf Type: Black

Tea Description:

A sophisticated twist to an undeniably sophisticated black tea. Vintage Earl Grey adds the subtleties of rose and lavender to the familiar well-loved tradition of Italian orange bergamot for a smashing afternoon delight. Enjoyed with an intimate circle of friends or in your own personal retreat time, this soothing and lively combination will stir memories of pleasant times well spent.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

This Vintage Earl Grey blend from New Mexico Tea Company is a very interesting combination of flavors … a really unusual but tasty twist on a classic favorite!

My first thought when I saw so many floral notes plus bergamot was that this would end up tasting like one of those fancy body washes that you might find in a specialty shop in the mall. And while I’ve not actually picked up a bottle of body wash and chugged it, I think I can still say that this does not taste like body wash … or soap … or perfume!

It is one of the more unique Earl Grey blends that I’ve encountered. The flavor is at once citrus-y/bergamot-y, rose, lavender, and rosemary, with a background of black tea flavor. The black tea base is rather subtle and even a tad overwhelmed by the presence of so many strong flavors … but that does not mean that I do not taste the black tea. It just means that it is not as prominent as it would be in a traditional Earl Grey blend. While it doesn’t stand out and say “Here I Am” to the palate, it comes through in the background. There is only a wee bit of astringency and no bitterness with this tea.

In one sip, I notice notes of rose, lavender, bergamot, resin and pine, plus a backdrop of black tea. The rose is the first flavor that I notice immediately. The bergamot then comes through, offering its distinctive citrus-y, tangy flavor. The lavender takes a few sips to really be recognized … and I think this has something to do with the other ingredients actually “altering” the usually distinguished flavor of lavender … it took me a little while for me to recognize the flavor as lavender … whereas if this had been a straightforward lavender scented black tea, I would have noticed the lavender immediately because of the lack of other ingredients to taint the lavender’s presence.

The rosemary is there too, and I like the sharp, pine-ish flavor that it offers the cup. It really does give this a ‘vintage-y’ kind of flavor together with the rose and lavender. It’s quite remarkable.

I really enjoyed the way this tea came together. It is indeed DIFFERENT, but, different isn’t always bad. In this case, different is definitely GOOD, and it was unique and interesting enough to keep me sipping!

liberteas

Anne (aka the Mad Tea Artist) has celebrated her 29th birthday for many years now. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her hubby and her youngest daughter. Her oldest daughter is married and has bestowed Anne with the proud title of "Gramma" and her grandson is about the cutest boy you ever did see. Anne started her journey with tea as a casual drinker and became more serious about her tea drinking when she realized that she couldn't drink coffee. Shortly thereafter, she started becoming obsessed with the beverage and she started creating small-batch, artisan blends of tea that she sold online as LiberTEAS. After a few years, she realized she wasn't cut out to be the sole proprietor of a business so she closed LiberTEAS and started reviewing teas online. She met Jennifer through another blog that they both reviewed for and they decided to start their own review blog. This review blog! Throughout her journey as a tea reviewer, she discovered 52Teas and became enamored with the idea of creating a new tea every week. When the founder of 52Teas decided he wanted to move on, he offered the business to Anne but knowing that she wasn't cut out to be a sole proprietor, she instead offered the company to her oldest daughter who employs her as the Mad Tea Artist for 52Teas!

This post was posted in Black Tea, Earl Grey