Original Earl Grey (TE10)/Upton Tea Imports -VariaTEA

by VariaTEA
Photo Credit: Upton Tea

I don’t really like strong bergamot flavor. Every now and then I’ll reach for an Earl Grey Cream or a flavored Earl Grey but a straight Earl Grey has never been my thing. However, a friend was kind enough to share a sample of Upton Tea Imports’ Original Earl Grey (TE10) and so I figured it was at least worth a try. Doesn’t mean I wasn’t going to try and make the best of it so I found a London Fog recipe online and got to prepping.

I steeped 3 perfect teaspoons in 8 ounces of boiling water for 4 minutes per the company’s steeping parameters. I used the 3/4 of cup of leftover coconut milk in my fridge, topped with some 1% milk to get to 1 cup. I frothed the milk with 2 teaspoons of honey and one removed from the heat I added 1/2 a teaspoon of vanilla extract. This got poured over the steeped tea.

This is a super creamy latte with a whole lot of coconut and vanilla flavor. Coconut milk is always very rich but to me it is always a touch heavy and seems ever-so-slightly savory (for lack of a better word and maybe because I associate it with thai food more than anything else). I am glad I diluted it down with the 1% milk as well. The honey comes through as a nice balance to the coconut and vanilla, adding some sweetness but not as much as I expected, which is preferable for my tastes.

Of course, how could I talk about a London Fog without mentioning the earl grey itself. I actually am happily sipping away at this one because the bergamot is very nicely balanced. It adds a freshness and a nice citrus flavor but one that is more suited to the cool fall weather. Whereas lemon and lime are typically bright and zingy and make for a nice and refreshing tea in the spring and summer, London Fogs are more cozy. This definitely fits that description.

Unfortunately given all the other ingredients I can’t definitively say that this tea is good or bad but as a base for a London Fog, this tea is perfect. It’s got enough bergamot flavor to push through everything else in the mug without being too harsh or overbearing. Furthermore, from what I can taste, I would say this is good quality given the base is not bitter or astringent either. I still have a fair amount of leaf left in the sample but with this new recipe, courtesy of the Nourishing Gourmet .  I am sure I will make quick work of it.

Want to Know More About This Tea?

Leaf Type:  Black

Where to Buy:  Upton Tea Imports

Description

China Black tea base with bergamot flavor. Produced for the British market, this tea has less bergamot than some American counterparts.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

VariaTEA

Hey there! My name is Rachel. I’m a twenty-something from Toronto, Ontario, Canada who loves dogs and has a bit of an obsession with tea. As a child I hated the stuff since all I ever knew was Red Rose (no offense to Red Rose). However, a few years ago that all changed. I was on a diet and desperate for new flavors without adding calories and that’s when I turned to tea. I started off by going to DAVIDsTEA and Teavana for all their dessert-inspired flavors, and since I didn’t know any better, I bought 100 grams each of about twenty-something different teas. This was okay for the teas I liked but for those I didn’t I needed to find some way of getting rid of them. Enter Steepster.com. This is where I met some incredible tea friends, discovered tea swaps, and learned of so many amazing tea companies. My desire to try all the teas grew and since joining three years ago I have tried over a thousand different teas. I have learned what ingredients I love and I have learned what flavors I don’t like. I determined my go-to brewing method is Western-style with no added milk or sweeteners, though I also enjoy cold brewing, iced teas, teapops, lattes, and smoothies. I have yet to brew gong-fu style but I hope to do so just as soon as I get the proper teaware to do it. About a year ago, I actually stopped drinking tea but as my stash of over 200 teas started aging I decided I needed to respark my interest. I chose to take a 365 days of tea challenge on Instagram in which I post a new tea picture every day. So far it has been rather successful as I find myself drinking (and buying) more and more tea each day. Plus it enabled CuppaGeek to find me and invite me here to SororiTea Sisters.

This post was posted in Earl Grey, Upton Tea

Organic Earl Grey Black Tea from Waterfalls Tea Company. . . . .

by teaequalsbliss

Waterfall Tea Company (AKA Waterfall Teas) is one of the companies I haven’t been able to dive into much thus far and I’m not really sure why!? I guess I just haven’t seen it around much and haven’t ordered it online yet.

About a month or two ago I re-visited Tea Leafs in Williamsville, NY, and came across a few of their teas that were available for sale and individually wrapped. I decided to buy a single bag just to try it out. The one I grabbed first was the one I decided to buy and that was their Organic Earl Grey.

Organic Earl Grey from Waterfall Tea Company is loose leaf in a biodegradable sachet. It’s what you would expect from an Earl Grey. Medium strength black tea and bergamot oil. The bergamot isn’t over the top nor is it whispering. It’s a nice middle-of-the road flavor. A nice SAFE tea to share with the masses!

I also appreciate the crisp and clean packaging, design, and presentation of Waterfall Teas. Everything is clearly marked and stated. They have the recognizable USDA Organic label along with Orthodox Union and Oregon Tilth labels.

In case you are not as familiar with the latter two labels…The OU (Orthodox Union) Kosher is the world’s largest and most widely recognized kosher certification agency, certifying over 800,000 products produced in more than 8,500 plants located in 100 countries around the world.

Oregon Tilth is a leading nonprofit certifier, educator, and advocate for organic agriculture and products since 1974. Over the past 40 years, Oregon Tilth has helped lead the way on moving organic agriculture from a “fringe alternative” movement into a research-based approach to sustainable food production. They played an integral role in the formation of the USDA National Organic Program, helped found the Organic Materials Research Institute and pushed to expand organic sustainability beyond agriculture to textiles and other products.

So there is a little education with your daily tea. I enjoyed the cuppa and the research while preparing this post for today. Organic Earl Grey from The Waterfall Tea Company is a good one to have on hand if you are short on time or want a pleasing cup to share with a group of friends!

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Black Tea
Where to Buy:  Waterfall Tea Company
Description

This tea doesn’t appear to be available but click below for teas that are.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

teaequalsbliss

Co-Founder/Co-Creator of Sororitea Sisters at Sororitea Sisters Jennifer (TeaEqualsBliss) is in her upper 30s and lives in the eastern snowbelt area of the US with her husband, 3 dogs, and cat (however the number of furkids can change at anytime as she LOVES providing a forever home for many shelter animals. Her several interests include music, movies, veganism, sports, traveling, collecting Baseball Cards and Unicorns, Radio, Computers, Crafting, and of course…TEA. She started drinking tea at the tender age of 3 thanks to her Grandmother and her love for tea has gotten stronger with each year! In addition to being a co-founder/co-creator of Sororitea Sisters - her main site is MyBlissfulJourney.com. Find out more about Jennifer on MyBlissfulJourney.com.

This post was posted in Black Tea, Waterfall Tea Company

Earl Grey from Clipper Teas. . . . . .

by Hillary

I haven’t had Earl Grey tea in quite awhile. I’m not sure why, I guess usually when I buy a tea that isn’t green, I go for the splashy, spicy Chai. Well, I’ve been reminded that splashy isn’t always best.

This Earl Grey was nice and smooth and delicious. I love how Earl Grey tea manages to be both floral-y, and citrus-y but not overbearingly so. The first thing I smell is a slight floral-y smell which is very inviting. When I take a sip, it’s the same. I taste the floral notes, and then I get the slight citrus taste. I prefer my Earl Grey with a little sweetener and a splash of plant milk.

Earl Grey reminds me of cozy, rainy days curled up with a good book, and maybe some great conversation. I enjoyed this tea myself on a cool, rainy morning curled up reading my favorite vegan blogs, and my cats curled up against my legs. It was perfect. Clipper tea is fair trade and organic, and it is reasonably priced on their website.

If you’re a fan of Earl Grey tea, you should definitely try this tea.

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Clipper Teas
Description

A high quality tea which is both light & refreshing with the distinctive citrus flavour of bergamot.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Hillary

Book reading, cat loving, tea sipping vegan.

This post was posted in Clipper Teas, Earl Grey

Organic Earl Grey from Hope and Glory

by Sensiblyscript
The leaves of this tea have a lovely refreshing fragrance even before steeping. I steeped it just after boiling, as per the steeping info. I used about 5 grams for about 10 oz. of water.
I steeped it in one of my wire mesh ball infusers, but next time I’d plan to use my fine-weave steeping basket because some of the leaves are fine enough that a few leaf particles escaped through the mesh. (I’m not sure if this is normal for this tea or if my sample just got squished in the mail, though.) I really enjoyed the balanced blend here; the bergamot was strong, but not strong enough to mask the scent of the black tea. Once sipped, the bergamot stood out more, but it’s still a very enjoyable blend. The bergamot offers bright, clean notes to contrast with the smooth black-tea flavor.
 I like experimenting with how sugar and milk affect my tea, so I tried adding a little sugar. This brought out the friendly citrusy side of the bergamot (rather than the tangy acidic side), which I liked. I then added a little milk, which brought out the flavor of the black tea more. The aftertaste was nice as well–quite clean and refreshing.
Overall, I’d say that it’s definitely strong enough for a breakfast tea (for me, anyway) and that the familiar combination of black tea and bergamot is well-done here. The bergamot is strong enough to keep things interesting but doesn’t completely edge out the tea flavor. Also, it’s organic and fair trade, so you can feel great about yourself while drinking it! That’s always fun.

 

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Hope and Glory
login-logo_sans-sunDescription

A scented black tea which may be taken with or without milk. Our Earl Grey is scented with natural Bergamot oil; a hybrid of the sweet lime which gives this blend a distinct citrus character.

 

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Sensiblyscript

Hi! My name is Tabitha and I'm an uprooted PNW native living in the South with my husband and my cocker spaniel. My favorite teas are usually dark and strong and go well with milk and sugar. I like to combine tea-drinking with all of my favorite activities, such as listening to music, reading YA fiction, knitting, and writing blog and website content for businesses. Because I'm a well-rounded person, I also have other interests, such as wearing mismatched socks and pretending to be ambidextrous.

This post was posted in Black Tea, Hope and Glory