Whoa! BERGAMOT! The staff did warn me, this one is even more bergamot-intense than the regular earl grey. Don’t get me wrong, I love bergamot, but when it’s that strong, it just overpowers everything and leaves an astringent feel, and too much bitterness for my taste. I might be able to brew it right by either putting less leaf, reducing the steep time (I thought 5-7mins seemed daring!), or the temperature, so more experiments will have to be made. But for now, the bergamot is just way too strong, and hides any black tea notes.
Caffeine usually has very little effect on me, so the fact it’s decaf doesn’t really add value for me, but I’m sure it does for other people.
On a positive note, the color is really lovely! Such a deep red, it’s gorgeous in a transparent cup.
