In my never-ending quest for a supremely-great earl grey, I’m brought to Rishi’s offering. Unfortunately, this rather pricey blend will prove to be no rainmaker.
Opening the bag, the bergamot scent is on the lemony-side and ample, without being too overpowering. Acceptable start. My issues don’t lie with with bergamot. Upon tasting, I’m surprised at this earl grey’s black tea base. Using a Keemun/Yunnan blend, the base is rather bitter with some late astringency. It’s a dry bitterness without any redeeming value. Lifeless, barren, and dare I say, possibly stale. The citrus flavor fails to cover up this dehydrating crime.
It feels like Rishi took a lesser quality black tea base, masked it with the bergamot, and decided to slap a ‘supreme’ on the name. After drinking a pot of this, I feel like I just camped out in the desert and my mouth is suffering from a drought. A tall glass of ice water and some rain would be nice.
