Hmm…I feel like I’ve had this before, but I haven’t logged it, apparently. Maybe I’m confusing it with Earl Grey Creme from Teavana? They look very similar to each other – the bright blue flowers make a gorgeous contrast against the black tea. I guess I’ll just make it and find out!
The amount of tea in my cupboard right now is perfect – just enough variety to not get bored, but also, the amount of incoming leaf vs. outgoing is more or less balanced. Whenever the David’s Tea order gets here (fingers crossed for today!) I’ll be back in my normal pattern of accumulating faster than I can drink. :)
This blend stuck out to me in particular this morning because I haven’t had earl grey in a while – and the creamy vanilla mixed in with the scent of citrusy bergamot was wonderfully enticing. I love the smell and taste of vanilla. I’d pick vanilla over chocolate anytime!
Steeping parameters are below – the only additive was a splash of milk added to about 1.5 tsp. leaf in 8 oz. water.
I may have gone a bit heavy on leaf amount – the bergamot was STRONG when I first started drinking. But after a bit the milk helped get the vanilla more front and center. It was a smooth tea – no astringence, just a wallop of bergamot, followed by a blend of vanilla and black tea to finish off the sip. Mouthfeel, even with the milk, was a little thin, but I drained the cup pretty quickly regardless.
This is boyfriends black tea of choice, besides the East Frisian blend. He goes through this and his Moroccan Green Mint at a pretty quick clip – drinks one or the other daily with his lunch at work. I can’t imagine pairing this with a sandwich and chips, but he seems okay with it. Whether I’ve had it before or not, it really does remind me almost exactly of the Teavana version of this tea. That’s not a bad thing at all, though – this version’s cheaper so I’ll just stick with it!
