1719 Tasting Notes
First, my sample does not look like the picture. Mine is CTC which is typical of many black teas and is not necessarily an indicator of poor quality.
As for the taste, I really like this one. The Ceylon tea base is smoked. That works really well in my opinion and sets this off from the typical Earl Grey crowd. The oil of bergamot (not flavoring) is well balanced but clearly present. I did two steeps. This might become my new favorite EG.
Slightly longer review here – http://theeverdayteablog.blogspot.com/2012/07/utopia-tea-earl-grey.html
Preparation
I got this sample from Utopia for review. This would be a good one for those who aren’t big green tea fans. I ignored the instructions and used my usual cooler temp for greens. The jasmine is nice – fresh, floral, with hints of honeysuckle. The Purrfect Cup said it tasted lavender, maybe but I got honeysuckle. Anyway, I am once again reminded I don’t hate jasmine when it tastes like this. I find this tea to be creamy then lightly jasmine. Mellow is the best descriptor I can think of as brewed. The green base is supposed to be lightly roasted but I can’t catch that, in fact the base itself is pretty much in the background. If you keep the water temp down there is no bitterness. I still have half the sample and will enjoy sipping this again another day.
This one surprised me. I am generally not an English Breakfast fan. They are generally too, I don’t know, generic for my tastes. This one I thought was really good. I am looking forward to brewing this again. A slightly longer review is on my blog. http://theeverdayteablog.blogspot.com/2012/07/paisley-tea-co-organic-english.html
Preparation
This is a new tea line from two leaves and a bud featuring tradtional English style tea bags. This one is a solid basic Earl Grey. The bergamot is well balanced. It doesn’t jump out at you but you don’t have to think to find it. See my longer review http://theeverdayteablog.blogspot.com/2012/07/paisley-tea-co-organic-double-earl-grey.html
Preparation
Drinking this one iced trying to stay cool and not get too hopped up on caffeine today. I’ll be drinking decaf Lipton iced this evening with mom and dad. I’ll do my best to pretend its this.
You should make this iced for your parents and serve it to them and then see if they notice the difference. ;)
They always have the tea made and setting on the counter when I arrive. I will have to try this though. I have taken my good stuff and fixed them a mug. The comments ranged from it tastes like tea to I guess you could get used to that. If only they were being sarcastic ;)
I was in a foul mood yesterday so I didn’t post. Slightly improved today and keeping my mood positive with more of my comfort teas. I love the taste and smell of gojiberry and pomagranate. Yum.
Had this for my morning cup so it must be Saturday ;)
Edit – while sipping this I was watching a gramma with her two grandsons. They had an I-pad or something similar they were tinkering with. They were all giggling and enjoying sharing with each other. I was really neat. I though of Bonnie and her wonderful stories of family.
I have been drinking a lot of ‘serious tea’ lately. I am overdue for a cup of mindless enjoyment. Grab some leaf without really measuring. Get some water hot but just shy of boiling. Go about 3 minutes. Add Splenda and relax. No analyzing the base. No deciding is this citrus, floral, or perfume. No caring about depth or complexity. Its comfort tea. Sweet!
As the temperature rises, the availability of brain cells for upper level reasoning—taste analysis included—decreases proportionately. I am currently the intellectual equivalent of a slug.
They were reporting us as 107 today. I only had a mere 103 at home. Pretty sure that is hard on slugs. Stay out of the sun and drink tea that does not require big words.