Smooth Earl

ANOTHER WEIRD CRAVING! AGAIN when I got home today, I had a huge craving for some Earl Grey! So, this is what I’m brewing up! I’ve had one other tea from Compass Teas and it was pretty tasty so I’m hoping this one is too!

I LOVE the combination of bergamot and vanilla, it’s one of my favorites! This one smells like the two and there’s not one scent fighting another, which makes it basically smell like heaven (I use that simile a lot….). I added milk and sugar because 9/10 when I drink Earl Grey, milk and sugar are added (the remaining 1/10 is when the tea doesn’t have a black base). This one is super yummy! Creamy (the milk helps :P), sweet, and very satisfying while still being able to be relaxing. I really like this one! I see an order from Compass coming somewhere in the near future (although, I say that about every company!).

This one is definitely doing its job at relaxing me. I’m in the midst of studying for all of my AP exams and I’m SUUUUPER stressed. For those who don’t know, AP stands for Advanced Placement and they are certain classes (for instance, this year I’m in AP Art History and AP United States History, and next year I’m taking AP Government and Politics, Psychology, and English Language and Composition). The classes are the highest level possible at MOST schools (including mine) and they’re very challenging. In early May, you have the opportunity to take an AP exam, in which you take everything you’ve learned in the year and then apply it to a test. If you get a good score (the exams are graded on a scale from 1-5), then you can earn potential college credit. Plus, the classes look good on college applications. I’m currently studying for my two exams that are in less than 3 weeks and I’m SO stressed. I got two books that I plan on reading on the 8 hour drive to Philly this weekend. Anyways, my rant aside, this tea was really yummy!

I see we meet again, Monday.
Earl Grey is definitely required for Mondays.
When I spotted this sample from TeaEqualsBliss I thought I would give it a try.
Smooth Earl, eh?
Well, My Earl is normally more of the strong, silent type, but maybe I would like to try a Smooth Earl for a change.
Is he going to tell me how I look real hot in this old tee shirt with my hair a mess this morning?
Or how it musta hurt when I fell from heaven.
Or some other smooth line.
Well, lets see…dry, the leaves are not overly bergamot-y but it is there.
Scent of the tea is almost a cologne-like bergamot, not strong but different then some of the bergamot’s I am used too.
There is supposed to be a hint of vanilla, but I am not getting that when I smell the tea.
Taste is good, I can taste the bergamot and the black tea is nice and smooth.
Still no vanilla.
Overall, a nice Earl Grey.
He has flattered me enough to get me moving on this Monday Morning.

I can’t believe this one wasn’t in the steepster database!

This is a very creamy/vanilla-scented Earl Grey. I always look for twists on earl greys because I like to see how different they can be but still be classified as an earl grey. I know there are some people out there that stand by the phrase “Leave My Earl Alone” but not me…I love the variety, the creativeness, the uniqueness!

Again, this aroma is delightful! black tea, bergamot, creame, vanilla, ahhhh!

The taste is VERY creamy! The cream and vanilla both town down the bergamot and I really like this. Lately I have had a lot of EG’s that overdue it with the bergamot or use a really REALLY funky bergamot flavoring and it tends to be bitter or leave that strange aftertaste. Not this one! This is pretty darn good right here! VERY smooth…darn near the smoothest tea I have ever had. Some may say the bergamot isn’t strong enough but I really like the way this one plays out!

Delightful!

I really like this one. I’m quite picky when it comes to cream Earl Grey teas because I had a blend that I considered the best. But since I am not doing that anymore, this one would certainly substitute fine for it. It is smooth, creamy and delicious, but has enough bergamot in it so that I know I’m drinking an Earl Grey.

Very nice!

Oh! I forgot to thank TeaEqualsBliss for this! Thanks!!!

One of my various goals in life (shared with a lot of others, judging from the many discussion topics on Steepster) has been to find that elusive perfect Earl Grey for my palate. Given my preference for vanilla flavors in anything, I’m focusing my Earl Grey search on the cream variety.

I ordered this one as a part of my massive Compass Teas order recently, and the first thing I did was compare it with Upton’s version, which I’ve got a ton of still and which the boyfriend uses as his work tea. Ugh, I am so jealous he has the time to even steep and mess with loose leaf at work. The perks of an office job!

I’ve had a pretty limited experience with EGC so far – Teavana’s and Upton’s. The Teavana EGC was WAY too strong on the bergamot smell more than anything – it was really overdone. It gave me a headache to have any more than one cup, even though it tasted okay. The Upton pricepoint and non-headache inducing quality was what made me choose what I’ve been drinking ever since.

When comparing this to Upton, the Compass EGC was actually much more vanilla/cream heavy – I’d never noticed before but Upton’s Earl Grey has almost a lemony note mixed in with the bergamot. From smell alone, this is looking pretty good!

My biggest problem with Upton’s earl grey when steeped is how dingy it looks. It has a thin mouthfeel and when I add milk (whole milk, mind you) it turns greyish and still is really flimsy in texture. I was worried about whether this would be just a general characteristic of all Earls, because texture is a deal breaker for me. I can’t do a tea, no matter how nicely flavored, if the mouthfeel is flat. And from what I remember of the Teavana variety, it also seemed to be a bit weak on texture – though that could have been because there was SO MUCH flavoring it was overwhelming the base.

Luckily it doesn’t seem to be a problem here! There is no dishwater look to the tea when milk is added (I wonder if that was from the added flavoring used in the other one?) and it has a nicely full body! Cream is stronger than bergamot here, which is perfect for my preferences. It did well with sugar or without, and played nicely with milk. Yay for a well rounded tea!

And double yay for having several ounces of it to enjoy!