The Earl's Garden

holy crap strawberry!
the smell is almost too too sweet!
i bet this will be an amazing summer tea. which is not really what i was expecting at all, but i sure am kinda thrilled by it.
but more importantly…. LOOK!!!
http://instagram.com/p/WurPoDIc1x/

and bonus! the samples Davids sent me are Copabanana, Pom Tango, and Coconut Oolong! yay the exact new samples i need :) i will try all the teaz!

This is another tea that DaisyChubb sent my way! Thanks so much!

This smells neat…gentle fruit! I actually started my day with this one so it’s sort of a back-log…I had 2 cups…the first one with cooler water…warm not hot. The cooler of the two attempts I could taste the fruit more and not as much EG. It was juicy and pleasing. The 2nd Cup I did the RIGHT WAY with HOT water! The EG was strong and teh bergamot and various berry fruits were neat! This was a nice surprise twist on Earl Grey!

This is another tea from my swap with DaisyChubb! Be prepared to see a bunch of notes on teas from that swap, heh.

I wanted to try this one because of the Earl Grey + red fruits (basically) flavoring, which would be similar to the bergamot, red fruits and jasmine tea I brought back from Argentina (minus the jasmine, of course). I read some reviews so I’m not expecting much bergamot flavor, but I did get a bright hit of it in the scent of the dried leaf along with a decent amount of berries. Right after brewing the tea smelled like black tea, berries and bergamot in that order, but after cooling a bit the berries take over. A lot of strawberry, a hint of raspberry and black currant.

The first sip on this was incredibly bitter! So disappointing. Remember that I’m very sensative to bitterness in teas, and someone else had problems with bitterness, so I should have known better than to brew it at boiling, I guess. Beyond the bitterness I can taste that it is very, powerfully fruity. Even without the bitterness this doesn’t seem like quite the right flavoring for me. The black tea base also errs on that side of whatever black that I really don’t like the taste of (and often that’s where the bitterness is coming from).

A tale of two packages: a love story between USPS and inconsistency.
Package one, from 52teas. USPS delivery expected 7/30. As you can see, no. Though I have already figured out when they give you an expected delivery date you can automatically add at least a day to it. (Don’t people pay for this service too? You’d think for a profit they’d try to be right!)
Package two, from DavidsTea. Has to cross a border, says 4-10 business days. So it ships Friday (essentially early Saturday) and is delivered today.
Ah, USPS. You are an enigma.

So last week or whenever, I used up the rest of my Zhena’s Raspberry Earl Grey and wanted to try something different especially since I picked up that tin of sachets for so little. This seemed like something similar and it’d give me the $50 needed for free shipping, so into my cart it went.

This is definitely a less harsh EG compared to the other one. I like the combination of different berries, it gives it more of a complex flavor in the fruit. Not as strong as the other one, but overall this one is definitely an EG I can handle. No over the top bergamot, it’s just right. Agave definitely brought out the berry flavors a bit more.

I made it iced, for the record. Definitely didn’t make it with boiling water because I rarely trust DT blends with it.

Another sample of Thank You tea from DaisyChubb.

I think this one tastes more like a berry tea than an Earl Grey, but the bergamot is in there. Usually, if I am craving Earl Grey, I don’t want to have to search for it. While this is good, it is not likely one that I will purchase. Thank you so much for the sample! I think I will be filling the cart with Chocolate Rocket, Buttered Rum (yes, I am now stocking this one for the Zombie Apocolypse), and Pumpkin Chai. Yayyyy! It will be my first order at David’s!

The beau loves this tea. I love this tea. How have we not drank it since january? Obviously, it is time! This was one of our first David’s Tea purchases, which means it’s getting on in age. 8 months or so? It’s been sealed in it’s tin in a dark cool cupboard though, so honestly, it smells the same to me. Yummy fruity, berry sort of a smell. Not much of an earl grey, which is exactly what we were looking for. If you want an earl grey, have an earl grey. If you want a fruity diversion, have this!

The steeped smell is much more of a classic earl grey, but you can still smell the fruit. David’s Tea website mentions strawberries, black currants and blackcurrants – these flavours are brought to us by added flavouring, although there are chunks of strawberry in the tea. I have no problem with added flavouring, especially when it’s admitted to, but the strawberries are a very attractive addition to the tea. I love DT’s consideration of aesthetics.

Firs sips are fruity, with a subtle earl grey flavour. I’ve described it before as Froot Loops, but I find the additional berries sort of mask that flavour. I presume it’s the flavour of the bergamot…we have such a tricky relationship, bergamot and I. Anyway, this is still as delicious to me as it was in the beginning. I love it!

Another delicious tea from DAVIDsTEA! I did my homework and read some comments about this tea’s propensity for bitterness so I steeped it for 3 minutes and added a little demerara sugar. LOVE! Think Paris but with black currant predominant instead of berry (this has berry too, but it’s not the first thing I taste). Not bergamot-y but it’s in there somewhere like Paris, too.

A fine addition to my fruity blacks. We are having the most miserable rainy Monday, and this is bringing a smile to my face!

Well, this won’t replace Adagio’s TARDIS or Shanti Teas’ Raspberry Earl Grey. I want that fancy fruity mouthfeel those other teas gave me.

Right now I’m getting fruit and earl grey and a bit of vanilla but so much bergamot! So much! So, I’ll just rate this later.

Forgot that I had picked up a small sample bag of this at the store when I was on holiday. I already have a bag of Earl Grey Creme from Teavana (and only drink it when I have a cold), but the scent of the dry leaf was just too delicious smelling not to try this.
I’m not sick, but I was in the mood for an Earl Grey tonight. And this is the first time I’ve had this, but the second it hit my tongue all I could think was “My GOD that’s beautiful”.
I was afraid this might be overly floral or bitter. Not so. Used boiling water and a 5 minute steep. The Earl Grey and bergamot are definitely present, however the berry is also very much there too. There is a little bit of floral in the back of the sip, but it’s not overwhelming and really adds to the experience. Added a little sugar and it really brought out the sweetness of the berries.
This is SO much better than Teavana’s Earl Grey Creme. I absolutely love this tea. It reminds me of Victorian ladies in gloves and gowns sipping tea in a garden in the afternoon. I’ll be getting a tin of this the moment I get through my current bag of Earl Grey (if I get this now, I’ll NEVER use that up).
This is a great “drink anytime” tea. Any time of day, any time of year, any mood. So many teas are “summer” or “fall/winter” teas, or “morning” or “evening” teas, or are for when you want to sleep, or when you want something sweet, etc. This one is just good for anytime, and it’s beautiful.

I had run out of this one and I’m glad that I finally bought some more. It’s a great morning tea and since I broke up with my boyfriend yesterday and will almost definitely never see him again, I needed something bright to cheer me up. And earl greys are my favourite anyway. I enjoy it on the second steep too.

Every once in a while, I start to crave an Earl. My wife had this one last night and it just smelled so good! Mmmm. So I’m enjoying a cuppa this morning in my new winter Winnie The Pooh mug. It’s nice and fruity and the bergamot doesn’t take over, which is always my complaint with Earls.

Love this one. I might need to make this my work tea today…

Yes. This is the tea for me.
I didn’t get a lot, if any, of fruity chunks like in the photo up there, but frankly I don’t care.
because dry, I smell BLACKCURRANT. Ever had Fruitips? Best candy ever. Smells just like that. I oversteeped a bit, but I also don’t care. Because DANG it’s good tea!

The bergamot is not overpowering at all, in fact it’s barely there, dancing with the black currant essence. I suggest a first steep closer to the 4 min side than the 6 minute side.

It’s sweet in the smell like candy but not too sweet in the taste. It’s perfect! (for me, disclaimer. haha)

This would be a totally different experience with a splash of cream and agave. Like berries and cream. yes. Next cup!

This was a surprise in a tea swap I did with ladykittykat (btw, I totally think I came out ahead in that. If you want more of those tea flowers, please let me know). And it was a wonderful surprise.

The smell of of the unbrewed tea was equally sweet and floral, and it reminded me of the taste of honey suckle nectar when the dew was still on the ground, and we would pick the flowers on the way to school to get at the nectar before the heat of the day.

So imagine my surprise when in the first infusion (1.5 tsp), the bergamot is LOUD and really BITTER. Sorry to shout, but the floral notes really got drowned out there. Usually, I like bergamot’s bitterness, but I think I’m just not used to the concentration that they suggest for brewing. However, adding a tsp of honey smoothed and mellowed the flavor of the tea. It was still on the strong side, but the honey smoothed the floral notes in with the bergamot and I got more of the honeysuckle back in the smell.

The second infusion was on the weak side as far as the tea was concerned. The floral taste came through with a tsp of honey.

I really like this, and I think if I can find the best brewing times for my taste, I might have to order some.

This is really more of a strawberry tea than an earl grey. It really tastes like a delicate strawberry and when lightly steeped it balances with the bergamot and earl grey well. When oversteeped (which I sadly do too often) The blackcurrant comes out and makes the blend pretty bitter. I couldn’t taste the tea at all when it got to that state.

I LOVE this tea!! (I will admit I’m a sucker for anything Earl Grey-related) The berries compliment the bergamot perfectly, and it’s a great tea to have at any time of the day. I’ve found that I prefer it with both milk and a sugar cube, but it is sweet enough on its own (depending on my mood). I would recommend this for anyone who likes Earl Grey, breakfast tea, or anything fruity!

First steep: No cream or sugar. Sweet with a hint of tartness. I don’t taste the EG much in this at all?
Second steep: One sugar, one cream. Also steeped for longer since I wasn’t sure how much it had been weakened. Even better! Definitely a favourite.

Drinking this one last time before I send it off with the boy, since it just doesn’t do it for me (and he’s an Earl Grey fan). However, since I haven’t ever properly reviewed it, I figured I should do so before getting rid of it!

The dry leaf smells like a good (to me) Earl Grey; lots of flavour and bergamot and a big POW of a delicious florally-berry scent. That’s the reason I bought it, hoping that delicious berry/floral scent would be predominant. The smell of the steeped tea retains the delicious scent, which makes my mouth water every time.

And I have to admit… today the tea actually is pretty good. I meant to steep it for four minutes but missed the timer going off, so I’m not sure how long the tea ball was in there. Probably only an extra minute or so. It’s reflected in the small amount of astringency I can taste, although it’s not nearly as strong as the last time. And I can actually taste the berries this time! Exciting! I do like Earl Grey’s, but I’m so accustomed to drinking them loaded with milk and sugar that my mouth rebels a bit when the creaminess isn’t there (which is why by contrast, I can drink Cream of Earl Grey just fine).

So. Looks like this one isn’t the washout I thought it was, but I’m still sending it away :P I can always buy more later, and right now I’m preoccupied with trying other sorts of tea.

Hmm.. ok, as I’m drinking it down with a freshly made oatmeal raisin cookie and some dried mulberries (did you know Bulk Barn has them?? I’m SO adding extra to Gold Rush next time I buy it!) I am actually rather enjoying its lack of sweetness, but can’t much taste the berry flavour anymore. Oh well!

Hmm.. ok, as I’m drinking it down with a freshly made oatmeal raisin cookie and some dried mulberries (did you know Bulk Barn has them?? I’m SO adding extra to Gold Rush next time I buy it!) I am actually rather enjoying its lack of sweetness, but can’t much taste the berry flavour anymore. Oh well!ETA: A second steep is weak, but still drinkable, with a lingering floral scent. I think that’s as far as I’d take this one though.

Holy berries Batman! I’m not really a fan of fruity teas, but we wanted to give this one a try because I’m getting hooked on bergamont. In the tin the scent of berries seems artificial and altogether too strong, and it is overpowering in the [hot] cup. Our tin sat untouched in the cupboard for ages and I was about to throw it out when I tried cold-brewing it to make some iced tea. It was amazing!! I was really impressed at the smooth flavor of the brew that didn’t have even the slightest hint of bitterness. Oh, and it had the most wonderful body! It was the first time I have ever experienced a thick cold-brew liquor. As a hot tea, I would not recommend it at all unless you really really like berries. Then you should still save your money and just buy some berries and some good tea. But if you are a cold-brewer than for sure try this one out!

I love the smell of strawberry here. Although it’s more strawberry candy smell then genuine strawberries. But it’s helping drown out the bergamot, which I’m not too fond of.

Yes! I’m enjoying this one. I may add a touch of agave and see what happens but I’m liking it as is too :) Finally a variation of Earl Grey I can drink and enjoy :)

I’ve been super impressed with DT’s black teas…they are so good and sexy and take classic recipes and make them memorable Cream of Earl Grey and English Rose are just two examples of this fantastic trend that I couldn’t be happier about!

This tea just smells so amazing..like Earl Grey kicked up to 11.
The Bergamot is super heavy and the fruit bits of strawberry and the blue cornflowers make it come alive and I just want to drown in it..

I’m already totally head over heels and I haven’t even drunk it yet.

Being as super familiar with DT’s black teas as I am I made sure to only put in a shallow teaspoon..but kept the 5 minute steep time so we’ll see!
Hopefully the bitterness will not take over..sometimes it takes a lot of fussing to get it just right but it’s worth it.

Once brewed the smell of berries take over completely so I hope this doesn’t overwhelm the Earl Grey profile too much but damn it still smells good.(I do love my fruit!)

First taste and it is refreshingly and surprisingly light with a fruity taste..doesn’t have the full Grey profile but it has the Bergamot kick.
I think it would make a lovely iced tea…no Salted Caramel but not EVERY tea can be perfect.

This is a lovely light black tea.I do not love it as much as Cream of Earl Grey but it’s yummy and is a Earl Grey..wish it was a little more heavy but
I think this tea will grow on me.