Lavender Earl Grey Biodegradable Pyramid Sachets

Thank you EPI tea for this sample!

This was the best sample I tasted from EPI tea. I’ll tell you why.

The experience was like dancing a Tango with a stranger. Slow, moody and with no emotion showing up front at first.
The flavor was a little malty and dry from the Black Tea, sweet and citrusy. The burgamot and lavender were subtle and slightly astringent at the finish. I liked it. I had no worries. Everything seemed controlled and very mellow.
(This still was in the beginning while the tea was very HOT.)

I added sugar as a tempting tease like a quick wide sweep of a satin shoe. Ah ha!
What returned was a coco malty taste. A candied lavender flower flavor with citrus burgamot. Such restraint was as breathless as a hard cheek to cheek glide across the dance floor. Intriguing.

The cooling of the tea increased, and with the cooling the bergamot and lavender flavors increased and became very pronounced. The finish was big and juicy citrus.
That finish grabbed me and threw me to the floor in a manner that said “You should have known better than to doubt my power and strength”.

Ah Earl…..I hope we dance again.

I got my samples from Epi Tea today, and of course I dove right in! There’s a long list of teas I should try first, but I was dying to taste this one. Lavender Earl Greys are some of my favorite EG blends, and while my current favorite blend is ETS’ Versailles Lavender I’m looking for one in teabag form. I know some loose-leaf fans have kind of a stigma against teabags, but I enjoy having an easy way to brew up a cup when I’m feeling sick or, well, lazy. ^^; Plus these are pyramid bags, so the tea does get to expand quite a bit.

This is a very soft EG. The bergamot, lavender and black base aren’t very assertive, but not in a negative way. It’s very much a tea for slow evenings where you can relax and unwind. In fact, I might have said this was an ear grey cream if I didn’t know better, it has that soft creamy vanilla background taste going on. The lavender is very nice, not overpowering, only slightly perfumey. I let it steep for 6 minutes+ on the second steep (kind of lost track of time!) and it was more agressively floral, which personally I like. This is the best bagged lavender EG I’ve tried!

I want to thank Kyle for this sample!

As soon as I added the hot water to the cup with the sachet in it – the water started turning color instantly! It does ‘brew’ to a dark brown. The lavender is not overly loud nor does it smack you in the face. The Earl Grey aroma is fairly mellow as well.

The flavor is different but in a very good way! First and foremost this is a creamier-lavender flavor upfront followed by a bergamotty EG – heavier on the beragmot but lighter on the stereotypical-astringent EG.

The longer I let the silk bag steep the more I noticed the lingering of the after taste. The aftertaste gets more floral.

This is a delightful Lavender Earl Grey…nice and creamy, too! Neat!

Thanks so much to Epi Tea for the pre-release sample of this!

Uh… this is kind of long. Sorry! Skip to the second half for the actual tea :)

Whew. Busy morning. I dropped my sister off at camp, came home, brewed and photographed this. I had computer issues. Panicked. I only have one tea bag, and I need the photo for my blog, and if I can’t get the pictures of the memory card, I can’t drink this tea yet! And of course it was time for work too. I changed into my uniform and drove all the way out there, punched in, rang out a customer, checked the schedule and realized that my 11-5 is next Tuesday, not this Tuesday. Sigh.

I punched out, changed back into street clothes, figured I might as well pick up some envelopes and school supplies while I was there. I was looking at notebooks, and a girl was complaining to her mum that the only notebooks we had were black or grey. I work there… even on my day off, I feel obligated to do what I can. Especially during Back to School season (our busiest). So I ran up the ladder and pulled a couple of boxes down for her. My boss walked by, just sort of shook his head in exasperation at me. Customer was happy, though, so that’s all good.

On to the tea. I didn’t put any milk or sugar in this, but I don’t need to. There’s usually too much bergamot in Earl Greys, but I didn’t get that impression with this one at all. The first flavor I get is lavender. Not overdone lavender, just lavender. Good. I haven’t had lavender in awhile, and I forgot how much I liked it! That’s intermingled with the black tea base (Ceylon? Assam?). And then, finally, at the very very end of the sip, almost in the aftertaste, comes a bit of the dry, soapy bergamot.

That sounds bad. It’s very, very good. It compliments the cool dryness of the lavender really really well, and it almost lends a texture more than a flavor.

I’ve found my Earl Grey. This is fantastic. I want to buy some as soon as it’s available!

Another day, another Epi Tea sachet to try out!

I wasn’t impressed at first sip while it was still decently hot. It does seem light on everything, but as it cools, it gets very lavender. Thankfully it does not get into the territory of soapy lavender. It’s very light on the bergamot, although I do get a bit of citrus. This is a pretty good EG if you want to like them but can’t handle too much bergamot. The black tea just fits in like a good little puzzle piece.

Even though it’s not my favorite thing in the world, I have to applaud Epi Tea for the perfect use of lavender. Usually I avoid it because it so easily tastes like soap but this is really good! I just wish it was a bit more Earl Grey tasting.

I didn’t care much for this one myself so I gave it to Lance he enjoyed it, he said it was a bit strong but that it was quite good.

First, THANK YOU to Epi Tea for this sample. This is my second pyramid, but I didn’t rate the first (BAD MADI) so let’s give it a try this go round.

Now, I am very glad this tea was on the TOP of my sample box because I couldn’t stand being in my tea pantry any longer smelling teas. I may or may not have consumed one too many margaritas at dinner last night so I may or may not be feeling like I’m going to collapse and die any second. I should stick to tea in the future.

Anyway, because of my lack of being a proper human being this morning, I made this tea in a fashion that will make you all gasp and cringe. I put one cup in the microwave for 2 minutes, and when the water was boiling, I dumped it over the tea bag waiting in another cup. Hey, I could have just stuck the whole cup, teabag and all in the microwave, so don’t judge me, ok?

When I poured the water onto the tea bag, however, I SWEAR it screamed. No, I’m still not drunk. I heard this hiiiigggghhhh pitch wailing coming from my cup. I looked to my dogs to make sure it wasn’t them whining, but they were looking at me so I knew it wasn’t them. Then they started barking, though, so I couldn’t hear the wailing… I put a lid on the cup, just in case.

Ohh, 4 minutes has passed now, time to remove my teabag! I mean sachet! And add a little soymilk… (Again, I know you’re going to cringe at my tea drinking habits)

First sip, the lavender hits you right away. It’s a perfectly soothing, calming lavender… Just what I need right now… The more I drink it’s as if I’m getting used to the lavender and the earl grey is peeking through more. It’s not a 100% in your face bergamont flavor, but that’s nice because I don’t want the flavors competing; I like the lavender taking charge and the earl grey just supporting it. I would definitely recommend this tea, even if you’re not a huge earl grey fan but are a lavender fan. Definitely want to enjoy lavender for this tea.

Mmmm off to enjoy the rest of this cup. It’s just what I needed this morning! :)

I got this in the free promotion awhile back… and it must’ve gotten buried in my samples pile. This is actually a really good tea. It’s mild and I can’t taste the lavender (a plus in my books) This is the best of the samples I’ve recieved from Epi Tea and a true pleasure to try :D

Wow, way better than expected. I say this because when it comes to earl grey of any kind I tend to be a bit picky. However, in this case I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised. No flavors were overwhelming and the lavender and bergamot played very well together. If I ever reach for an earl grey in the future. Chances are good it will be this one.

Thank you EPI for this sample. :)

Thanks Epi Tea for sending out these samples, I always love to try out new stuff!

Tried this tea early this morning before work, didn’t get a chance to write about it! I’m going to try my best and remember what I thought…

Lovely lavender smell, it’s also the flavor that comes across most in the tea. I don’t think I’ve had any lavender tea before and I really enjoyed it. I’m also pleased there’s another Earl Grey that I like (had a not so good experience with DT’s Cream of Earl Grey). Woohoo! The bergamot was there but was not overpowering which is great. Overall very nice. :) I re-steeped and got another light, but still decent cup.

I would definitely grab pick up some more of these, good easy morning “single serving” teas (I’ve been making a lot of pots of tea for my future mother-in-law while we stay here).

Thanks very much to Epi Tea for the pre-release sample.

A nice balance of Lavender and bergamot. For the first sachet I brewed this to the suggested time of 4 minutes. It was a little to long for me so the second sachet I did at 3 minutes. It was a little better for me. The first time I thought that the lavender over powered the bergamot a little too much for my taste. I drank this straight the first time and with a touch of cream the second time. Very nice the second time around. The first time I think I ruined it by leaving the bag in too long, the second time was the charm.

Thanks
so much for this.

Ingredients: Organic Black Tea, Organic Lavender Flowers, Organic Flavorings

I had bittersweet feelings about trying this last tea sample from Epi Tea.I felt nervous about trying this sample because I have yet to find a floral tea that I have enjoyed, however I am always excited to try a new tea.
I brewed the Lavender Earl Grey to boiling temperature. I steeped it for approximately five minutes.The tea came in a pyramid sachet that is biodegradable.
When I was drinking the tea, I noticed that I could barely taste any bergamot compared to what I usually taste in Earl Grey blends. The taste of lavender is definitely noticeable but not completely overpowering.The aroma has a fragrance of lavender and subtle hints of citrus from the bergamot.The liquor is a dark brown.
I would say that I would love this tea blend if they added a bit more of bergamot. I know that some tea drinkers love this because it’s different from the usual Earl Grey blends,but I believe that without more of a balance of the lavender and bergamot, I feel like it loses the essence of what I consider “Earl Grey” to be.

This sample was generously provided to me by Epi Tea. Thank you Kyle and the whole Epi Tea Team.

Dry Leaf:Had a soft lavender aroma.
Wet Leaf: Had a natural lavender aroma with just a splash of citrus which I associate with bergamot.
Liquor: Was dark in color.
Taste: Had a smooth and soft bergamot & lavender flavor with the lavender staying in the after taste.
Overall Opinion: I give this a 84 which is an average rating for me.
My personal opinion is the black tea needs to be amp up in this tea for a better base in this tea. My second opinion is it would have been nice to see this company do something different like add some lapsang souchong for a slight smokey taste and a deeper and richer flavor to this tea.
Vessel: SAMA DOYO Gongfu/ Kungfu teapot. 1 sachet in 220ml or 7oz. of water in the inner cup.

So this is my least favourite of the Samples that I received from Epi Tea and I think it’s largely because I don’t think I like lavender :) That being said the tea has a very pleasant aroma and a smooth taste to it…just not what I really enjoy.

Thanks sent out to Epi Tea for this sample! I love free samples, I sign up for free stuff all the time, including cat food samples even though I don’t have a cat. Stuff I can’t use I give away. But free tea? ohhhh yeah!

I assumed that this should be a boiling water temperature, wasn’t stated on the packaging.

STEEPED: Lavender with soft breezes of black tea. Clear dark brown tea.

TASTE: Black tea with a twang of lavender. No bitterness. I can’t really taste the bergamont… is it supposed to be in this tea? It isn’t listed specifically in the ingredients.

WHO’D LIKE THIS TEA: Black tea drinkers, someone wanting to try lavender tea.

COMMENTS: Good use of lavender – I’ve had a few lavender teas (but not a lavender earl grey) and they remind me of soap. Epi tea’s LEG has a good amount of lavender in it to be noticeable but not overpowering.

I don’t notice the bergamont whereas others who tea logged LEG noticed it. Maybe the lavender took over? Or it could be that I’m one of those freaks that drink double bergamont EG so I need a lot of beragmont to notice it? I dunno.

Overall, not bad and a nice relaxing tea.

Thank you Epi Tea for the samples! I am so excited to try the rest of them after this.

This was a beautiful steep, the leaves began to unfold and the water turned color as soon as I put in the pyramid tea bag. The flavor is mellow, a hint of cream, lavender, and bergamot. This is a delicious and smooth earl grey!

I had a nice cup of this tea today. When I opened the package, I could smell the soothing scent of lavender immediately. When I lifted the cup to my nose, I could small bergamont and lavander, but they were not in competition.

The first half of the cup, I drank straight. The flavors mingled nicely together. The second half of the cup, I added milk. I wanted to see if it would hold up nicely, and it did. I enjoyed the cup.

This tea would make a nice latte as well. I may just have to order more and see.

Thanks!

Out of all of the Epi Teas, this is the one I was most excited to try. I have never had lavender in a tea before and didn’t know what to expect.

When I brewed this it made more a of brownish color then a reddish black tea liquor. the leaves in the bags were bigger then I thought they would be. They filled up the entire bag! The smell of it was nice and balanced, since I thought the lavender might be over powering. The initial taste worried me, cause it had a soapy after taste. However, I think this was attributed to morning mouth. As it cooled a bit and tasted again I found that this tea bag made a wonderful cup. The bergamont flavor was there, but not over powering. The lavender wasn’t over powering either, and I think it added a nice creamy and slightly floral tasted to it. I think I should have brewed till around 4 minuets though, since it came out a bit bitter, but not overly.

I am really happy with this tea. I think when it comes out I will buy some more to have good bagged tea on hand.

Specifics
Water: 14oz (I think)
Bags: 1
Method: Mug Brew
Sweetener: 1 1/2 TBL

Overall I would recommend this to a friend who likes Earl Grey and wants to try something different.

I just received my free samples from EpiTea, and I had to go straight for this one — it seems to be one of their more well-liked teas on Steepster, and I’m a nut for anything floral even though I’m not much of a bergamot person.

In the sachet, this seems like a pretty typical tea. There’s not a huge number of lavender buds, but they’re visible and I can smell the lavender as well. The dominating scent, however, is something I can’t place… it doesn’t smell like tea or bergamot, so the only other thing I can think of is it being the sachet itself. In any case, the liquor itself has exactly the scent I would expect (it smells like, well, the ingredients, although it’s not very strong) so I can’t complain.

Tasting it… this is nice! The initial flavor is lavender, which I appreciate and am mildly impressed by considering the lavender-to-black tea ratio. The second half of the sip tastes more of the base, a black that’s very strong and spicy — the aftertaste actually leaves the same burning feeling in the back of my throat that I usually only get from spicy food. (Disclaimer: I am very sensitive to spicy food) That’s not to say that I dislike it, but I would have preferred a more delicate base.

Oh, right… this is an earl grey! I never would have guessed or noticed if I hadn’t been told; I can’t taste even a bit of bergamot. That’s fine by me, although now I’m curious as to what it would be like if EpiTea had gone for a less flavorful base and a greater amount of bergamot.

Overall, I’m digging the lavender content of this tea even though the black tea that was selected could have been better for me! It’s a solid offering from this new company.

Thanks to Epi Tea for the sample!

I was a bit nervous to try this tea due to the lavender flavoring—I have always been a fan of plain Earl Grey tea, spiked with noticeable amounts of Bergamot. I was pleasantly surprised to discover, however, that this tea was not overwhelming in the least. There is a perfect amount of lavender flavoring and does not interfere with the nature of Earl Grey. My only recommendation would be to have some Bergamot flavoring into the tea, if only a little bit. Otherwise, great tea!