Fairmont Earl Grey

This was another tea I had the opportunity to try while I had Afternoon Tea at the Empress. Straight up, this Earl Grey lacked balance. The steeped tea itself was very aromatic thanks to the bergamot, but taste-wise, the bergamot was a little weak. And the tea base was too astringent for my liking. Perhaps they steeped it longer than I would have liked, who knows, but the astringency took everything over. It’s the kind of astringency that leaves an almost dry feeling in the mouth.

A disappointment, but there’s no loss, quite frankly. There are much better Earl Greys out there that brighten my day.

Just for kicks I thought I’d try one of the bagged teas I had sitting around, and was very pleasantly surprised by this one. The bergamot to tea ratio is not out of the ordinary, but there’s a fruity component to the flavor that is quite compelling. My guess is that it’s coming from the Ceylon tea they used as a base, which was slightly malty and astringent in a good way.

Ok last tea that I tried this weekend at the Empress hotel in Victoria BC that I am going to write about. I tried this during one of my breaks and found the bergamot was quite strong but the base not as strong as I would have liked compared to the scent of the bergamot. Still can’t complain not a bad tea; variations could be due to brewing conditions. I was lucky enough to have quite a selection of fairmont teas to choose from throughout our conference!