Versailles Lavender Earl Grey

of the 14 teas i tasted today, this was among the top 3. the bergamot was very subtle but the lavender was just right.

hm, i wonder how it will turn out if i mix it with some EG?

i like it but buy it? maybe. will have to try other lavender EGs :)

thanks to Azzrian for this sample!

I really love the idea of lavender Earl Grey because, well, I like bergamot and I like lavender, so why not? But I have found that lavender is a tricky beast in teas, even for someone who loves florals, so finding the right blend is difficult. Here’s another lavender Earl Grey for me to try, this one from a swap with aisling of tea. Thanks!

The dry leaf on this one smells pretty nice, but I find that’s usually the case with these teas. Steeped, I get strong black tea aroma with some lavender and a hint of bright bergamot. The scent of this tea reminded me of something from my childhood, and I finally placed it: the smell of the soap while I was washing my horse. I know, not the best olfactory association for tea. :P So I didn’t expect to like this tea, but I was surprised. The taste actually isn’t soapy, as long as I can get past the aroma. The black tea base is really smooth, and the lavender is herby and fairly strong. The sips I take vary from slightly bitter to rather pleasant, which is a bit weird to me. I wonder if I need to steep it a slightly shorter time to bring the lavender down just a notch. As far as the Earl Grey portion of this goes, I don’t get a lot that says “hey I’m an Earl Grey”, but you know there’s something there that keeps it from being just a lavender black. I don’t think this one is completely successful as a lavender Earl Grey to me, but it’s also not a bad tea all around.

Thanks to ColumbiaKate for the sample! I think I found the right tea… if not, lemme know and I’ll move things around.

I’m not normally a big earl grey fan. The term “watery fruit loops” is often a description I use. But I love lavender tea so I thought I’d take a risk on this.

When I sip, I only taste a subtle hint of lavender and plenty of bergamot (normally I am not a fan) and citrus. But somehow the medley works. This reminds me of the Lady Earl Grey from Twinings. It’s light on the Earl Grey (good riddance!) but still tastes bright and citrusy. The lavender complements the citrus just fine.

I may actually gasp purchase this one. It’s bold and strong, but the EG isn’t all in your face. Great for this morning – Monday morning, getting back into the work mode…