Earl Grey Supreme

A fairly basic earl grey, far too mild for my tastes and best drunk sans milk. Where is that ass-kicking, face-slapping bergamot explosion that my mind conjured up with the word “supreme”? This earl grey succeeds in being supremely mild.

In my never-ending quest for a supremely-great earl grey, I’m brought to Rishi’s offering. Unfortunately, this rather pricey blend will prove to be no rainmaker.

Opening the bag, the bergamot scent is on the lemony-side and ample, without being too overpowering. Acceptable start. My issues don’t lie with with bergamot. Upon tasting, I’m surprised at this earl grey’s black tea base. Using a Keemun/Yunnan blend, the base is rather bitter with some late astringency. It’s a dry bitterness without any redeeming value. Lifeless, barren, and dare I say, possibly stale. The citrus flavor fails to cover up this dehydrating crime.

It feels like Rishi took a lesser quality black tea base, masked it with the bergamot, and decided to slap a ‘supreme’ on the name. After drinking a pot of this, I feel like I just camped out in the desert and my mouth is suffering from a drought. A tall glass of ice water and some rain would be nice.

The smell is promising, bright bergamot and cola, but the taste is flat and a little soapy. Pretty one dimensional – bergamot. No real bitterness to speak of. Mildly astringent. Brews up dark brown. A mild afternoon tea. I no longer feel the need to nap, so it did the trick.

A solid well-rounded version, with good black depth and a nice bristling bergamot. Rarely over-astringent, very smooth, and a bit buttery. My go-to quick strong morning tea.