Earl Grey Enchantment

This is a very pleasant Earl Grey rooibos. The rooibos is sweet and slightly nutty but the flavor doesn’t intrude onto the bergamot which is important to me as I LOVE bergamot.

This is remarkably satisfying for a rooibos blend. There is an earthiness to the background that gives it some solidity, it doesn’t taste as rich or strong as a black tea, of course, but it has a certain substance to it … it doesn’t taste thin like some rooibos blends that I’ve tried. This is pretty darned good!

I’m really surprised this tastes so much like Earl Grey without having black tea in it! The Rooibos Base gives it the natural sweetness but not overly so. Just enough Rooibos flavor, ya know!? The Earl Grey Flavors are intense but not chemical tasting! I actually like this much more than I thought I would! Thumbs up, Talbott!!!

I bought this tea with a groupon deal just at the beginning of the time when I decided I really should be drinking more tea (aka, the beginning of my recent tea addiction). I knew I liked Earl Greys, I was clueless enough to completely not notice that this was a rooibos and not a black tea when I ordered it (I knew the difference, I just blithely assumed that all Earl Greys would be black tea). So I was suprised when I opened the tin to find rooibos leaves!

In any case, despite my slight disappointment that this wasn’t a black tea, I do really enjoy it. The bergamot is well rounded and prominent but not overbearing, and the rooibos makes a very pleasant base tea. It’s great for when I want an Earl Grey without caffeine in the evening. I think next time I might brew it even longer to make it stronger, since rooibos has the benefit of not getting bitter.