Another new try for tonight — but only a sample packet. I was looking for something that would suit the heat, and this jumped out at me from among my current selection. I like the idea of earl grey and fruit, so I’m looking forward to this one.
Dry, this smells overpoweringly of bergamot. I hope it’s not so strong brewed, or I may struggle with it. I’m a little surprised to read that there’s jasmine blossoms in here…I guess that’s what’s contributing the heavily floral edge. At the moment, it’s not looking like the light, delicate tea I was hoping for, but I guess we’ll see. I can see quite a lot of small fruit pieces among the black tea base, so that’s encouraging. The idea of papaya and strawberry are really appealing to me at the moment, so I hope they’re detectable when this is brewed.
I gave this three minutes in boiling water, and added a splash of milk. That’s usually how I roll with EGs until I feel I’ve sussed them out. Brewed, this is actually really nice. There isn’t much hint of fruit in the scent, but strawberry comes out clearly in the taste. The milk makes it slightly creamy, and it’s reminding me a little of strawberry yoghurt. The papaya is pretty lost, but it might come out better were this left black. I’ll try that next time. The bergamot and jasmine are pretty subtle, although they add a bit of a sharp tang to the aftertaste. It’s by no means unpleasant, though; the slight bitterness contrasts well with the fruity sweetness, and this is an earl grey after all — where would it be without its bergamot? Fortunately, it’s well balanced, with a smooth, malty base, and the two aspects — fruit and earl grey — come together as a convincing and interesting whole. I wasn’t sure that it’d work initially, but it does, and I’m glad I gave it a chance. One I’ll definitely enjoy coming back to in the near future!
