This was another of the free samples The Teaguy sent me to review. Truth be told, I was not looking forward to this one all that much. While I love traditional Earl Grey blends, my limited experience with the creamier, sweeter variants that seem to have become so popular in recent years has played a small role in reinforcing my disdain for many flavored/scented contemporary blends. This one went all out with the cream. It was a very sweet blend, precisely the sort of blend that does not normally appeal to me.
I prepared this tea in the Western style. I steeped one teaspoon of loose material in approximately 8 ounces of 194 F water for 5 minutes. No additional infusions were attempted.
Prior to infusion, the dry tea blend emitted powerful aromas of vanilla, toffee, custard, bergamot, and orange candy. After infusion, I found stronger aromas of vanilla, toffee, custard, bergamot, and orange candy. In the mouth, the smooth, creamy tea liquor offered robust notes of cream and bergamot on the entry that gave way to impressions of toffee, custard, caramel chews, orange candy, vanilla, and malt. The finish was smooth and sweet, featuring lingering caramel chew, toffee, and orange candy notes backed by hints of bergamot.
To be fair, I knew that The Teaguy was going for a sweet Earl Grey blend with over-the-top creaminess here. Mission accomplished. This blend was exactly as it was intended to be in that regard. The problem for me was that this was not the sort of Earl Grey blend I like. I’m not into tea blends with a persistent, candy-like sweetness, and that is what this was. People who are into sweeter teas may like this one, but it was not and likely never will be for me.
Flavors: Bergamot, Candy, Caramel, Cream, Custard, Malt, Orange, Toffee, Vanilla
