I bought this tea as “Lavender Earl Grey” from The Angry Tea Room some time ago. This is one of my favorite Earl Grey blends. I used to hate bergamot, but once I adapted my palate to its flavor, I initially was most interested in EG blends, that would take the edge off it slightly by including a few other flavors to play with, and since I love lavender, this seemed a good fit for me. Even better, this blend also incorporated the typical “Earl Grey Creme” vanilla and creme flavorings.
The leaf smells heavenly; the bergamot and vanilla remind me of a lemon meringue or key lime pie, because it is so citrusy but desserty at the same time, and there is a sweet, slightly minty lavender aroma that mixes beautifully with that sweet citrus scent.
The warm cup is lovely; a lot of lavender teas I try are either too heavy-handed on the lavender, so it comes out with a sort of floral-bitterness, or way too light on the lavender, so you don’t really taste its flavor at all. This one has just the right balance. The base tea is nice and dark but the astringency is quite mild compared to most Earl Greys I’ve tried (which I appreciate!), and there is this nice blend of bergamot and lavender flavors that hit the tongue mid-sip, with the lavender lingering a touch in the aftertaste. Occassionally the creme notes come through on the roof of my mouth; it’s a subtle note, and I think it mostly pulls back the base from having that strong bite that I often get in Earl Greys; this one is much more smooth.
I enjoy this plain, but the flavor is just perfect to take London Fog style as a latte with vanilla almond milk. It adds a delightful creaminess and the vanilla almond milk pushes the vanilla and creme notes to the forefront a bit.
This tea makes a fantastic iced Arnold Palmer, which is how I’ve prepared it today. I made a strong brew of four tsp. to two cups water, hot brewed, which I mixed with two cups lemonade, and then let the tea chill in the fridge overnight before drinking. It is divine! The sweet vanilla/creme note still comes through as a sort of natural sweetness to the iced tea, and the lavender and bergamot are such complimentary flavors to the citrus of the lemonade. I could drink this stuff all summer! Easily one of the best iced teas I’ve had yet.
This is just such a versatile tea that can be enjoyed so many ways in many different weather conditions. I plan to always keep it in my cupboard.
Flavors: Bergamot, Citrus, Cream, Lavender, Malt, Smooth
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I dislike bergamot on Ceylon but like it on Keemun. And like you, I enjoy it with some other flavors to counteract the sour taste.
This is one of my favorites from Angry Tea Room. They still have it on the site… for now.
@ashmanra: I’ve adapted to it more and more the more I’ve had it, though it definitely depends on exactly what kind of bergamot flavoring/oil is being used, and with what sort of base (ya, the natural citrus notes in ceylon can definitely push it over the edge depending on the flavoring, or if it is used with too heavy of a hand…) I definitely have started narrowing down to my EG favorites, I think. I think my favorite plain EG is Steven Smith Teamakers, and if I’m not mistaken, that one is on a Chinese black base and has this sort of natural black currant sort of flavor to me. This and 52Teas Foggy Coconut are probably my favorite among the flavored EGs.
Good to know! I do like Harney’s Earl Grey Supreme pretty, and Nina’s of Pairs had one that was my very favorite for a plain Earl because it was a solid Keemun base, but they switched to Ceylon years ago and ruined it for me. I don’t even like high grown Ceylon like Uva Highlands and Lover’s Leap much as it is, so adding more citrus to it reallt does push it over the edge for me.
I dislike bergamot on Ceylon but like it on Keemun. And like you, I enjoy it with some other flavors to counteract the sour taste.
This is one of my favorites from Angry Tea Room. They still have it on the site… for now.
@ashmanra: I’ve adapted to it more and more the more I’ve had it, though it definitely depends on exactly what kind of bergamot flavoring/oil is being used, and with what sort of base (ya, the natural citrus notes in ceylon can definitely push it over the edge depending on the flavoring, or if it is used with too heavy of a hand…) I definitely have started narrowing down to my EG favorites, I think. I think my favorite plain EG is Steven Smith Teamakers, and if I’m not mistaken, that one is on a Chinese black base and has this sort of natural black currant sort of flavor to me. This and 52Teas Foggy Coconut are probably my favorite among the flavored EGs.
Good to know! I do like Harney’s Earl Grey Supreme pretty, and Nina’s of Pairs had one that was my very favorite for a plain Earl because it was a solid Keemun base, but they switched to Ceylon years ago and ruined it for me. I don’t even like high grown Ceylon like Uva Highlands and Lover’s Leap much as it is, so adding more citrus to it reallt does push it over the edge for me.