Mount Gray

This one was sent to me by Auggy along with a bunch of other different EGs, one of which I have to admit, we already had. No matter though. I must also admit that out of all the flavours with which to flavour tea, bergamot is among my least favourite. I don’t dislike it as such. I just don’t find it very interesting. So, I suspect Auggy is going to try and convert me. Taste Twins, after all. Very well, I trust her, so I will step up to the challenge.

I was drinking this cup while cooking, and that is not the best sort of environment to go into a lot of detail about individual notes and aromas and what have yous, so this will be quite superficial.

One of my problems with EG is the fact that bergamot often strikes me as a floral kind of flavour. All dusty and grey, like an attic nobody has bothered to look into for a few decades. If the tea is very heavily flavoured with bergamot, this is the sort of impression I get of it. Like licking a dusty shelf. It reminds me of a time when I helped clean an attic such as the above described and even though we were all wearing protective suits over our clothes and masks to protect our lungs and all that, it still felt like the dust got in absolutely every where. This was where I learned what dust tastes like. It tastes… dusty. So, naturally, I tend to not like a heavily bergamot flavoured tea.

This particular version, however, is quite mild. It’s only slightly dusty and floral, but I can still clearly tell the bergamot is there. In a line-up, I defintiely think I would be able to pick out the EG if this was the one representing the flavour.

It has a certain creamy feel to it too, all thick and milky. I find that this happens frequently with EGs even if they haven’t had any other flavouring added to enhance it. I suspect it might be a quality of bergamot in general. Heavily flavoured EGs tend to lose that for me, so for me that creamy feeling is very much a plus. If I am to drink an EG, I want it to feel like this. This is very pleasant (for an EG).

In other news, I think it may be a sign that I’ve been listening to too much Cabin Pressure, when I heard Douglas’ voice dictating parts of my post to me as I write… (Also, sometimes, Arthur. Brilliant!)

Wow, this is a way bergamotty EG. A really good tea. Strong and in your face but not harsh. Thanks, ifjuly!

It seems I never logged this despite having it maybe a week or so ago, oops. From memory: I was really surprised and bummed to find I don’t love this! It has the same thing that the Upton Natural Bergamot EG has, I suppose um, natural bergamot. Weirdly, it turns out I don’t like that! It has, yeah, the smell of bottles of cheap orange blossom water you get at the Mediterranean grocer, an aroma I go to great lengths (and maybe impossible ones now that A. Montaux has shuttered its orange blossom extract business :( ) to avoid when cooking and making cocktails. I guess the closest I can come to describing the distinction is that those bottles of orange blossom water are more floral in a kind of jasmine-y way (and I dislike jasmine), and the bergamot I like is cleaner, soapier, brighter. At the risk of sounding sexist I would say EGs like this and Lupicia’s feel more like feminine perfumes while the ones I like best are more like masculine colognes/aftershaves. Weird to discover when things have better/more natural bergamot I don’t care for them. Oh well.

This wasn’t bad, and that smell wasn’t as strong as it was in the Upton Imports Natural Bergamot EG. I could drink this again when/if I had to (I’m probabably going to send this to my tea buddy though, as a whole 4.4oz canister is an awful lot of tea for something you don’t adore!). But it’s definitely not a favorite. Again, I was very surprised. I have a feeling if you like the popular Lupicia EGs you’d probably like this one too.

Thanks to Terri HarpLady for this sample!

Andrews & Dunham have a knack for coming up with some of the most creative names in the tea industry…and turning tea time into an adventure! In particular, their Earl Grey blend, dubbed “Visit Mount Gray” is described as containing “Black tea flavored with Bergamot Oil, Mountain Air, Golden Sunsets, and a Lifetime of Adventure.” That description causes me to want to undertake an adventure. Time for tea!

The bergamot scent of the dry leaves was nearly overwhelming. When I opened the package, the heavy aroma wafted to my nose and shocked me with its strength. Whoah. In the past, I have consumed Earl Grey blends, where there was so much bergamot oil that it was sickening. Thankfully, that was not the case with “Visit Mount Gray.” While being heavy, the bergamot aromas were not too much.

A teaspoon of dry leaves joined eight ounces (or a bit more) in a cup for four minutes (or a bit more to balance the extra water). The result was not a cup of tea that reeked of bergamot. Rather, the bergamot scent had settled into the overall blend, for which I was thankful. Eagerly, I awaited the cup being just slightly cooler, so that I might taste the adventure!

I took a small sip and the flavor underwhelmed me. Hmmm, perhaps the small amount of extra water was not totally balanced by the small amount of extra time. Back into the mug goes the strainer with the leaves. Another two minutes pass.

The smell was still the same smooth blend, but the taste…the taste had blossomed! Blessedly, it was not overwhelming with bergamot, either. In fact, wow, the bergamot was actually complementing the black tea, as it should in Earl Grey! Clearly, my concerns about the amount of bergamot were unfounded. The smooth flavors of bergamot and black tea slid over my taste buds, leaving trace aftertastes of bergamot, pleasantly resting on the palate.

If Andrews & Dunham Damn Fine Tea “Visit Mount Gray” is not the best Earl Grey blend that I have ever tasted, then I am not certain what is better. Well done, Andrews & Dunham. That was an amazing cup. Not too strong, not too perfume-y, but with enough strength and kick to cause you to wake up and take notice, all the while enjoying every smooth sip. On my personal enjoyment scale, I would rate this tea an 89/100.

Backlog:

I love this tea. I’ve been drinking it at least once a week over the past few months since I got the tin, and now it’s nearly gone … and this is my first tasting note about it. Like I said before, I’m behind! So this one note shall serve as about 15 – 20 tasting notes in one.

The bergamot of this Earl Grey is a softer bergamot – not an in your face bergamot taste. This allows me to enjoy the fruitier qualities of the bergamot. Not at all soapy or perfume-y … I like the way the bergamot is represented in this Mount Gray.

The black tea is rich and pleasant. Overall, the cup is smooth, slightly acidic from the citrus, and very flavorful. I like this one!

This is from the “Here’s Hoping” Traveling Tea Box I just received and opened today! I had yet to try this one from A&D so I was very excited to try this one when I first saw it! YAY!

This is a very satisfying EG – nice and vibrant – strong and eager to please – and it DOES! There are lovely little woodsy notes in there that are surprising yet appreciated!

This is delightful! I really like this!

Fresh, citrusy tasting earl gray. Definitely has that “fruity pebble” aroma, but the flavor is fine tea and bergamont.

1.5 tsp for 300mL water @100C, steeped 4 minutes, drunk bare.

WOW.

I don’t drink a lot of Earl Grey, because I’ve had so much crappy Earl Grey, stuff that tastes like it could be furniture polish (Twinings), or just tastes stale, or uses a crappy tea base (again, Twinings). Damn Fine’s Earl Grey, which came with in a set with Caravan and Jasmine, was lovely. I think Mount Gray is even better.

The black tea base seems to be a China tea: light body and a slightly sweet finish, no malt. The bergamot is beautiful. Not harsh but deeply fragrant. I brought some Mount Gray to my worklace, and I can smell it through a sealed Ziploc bag. The mineral finish works very well with the bergamot, which does not overpower the tea. All in all, an excellent, and vert refreshing, Earl Grey. Once again, Damn Fine lives up to their name.

Bear with me Steepsterites, I’m logging a teaful day. Got lots of teas recently, so I’m going through and trying them all.

I love A&D’s design sense, and adore the Mt Gray magnet that came with the tea. Even though I had a hard time finding the tea on here since as far as I’m concerned, they spelled Grey wrong :D

I made a latte with Mt Gray this morning, and it was all right. I think I’m kind of tired of Earl Greys, there’s so much else to explore. It’s decent though. But I have so many other EGs and love my Kusmis, so I kind of wish I’d gotten the trio with Russian Caravan instead of this.

I’m sure I’ll drink it though, and probably make a few for my hubby.

Whoops, I wandered off while steeping this. No matter, still good.