Earl Grey Creme

I thought it was a really smooth Earl Grey and not nearly as acidic as some Greys that I’ve had. The combined aroma of the large amount of bergamot and vanilla reminds me of blueberry. The sweetness was subtle, but did leave the bergamot taste on my tongue for a while afterwards.

I always thought that I did not like Earl Grey tea until I tasted this ……. Wow ! Not real astringent, as most Earl Grey’s are. Really nice taste of bergamot with vanilla to mellow it (or enhance it?). Must get more !!!!!

This was a free sample sachet that came with a recent order. Way back in the day Art of Tea used to sell sampler size pouches, but now they don’t… and their smallest offering is 4 oz. bags. Which I hate. I got hooked on some specific teas years ago from the samplers I had bought, and have wanted to restock for ages, but because of their freaking huge bag sizes, simply haven’t. During Black Friday when their stock was 25% off, I talked my friend Todd (he doing a homemade advent from me over here, btw: https://www.steepster.com/ashi ) into splitting the bags 50g/50g with me. Box arrived, and this was the only sampler — a single sachet — in the box. I haven’t had this tea before and am keeping it as my “repacking/reboxing” fee. :-P

Steeped the single sachet in 350ml (12 oz) of 205F water for 3 minutes. Getting a stronger bergamot aroma off this cup than I did from the Cream of Earl Grey sampler from DAVIDsTEA I tried recently; it’s waxing a bit toward the lime area of citrus to my nose. I can also smell notes of the vanilla/cream. On sip, the bergamot is much stronger as well! It’s a rather rich, full EG flavor, with a strong citrusy bergamot flavor (still reading lime notes from it, pleasant!), with a vanilla/cream flavor filling in late in the sip. I seem to be getting the hit of bergamot first, and the cream second. The tea itself it bold and smooth, though I can’t really pick out any defining flavor notes from it against the flavorings.

A satisfying morning cuppa.

Grabbed a sachet of this from the tea box. The black tea is rather light. The main flavor is the fake creme flavor. I don’t mind it, it’s creme-like, but it’s definitely quite fake. There’s a hint of bergamot in the aftertaste. I added a bit of milk to tame the fake creme flavor. I do end up rather enjoying this one, but it’s definitely not very high quality compared to others I’ve had.

I have never been a fan of Earl Grey tea. This is probably because the ones I’ve had were store bought tea bags and they would have never tasted that great. So I had my qualms when I saw this was an Earl Gret blend. But boy was I wrong.

The tea smells heavenly! It’s almost like this beautiful perfume that I want on my wrist. And the tea leaves look beautiful with the pop of the purplish blue cornflowers.

I tried steeping the tea at 3 minutes and also did a fresh steep of 5 minutes. And there was not a hint of bitterness. I just kinda shut up while I had this blend. It was such a calming blend with a magical harmony between the citrus from the bergamot oil and the touch of vanilla added this creaminess to the blend. I instantly classified it as a dessert tea that would also serve as a tea that could be had at any time of the day. The finish of the blend was silky smooth. With this blend, the aroma is what you taste and there is a richness that this tea has which sets it apart.

The Art of Tea’s Earl Grey Creme was my favorite blend from their box. Absolutely loved this one.

Sometimes a tea comes along and it makes me wonder where it’s been my entire life— this is one of those teas. It’s quite distinctive in the realm of Earl Grey Creme teas. The French vanilla provides a much more substantial body than the more traditional vanilla and reminds me of the thick, creamy custards I enjoyed during my visit to France over the summer. The black base, bergamot, and French vanilla balance perfectly; the contrast between the tart orange bergamot and sweet French vanilla really appeals to my sweet tooth. This was exactly what I needed to end a rough day.

You can read the rest of the review on my blog:
http://www.notstarvingyet.com/index/2014/10/14/tuesday-tea-earl-grey-creme-art-of-tea.html

I normally do not like Earl Grey, but this one was good.

The hint of french vanilla, as it turns out, is a bit…overwhelming? The Bergamot is too subtle.

Iced Tea Vanilla Soy Latte made from the @steepster survey prize.

http://dessireegreen.tumblr.com/post/169241023/iced-tea-vanilla-soy-latte