Kris Grey

additional notes: I remember I wanted to pass this one along a while ago, as it wasn’t a favorite, but it’s still lingering around and too old to pass to someone so I might as well drink it. Having it again (six years later. cough.) I’m not thinking it’s as bad as I remember. It’s still much more grapefruit than a bergamot, which is different. I think I was much more in love with Earl Cremes six years ago and this is not that. I’m more generous now. Or my steeping is better. I’m just surprised this has any flavor at all. I enjoyed it! A couple cups left.

So… I finally got around to trying this. And it’s… okay.

Love the sparkles – those don’t disappoint. And the side of my hand was silver dusted when I reached in the bag for tea. :)

The flavor is fine. Nothing awesome, nothing really unusual going on. And I generally prefer stronger bergamot. Glad to have some to try and I’ll experiment with steeping a bit.

It took me forever to get around to trying this tea because it’s hard to distract me from my love of unflavored tea gong fu sessions, but I actually got to it at work today.

Under light, you can totally see the sparkles. Fun! It also tastes pretty great. I’m not a huge fan of earl grey, but like it occasionally. This hit the spot. The flavoring wasn’t too powerful and the overall texture of the tea was smooth. I didn’t add anything, and it was pretty great for a gloomy SF morning at work.

Today I discovered that all that glitters is not gold. It’s silver sprinkles.

Thanks Nicole for putting together this group order! While I am not as keen on earl grey as the next person, this is a really nice earl grey. I love the combination of vanilla and bergamot in this particular blend. I thought I didn’t get any silver sparkles in my wee bit, but as soon as I poured a small cup for myself, yup, there they are! Just swimming in the depths of my teacup. I nice smooth earl grey A+ would recommend

Sipdown (120)!

I started cold brewing this one last night, before I really knew that my cheek was infected and that that would affect my tea drinking tonight – though to be perfectly honest I wasn’t expecting great things from this cold brew anyway. The more I’ve thought about that initial first hot cup I had of this one the more I’ve realized it was pretty dissatisfying overall. And in general I just find cold brewed EG less tasty as well.

Turns out this one is breaking that trend though; even with ‘mouth impairments’ I thought that this was the smoothest tasting cold brewed EG I’ve had to date: the bergamot seemed to be at a more appropriate strength than it was brewed hot and I actually picked up on the vanilla notes I felt were lacking the first time around. It was silky, and had a rich, full flavour without sacrificing the flavour of the base in favor of a stronger bergamot flavour.

So, I’ve definitely changed my mind about this blend a few times now! Take that as you will – maybe it’s just not a super consistent brew? One thing is for sure – I still don’t think this is as sparkly as advertised; with the cold brew in particular the liquor ended up such a dark amber/brown that you really couldn’t pick up on the subtle sparklies at all.

C’est la vie.

Earl Grey for vampires? It sparkles.

Anyway, this is really delicious. The scent is much stronger than the brew. Normally, earl grey has a.. uh.. note at the end that’s kinda bitter-y, but not really.. I don’t know how to describe it!
Anyway, this doesn’t. This is as smooth as Ray J in some shades. This is a nice, creamy earl grey-inspired blend that just.. mm.. I could have it every morning.

You guys know me and tins. I am such a sucker for a pretty tin! So it’s always a big bonus when the tea that comes in it is good too!

I can’t remember how I came across Ette Tea – probably linked from somewhere else. They are a boutique tea company that currently has five blends. The service from them is very personal and friendly, and my order came with a handwritten note!

All of the packaging and presentation was lovely. The double -lidded tin itself is so elegant, and the graphics on everything are so understated and classy. In addition to the tin I ordered, a small box of hand made tea bags (I had never seen anything like them before) was included, with samples of the Fortune Cookie Chai tea that they also sell. That was the other one I really wanted to try, so good call Ette!

“Kris Grey” is obviously a take on Earl Grey, and the name suggested to me that it would be a bit naughty. I think the naughtiness comes in with the addition of edible silver dust. You know me and my sparkle pony teas, so I was really excited about that. I poured the leaf out on a plate and found that the add ins were really pretty. There are blue flowers, and in some cases the whole flower bud is there. So nice!

The dry leaf smelled so very strongly of bergamot that I was a tiny bit apprehensive about the tea (even though I like bergamot), but it’s spot on beautifully balanced. Real vanilla beans turn it into a hint of Earl Grey Cream, but it’s just a whisper. I also get a little aftertaste of lemon, which is intriguing and refreshing.

I have to say that I am really happy I ordered this one and look forward to more flavor combinations from Ette Tea.

Oh, as a side note – there were no steeping parameters on the tin, so I went with 1 t / 8 oz and 195 temp. Why 195 you ask? Well because I made the tea in my Davids Tea Carry Mug, and it is so effective that I had to start lowering the 212 temp to 195, otherwise I will grow old and wrinkly before the tea is cool enough to drink (even with the lid off!)