Vintage Earl Grey

Backlog:

I liked this variation of the classic Earl Grey. I’m an earl grey fanatic anyway, as many of you are probably aware. The bergamot, rose and lavender are really tasty together… and I like the accent of rosemary. Definitely different from the traditional Earl Grey … but different can be good, and in the case of this Vintage Earl Grey, it definitely IS good.

This does seem very sophisticated. Very ladies-who-don’t-need-jobs-and-who-do-charity-works-instead. And that isn’t a bad thing. It is a very delicate, high class tea. It reminds me of my grandmother. Totally not like me at all. I’m not a delicate lady. :)

The rose is very present, as is the lavender. The bergamot is underneath, but not as strong as the florals, by far. The tea base is somewhat overshadowed by the florals but again, I don’t consider that especially bad.

On smelling the dry leaf, I was about knocked out by the rose and I had my doubts. I am not a huge rose or lavender fan. My mom really likes lavender teas but she isn’t a huge fan of rose. I got this thinking maybe the rose would be faint enough that it might appeal to her. And, I’ll admit it – the advertising art swayed me. :)

All the not-fans-of aside, I like this tea, which does surprise me. Smelling it, both dry and steeped, would make me think this would be one that would be given to others. I am undecided at this point about purchasing again – that may depend on what Mom and the other tea party ladies think as well.

Because of the strong rose smell, I did err on the side of caution and steep this for half the recommended time. I think I’m glad I did but I’ll try it again with the full recommended time just to see what happens.

2/10/14 Sample from TeaTiff. 3g/6oz/212F/4 min. I love this! The rosemary and lavender dance around in the tea, and the bergamot and rose hang out in the aroma, and together it’s just a lovely citrusy cuppa.

Another awesome tea from the NM Tea Co. I have had other floral Earl Greys where the flower would overwhelm the bergamot, but this tea has a good balance. The rosemary is a nice touch. The tea is a touch bitter, I wish I hadn’t steeped it so long, 3 minutes would probably be better.

I love the smell of this tea too, it’s like having a cup of Earl Grey in a flower garden.

‘Tea, Earl Grey, hot!’

I’ve been having a lot of EG lately, I blame a certain Starship Captain. My latest sample from the local shop. I’ve had lavender EG, and rose EG, but not in the same cup. Smells nicely like lavender with some rose. The rosemary scent comes out better when brewed. There is a mostly bergamot and rose scent. With the lavender notes as it cools. Then there are hints of rosemary. Got this because I thought the blend sounded interesting, but it’s very good too. (Had the first cuppa with cinnamon rolls.)

I received this in the box of samples I purchased from LiberTEAS. Thank you!

When I went to look at the description of this tea I found Nicole’s tasting note and it described this tea perfectly. I don’t feel I need to say much more. I will enjoy what I have left of this tea, but will not need to re-purchase.

Very perfume-y without some of the elements that typically are part of that package that I can’t stand (jasmine, tons and tons of rose). I could see getting this as a novelty/change of pace once in a while for my EG tin. It smells lovely but it’s not overpoweringly floral in flavor, just right.