Princess Grey

My most recent order for Tealyra’s Princess Grey was 3 years ago, a year after typing out my previous note, posted here. Sadly, I’ve not used many of the sachets yet. I looked for a “best by” date on the package without success, but it’s safe to say that the tea is past its prime, despite the well-sealed mylar bag. Happily I was met with a soft aroma of bergamot as I withdrew a sachet (the straight Earl Grey I’d bought at the same time was much more pungent in bergamot, so this confirms that Princess Grey is a gentler blend). I observed that the black tea leaves inside were a medium chop, not fannings or dust, and not CTC granules, either. The packaging says it was product of Canada, which I expect means it was blended in Canada of ingredients sourced elsewhere.

I steeped the sachet in 8 oz. boiling alpine spring water for 4 min., western style. In the steamy aroma, I could discern the peach and hint of orange, but no chrysanthemum, nor any assamic or keemun aromas that my previous batch had, nor other floral notes, so I conclude the base tea is a sinensis variety grown in Sri Lanka or elsewhere outside of Assam, China, Taiwan, or Myanmar (nor Canada, for that matter). I stand by my prior assessment, except that the black tea base was weak, without much contribution of flavor, astringency or body. It is possible that the base changes from lot to lot, according to what they have on hand. And though the smooth flavor of bergamot was prominent, the orange peel was only very slightly detectable. Any contribution by chrysanthemum was absent. Every so often I would get a whiff of peach in the nose, but not on the tongue. The diminished orange and peach may be due to age, or this particular lot. I did enjoy the brew, as it was smooth and pleasant without bitterness or defects, but it didn’t merit a 90 rating this time. So now I’m giving it 85, and will increase the infusion to 5 min. and drop the temp to 90°C, as I continue to sip it down. Still recommended with a smile!