Earl Grey Creme

Compared to the Earl Grey from Lupicia, I think that this one is less well balanced when by itself.

I like to use 2 tsp. of this with 1 tsp. of the French Vanilla Assam (from 52teas) in 500 ml. water to soften the bergamot (which I’m really sensitive to). Prepped this way it doesn’t need milk or sugar – and there’s only a tiny bit of astringency that creeps into the end of the sip as it cools.

I really think I want to try infusing this into some chocolate truffles. I bet it would be amazing!

Michelle packed a potent packet of this in a pouch of precious prizes (sorry—-y’all know me and alliterations). Wordplay notwithstanding, I think this is my favorite EG blend to date. Heavy on the cream, light on the bergamot.

Decupboarding this now because I’ve only got about a teaspoon left, so if I don’t do it now, I’ll forget to :)

Last night I coldbrewed this in the fridge. I don’t think I’ve ever done that with an EG before. This one has a history of tasting artificial to me, but I figured why not, what the hey.

It’s really good coldbrewed. I did about 18 hours, I think, about 3tsp for maybe 24oz of water.

The liquor is a really pale, light gold. It’s strikingly beautiful for a black tea, and not at all what I expect an Earl Grey to be. I have to save the rest of this pitcher – I want to take photos tomorrow. (In other news, my photographic lightbox came in, along with a couple studio lights. I’m so excited to start playing with them!)

But yeah. Actually a really good tea like this. I wouldn’t buy it again, but I’m glad I figured out how to drink it (although how come I always figure out how to make it good just as I’m running out? Not fair.).

Made a gallon of this iced using the hot brew method:1TBSP to 16oz hot water and then chilled it overnight. I’ve been trying to “use up” this tea, as it was the first I bought, and I’ve found much better teas I enjoy and still have 4oz to work thorugh.

Finally got into a Teavana for the first time. Wasn’t thrilled with the selection; most of what I went in there to try was out of stock. However, I did pick up some of this tea to try, and want to see how it compares to my current fav, Creamed Earl Grey by Tealish. Currently watching the final episodes of Downton Abbey Season 2, and distracted by the butter tarts that I am shoving in my mouth. I’m not going to rate this tea today as it would hardly be a fair review, but will say that it was an enjoyable enough experience with the butter tarts, and of course, my beloved characters of this show.

Stopped by to see my friend who works at the South Park location. This is one that I have had the pleasure of wafting but had yet to taste. So I grabbed a cup. I do like a good earl grey so I anticipating a good experience. Seriously a good brew. The vanilla mellows but doesn’t completely cancel out the bergamot flavor. As it cools there’s a hint of chocolate maybe that’s part to the base black tea. There’s maybe even a hint of maybe creamsicle. I have to admit that there was a fantastic empty cup aroma…a sign of a good one :) This may have to be added to the collection.

I am one tea closer on my quest to try all the Earl Grey Creams. I got a sample of this from Marcel Duchamp, thanks a bunch!

This is STRONG for an EGC. The bergamot is really assertive, but I like a good in your face earl grey so I don’t mind it. Usually the cream tempers the citrus aspect, but this is one of the less creamy earl grey creams that I’ve tried. There’s a hint of vanilla, but this is kind f a reverse of the usual EGC: in most the vanilla/cream is in the forefront followed by bergamot. Here there’s bergamot first and then a whiff of cream!

It’s not bad by any means, it’s a nice change of pace from my usual EG cuppa. I’ll admit that I turn to EG blends far more often than straight EG: cream, smokey, mint, jasmine, rose, lavender, lady grey… but rarely just a straight Earl. This almost fits that profile, really I wouldn’t know it was a cream blend if the label didn’t say so! I got two ounces of their standard EG for Christmas that I have not tried yet, perhaps it’s time for a taste test to see how it compares to this one!

Sipdown, 248. This one comes to me thanks to Tea Sipper!

I have been a bit curious about Teavana’s Earl Grey and variants thereof, but never enough to actually seek them out. But Tea Sipper included a sample of this, so I get to try it.

My first impression immediately after it was finished steeping was that of cleaning solution. Uh oh. There is just something about the bergamot that seems off. I feared Bitter Bergamot Syndrome in the taste of this one, but actually it turned out alright. I mean, it’s not terrible, but it’s not really good, either. Despite the fact I used slightly more leaf than I normally would for this cup, the flavor is kind of bland. The cream is nice in the aftertaste but not great in the main sip. The bergamot is kind of meh and more typical of mediocre Earl Greys, not fruity and citrusy and lovely. All in all, not a bad cup, but not one that I will look for again.

Wow, I have no idea how old this tea is, but I just used most of it to make a pot. 6 teaspoons uses a lot when it’s being kept in one of my little papered tins. Only one or two servings left, I think. I probably overleafed it, but I’m sure that this tea is at least a year old. I’m trying to get through some of my opened packages before I open some new packages. I have 4 huge tubs full of tea (2 unopened, 1 opened, 1 trade tub). Going to sort the unopened tubs so they’re more equal in number in each and by company, I think. We’ll see. I need to go through and make sure all my tea is logged in Steepster so I can get a more accurate accounting of how much tea I have.

Added milk and sugar to this. Had a bit of trouble getting it back to the couch. I pulled an all-nighter last night and I’m at the point of awakeness that my hands are shaking. :p That’s REALLY going to impress my therapist that I see in 2 hours.

This tastes like what I think a egc should. Not my favourite flavour though, I’ve grown tired of bergamot in general.

To me, this is a tea for blending: by itself, it just makes me wrinkle my nose, but it makes an interesting addition to some of my other teas. This time, I added a pinch to my second steeping of Teavana’s MateVana and found the combination pleasant, though I can’t say exactly why.