wheezybee Send Message

This is one of the teas I got from Momo but I’d always been put off a bit by the dry smell – it was a lot more of an intense black than I would normally head towards, but I would feel like a ninny if I sent the whole thing off to swap without at least trying it once! Once it steeped, it remained intense but with a heavy hand on the Sugar in the Raw (2 tsp in 8oz!) and a dash of milk it was actually quite tasty – the black was still strong, but more of the chai flavor was brought out. It was a lot richer than the Zhena’s I had a little while back, with a fresher taste. A good start to the morning!

My mother has asked me to create an entire costume series for her to use in her classroom, so for the last couple days I have been burying myself in research into lower and middle class clothing from 1450 t0 1800. My brain was whirling with jumps, fabrics, stays, and all sorts of odds and ends, so I decided to give the poor thing a break and grab a nice cup of tea.

My first impression? I just found a new favorite Earl Grey cream! I’ve tried several EGCs now, and some of them can completely overwhelm you – and the Earl Grey – with their cream flavors. This one does an excellent job finding a solid and smooth balance, and I think from now on it may take up more permanent residence in my cupboard!

You can read my full review on my blog: http://wordsabouttea.blogspot.com/2013/06/cream-of-earl-grey-organic-by-davidstea.html

This was the first morning in a while that I haven’t kicked off with medicinal herbals, and I am excited to get back to trying out different and wonderful teas! I’m starting off with this sweet treat, which was a wonderful surprise in my swap from Moraiwe – thank you!

Today felt like a laid back morning, so I put the kettle on the burner and got out one of my 16oz hand thrown mugs. The online conversion resulted in something like 1/2 teaspoon per 7oz. I prefer to err on the side of richer tea, so I added about 1-1/2tsp of dry tea, 1 tablespoon of beet sugar (I’m trying out the Teavana German Rock Sugar), and steeped for 5 minutes.

My first impression is cinnamon and cream, with the black tea aspect cheerful in the distance. The aftertaste is slightly fruity, but I don’t think my poor, abused senses are up to figuring it out quite yet. It might be an aspect of the beet sugar. I’ll have to use the other half of the sample when I’m back to 100%. Overall, I’m just amazed at how… smooth this tastes. No jarring notes, nothing that seems out of place – it’s gorgeously blended together. It does leave my tongue a little dry, but then that’s fairly standard for cinnamon teas.

I’ve heard about this company before, but this was my first tangible introduction to them. Thank you again, Moraiwe, for this opportunity!

Update: This holds up surprisingly well on the second steep, so I asked my husband (who escaped the cold) for his opinion. He agreed that there was a slightly fruity aftertaste, but said it was just too faint to identify. And he liked the tea, too! ;)

I’m liking this one! A lot! I didn’t think that I would rate an EGC this highly, but the cream aspect here is toned down considerably and there’s a nice licorice aftertaste that I adore. I do wish the bergamot had come through a little stronger, but otherwise this tea and I have no issues!

Update: Now that I’m mostly over that cold (and no longer on all the lovely cold medicine!) I’m not quite as effervescently enthusiastic about this one, but this is still a very enjoyable cup of tea! I continue to be weirded out about the creamless-cream flavoring in general (if it’s there, you should see it!) but when I compare this to the other EGCs I’ve tried (like the Della Terra) this one actually does allow the Earl Grey flavors to do more than just peek through. Without a doubt this is the best EGC I’ve tried, but I don’t think it will be a cupboard staple, or a finalist in my personal quest for the best Earl Grey.

This came with my last order from Adagio, and I figured from the start that it was going to be one of those teas pushed to the back of the cabinet, waiting for me to feel less than 100%. Well, it feels like something gnawed on the inside of my throat, so I decided to pull this one out. Camomile and I have an interesting relationship. When I’m well, it makes me feel nauseous but when I’m sick it’s nice and soothing.

This one is true to its brethren. It’s thick but not syrupy and goes down smoothly, giving my sinuses a little kick with the peppermint. Sadly, with the state of my nose right now I can’t pick out anything else, but those two elements do stand out.

I was surprised at the chunkiness when I first tried to measure it out – all the flowers had risen to the top, so I had to close it up again and shake it all around (maybe that’s where the dance name comes from?) to even things out. The directions said to steep for 5-10 minutes, so I steeped it for… oops. I was going to say 8 minutes, but then I realized that the pinch infuser doohickey is still in there. I guess I’m still infusing it! Yeah, I think another nap is totally in order.

All in all, the name is fun yet a little odd – when I’m ill enough to enjoy this tea, I’m probably never going to be up for dancing, but it does the job and I have to respect that.

So my search for the best Earl Grey has brought me here, by way of a delightful swap with moraiwe. This is my seventh EG in three weeks, and I can’t wait to see how it stacks up against the rest!

With my sore throat and less-than enthusiastic outlook on anything remotely complicated this morning, I opted for my big pottery mug with a pinch infuser ball. I filled the ball a little over half-way, dumped in 2 spoonfulls of Sugar in the Raw, and steeped for 3min.

My first impression is that I’m drinking entirely too much EG! This is more… full than others I’ve tried, and the various notes seem stronger without the cream that’s somehow infused several of the others. The creams do continue to weird me out when I can’t locate the source of their creaminess, so this one’s lack of pretentiousness is refreshing. It is simply and straightforwardly, an EG, and a delightful one at that. I like how strong the bergamot notes are, and how well they twine with the other flavors. I’m glad that Moraiwe sent such a generous amount, so that I will have it in my cupboard to return to later!

This was a surprise sample in my swap from Moraiwe – Thank you! One sip and I was transported back to this delightful little patisserie my in-laws took me to last time I was in Portland, OR. This tastes like that little shop smelled – so rich and sweet, full of buttery scents that wafted around the room. As I happen to find my in-laws endlessly entertaining (I’m a nerd who married into a family of nerds!) it was a fantastic moment to revisit.

While it is a little syrupy, I can completely understand why some other Steepsterites mentioned that this tasted a little like an almond croissant. Actually, this has left me with a near overwhelming desire for the real thing! For the sake of my waistline, I think I may need to save this for special occasions – where I can justify the odd croissant!

School’s out, the building is locked down for the summer, and now I just have two days of ESL training at district office before the real vacation starts! At least my morning started off on a high note – my husband made us biscuit, egg, and cheddar sandwiches for breakfast this morning, while I made us each a cup of this.

It’s been a while since I’ve had an Earl Grey Lavender, but I don’t remember the EG taking the backseat in such a decisive way. The lavender and the cream flavor are definitely the dominant notes, while the EG is little more than an aftertaste.

All in all, I think I would have liked this a lot more if it hadn’t been an Earl Grey cream. It’s still an okay tea, with all that lovely caffeine, but I don’t think this will be a cupboard staple.

Mmmm… If this was good as a hot tea, it’s amazing iced! My husband’s been going through a bit of a Crystal Light phase, but I think this will help me kick him out of it. I heated up a big pot of water on the stovetop, tossed in everything I had left of this one and some Sugar in the Raw. A couple hours later, and it’s just delightful! Almost light juice, it’s complex enough to hold my interest and sweet enough to just sip on down. I’m loving this!

The husband and I just made sushi for dinner, and now we’re lazing with a movie. We were craving something different and caffeine-free so we grabbed this out of the tea chest.

Steeped, this is quite… odd. There may be some eggnog spices, but this doesn’t scream eggnog to me. I taste maple syrup, cream, honey, and cinnamon. To my tastebuds, each sip feels a little sinful – I should be pouring this over pancakes, not drinking it!

I tried adding a dash of milk, and that did nothing to change the flavor. If anything, it makes me even more determined to make pancakes tomorrow morning, with a nice glass of milk to go with them.

As for the tea, this is not going to be a staple.