Month: August 2018

Loose Leaf Tea House Premium Earl Grey

The Loose Leaf Tea House has a really lovely website, and this tea is also lovely.

3 minutes and 1/2 tsp sugar. Delightful citrus scent when dry: not overpowering, but almost floral despite there only being bergamot with the tea leaves.

When steeped, it’s somewhat less citrus-y. But nonetheless, this is a really excellent tea. I think it’s one of my favourites, actually. It is on the more delicate side, but the bergamot flavour is beautifully balanced. This is one of the teas that I may well be revisiting.

Elmstock: Long Leaf Earl Grey

This is another of the sample teas Elmstock sent me. This Long-Leaf is described as ‘classic’.

I steeped it for 4 minutes, as per recommendations, and added 1/2 tsp sugar. When dry, it’s slightly citrus-y – certainly not an overwhelming smell. Happily, it tastes more citrus-y than it smelled, because otherwise I was going to be quite disappointed. Despite misgivings when it was brewing, this was a very tasty drop. It’s not as delicate as the description had led me to fear (what a not-surprise, delicate is not really my thing…). Much more to my taste than the Madame Bergamot, somewhat to my surprise.

Elmstock: Madame Bergamot

Elmstock generously sent me several sample teas. Madame Bergamot is not, as I initially thought, a Lady Grey, but an Earl Grey with cornflowers. Elmstock uses a long-leaf tea for this, and describes it as “subtle and delicately flavoured.”

Scent when dry is certainly a delicate citrus, somewhat floral, although that’s not from the flowers. I steeped for four minutes, as per the recommendations, and added about 1/2tsp of sugar.

This is a fine tea, but not mind-blowing. I’d be happy enough drinking it but I wouldn’t choose to have it as my forever tea.

Adore Tea: Earl Grey Berries

Another sample picked up for me by Alisa, because she likes to encourage my projects.

Adore Tea’s Earl Grey Berries is Earl Grey with strawberry, raspberry, and blackberry added.

2-4 minutes steeping is recommended, so I was reckless and went with 3. I added 1/2 tsp of sugar because it’s automatic, but it may not have been needed here because the berries add quite a sweet note.

The berry notes are the most obvious part of this tea, both dry and steeped. Adore Tea’s website admits that “The berry flavour is quite strong, it is not a subtle berry” and that’s very true. In fact, I would say that this isn’t an Earl Grey tea; it’s a berry tea. It’s quite nice, but there was no discernible citrus to my tastebuds. I’m happy to drink it, but not when I want a citrus effect.