Andrew Wheeler Send Message

Picked up a free sample at the Toronto Tea Festival this past Saturday. I’ve always been a little unsure of Bigelow teas – are they high end or low end? – but their Novus brand seems firmly aimed at luxury tea consumers. Their Sapphire Earl Grey is pleasant but not distinctive. The bergamot gets a little lost and the malvus flowers don’t seem to add much. Satisfying, but unremarkable. Still, I feel encouraged to try other Novus bags.

A very distinctive Kusmi tea. It tastes a little like candy shop, but not in a nasty synthetic way! Sweet and fruity, but full-flavoured. Not an everyday tea, but a very good one.

Not as assertive as some of Kusmi’s other great teas, and probably the least interesting of its Earl Grey variations, but a very pleasant, light, and drinkable afternoon blend.

I was really surprised by how unpleasant this tea was. Stash is usually a pretty safe brand, but their Earl Grey tastes like a cheap version of a Chocolate Orange. It has a really soapy, bad chocolate flavour. I couldn’t finish my cup, even though it was the only thing keeping me warm! Very disappointing.

This really is a very ‘dry’ tasting tea, but with a lovely tart piquancy that makes it a rare find. I have to be in the right mood for this tea, but sometimes I just crave it.

Very strong cinnamon fragrance, but the flavour offers a good balance of spices and a buried hint of white tea! The chai spices definitely dominate.

This really is the platonic ideal of a cuppa. It’s not the tea that I grew up with, but it was the tea that got me through university, and I’ve never looked back.

Strikes a wonderful balance between the smokiness of a Lapsang and the citrus perfume of a typical Earl Grey.

A milder, lighter, less astringent peppermint tea. I actually prefer more punch in my peppermint, but this is a perfect choice for more delicate palettes.

An excellent mint tea. Wonderful flavour, extremely refreshing. I prefer spearmint to other mints, so this is my first choice among mint teas.