First off, I was assuming that this tea was going to be a lot like their regular EG, just with a less oomphy tea base. I’m not sure if I’m right. I would assume they use the same bergamot flavoring, but this one tastes a little different. It either is different or the way it interacts with the tea changes the taste to just seem different.
The bergamot doesn’t give me much of the pith/peel taste like the other did. Instead it is higher and more floral with a tail end of an orange juicie-ish taste, followed by a tiny pith tongue tingle.
The feel of the tea is still rather silky, but it doesn’t feel quite as heavy. Which makes sense, being an afternoon tea. But the other one felt a little sexier. And sure, the regular EG had a little bit of a muddy flavor to the tea, but this one… the tea seems to be almost completely overwhelmed by the bergamot.
All that being said, I don’t hate this tea. It’s not badly done, the bergamot isn’t offensive, it doesn’t make me want to pour it out. It’s just not wow-worthy. I think I’d like it a lot more (been more impressed by it) if I hadn’t had the original EG first.
The husband seems to be in a similar boat. He quite enjoyed the original EG giving it 4.5 out of 5 stars. (Yes, we have our own rating system in the house. We initially used it for new recipes but it has since carried over to anything I need a definite “yes, get more” or “no, never again” answer on.) This one, though, ranked more in the middle ground with a “it’s good and nicely mellow” but captured only 3.5 out of 5 stars.
All in all, it’s decent and I’d pick this up at the grocery store if we were in an EG bind, but doesn’t answer the question of What Would Jean Luc Picard Drink?
