Sapphire Earl Grey

I had this tea last night at a fancy restaurant. I was impressed at how delicious it was, so I knew I had to do a tasting note even if my tasting conditions were less than ideal. This is all from memory, and about halfway through my cup a dessert of smoked almond ice cream came and made some sips taste like a lapsang souchong. But still! Very tasty tea.

I’ve never had a tea with malva flowers in it before, but from what I can tell from some online research, they’re more for visual and textural effects than for taste. This tea came in a pyramid sachet, and dried it smelled like bergamot with a distinct sweetness. The aroma of the brewed tea and the taste matched the dried smell pretty perfectly. For a while I was having a time trying to identify what about this tea was making it so delicious; there was no bitterness, the black tea base was very smooth, and there was that sense of sweetness to the tea. The ingredients on the package list only black tea, malva flowers and bergamot, so I was surprised when I finally realized that I was getting fairly strong vanilla cream notes from it, like a really nice Earl Grey cream. I might have to grab a box of this one because I really did enjoy it immensely.

It is probably not fair for me to review this tea because I have to confess that I just do not like tea that tastes like flowers. Jasmine flavored tea almost makes me gag. However, since I took the time and made the effort to down a whole cup of this tea this morning, I guess I have earned the right to put my two cents in (you can decide if my two cents are worth that much to you).

I tried to clear my mind of all prejudices as I took the first careful sip. I knew immediately that I did not like the taste of the Malva flowers. To me, flowered tea is like drinking perfume. I like flowers in the garden and perfume on my woman, but neither down my throat.

Even more disappointing to me was that I did not taste even a hint of Bergamot. Perhaps the Bergamot presence was so weak that the Malva beat it into submission.

The advertisement on the tea bag wrapper states that the “Bergamot and malva flowers add an innovative twist to traditional Earl Grey.” Personally, I think the Malva flowers twisted the life out of the Bergamot.

I was pleasantly surprised to be served this in a restaurant this morning for Boxing Day brunch. For a tea company I am not very familiar with, this was a very nice EG and brewed up strong on the second cup.

This is so strange—I could have sworn I knew where this tea bag was (I bought a sample off a friend) and today I couldn’t find it to try it. Hmmm…did I drink it?
It couldn’t have been that memorable, if I did. :/

So I am a tea drinker, TEA TEA more tea, this is as good as any flavor I may have ever had. I stack a few boxes at all times. The only other tea is Tettley’s Elachi Flavor, and Tapal Tea from Pakistan. You need to boil water , and then heat the cup with hot running water before you place the hot water in the cup, then the tea bag must be left for 90 secs . Most american resturants bring cold cups and luke warm water , and no cover on the tea pot to keep it warm. Tea has to be enjoyed a sip at a time , and very very hot.

A tea bag I got from Izzy again. It’s actually whole leaf pyramid and it won “great taste award in 2018” with two stars, so I was pretty much looking forward to try it.

The tea seems nice and as well smells nice.
Brewed as they suggest, though bit less! water and bit stronger. So, 300 ml / 4 minutes and 96°C water.

I have expected more. It’s on point of black tea and bergamot, as well malva flowers gave bit of florality in taste, but it was quite one-dimensional. Baked bread, citrus and floral. Nothing more, nothing less.

Maybe I have expected more from base tea and bit more citrusy note. It was tasty, but just bit boring. Especially when it got that award.

It has been a minute since I have reviewed any teas, so as I sat here at my desk, I figured I would review the tea in front of me. Novus teas are pretty good; they’re not necessarily my first choice, but they are offered in the kitchenettes at work for me, with a large variety. I have tried just about all of the teas that we have. This one is my favorite – or one of my favorites – from that bunch. It’s very floral and isn’t too much in the morning. However, what I have noticed with this brand in general is that almost all of them are VERY temperamental with heat. I’m not sure if this has anything to do with their packaging or blend, but we only have a few settings at work for hot water – pretty much a button press – so if the water gets hot enough, the tea can often taste burnt. While knowing temp & steeping time can be important for tea drinkers, I’ve only run into a few teas in the past that were actually that affected by it. So that is often a turn off for me with this brand. If we had like an electric tea kettle/water heater at work, the experience may not be so bad.

This Earl Grey is more floral than most, and also considerably lighter. Visual appeal and aromatherapy are the aims of this little pyramid, and the Malva flowers perfume open with the smoother Ceylon. The coffee shop that I was a barista to sold this company, and I was able to hook people on this one because of its mellow strength and soothing smell. I often recommended this to Earl Grey lovers and people who were willing to try something different. I suggest the same here on Steepster if you are looking for a unique bagged Earl Grey.

Lazy day. I have been parked on the couch watching Netflix all day. I found a BBC series that I am enjoying: The Paradise. I admit that I grabbed a bag so I could get back downstairs and watch the show without having to wait for a loose leaf brew.

Anyway, it’s fine, not an EG that makes me go “nom nom” but a nice cup. I definitely get the bergamot and I can’t tell that the flowers are there. The review where someone said the opposite surprised me.

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.