Blue of London

Sip Down and Backlog

Approaching this with some trepidation, this is a “Yunnan black tea and bergamont.” It says it’s an Earl Grey, which I like in general but don’t love.

The bergamont is quite weak, which can be good if you’re not a huge fan. I’d say it’s just a hint, but on the upside, it lets the good quality Yunnan base shine through. It does taste like a good quality cup of Yunnan with a hint of bergamont. If you are looking for a proper, bracing Earl Grey, this is definitely not it.

Since I haven’t been having the best experience with this brand, I’ve been steeping each bag exactly according to instructions. This was 200F at 4 minutes, but I still felt it was a bit weak, so I let it go to 5 minutes.

This is my 5th or 6th Palais des Thes, and I’ve had two experiences thus far:

1. Is this just hot water?
2. This isn’t bad, but I’ve tasted it a million times before.

I have yet to taste anything I’d repurchase at even half their asking price. To be fair, I’m living in the US so EU prices can sometimes be ridiculously inflated. Luckily, for me, the fun part of this hobby is trying all sorts of new teas from all over the world, even if they’re not all smashing successes. This one gets points for the good quality Yunnan and actually tasting of tea, unlike its other Palais des Thes comrades I have encountered. If you are looking to burn money on an Earl Grey with minimum bergamont (why?), this would be a contender.

Backlog. Tea #32. It’s the year 3030. I’m down to my last tea reserves. I thought I had planned ahead far enough, but one can never plan far enough when it comes to tea. Woody this one. Woody. Mmmm. It’s the Yunnan, so delicately but firmly woody. Usually I would not enjoy such a woody tea—I prefer a tippy tea, tinny even. But now as I sit here I find there is no longer much of a difference between tippy, tinny, or woody tea. As the venomous leaches eat away at my flesh, and I sip this tea in my final moments, all I can feel is a state of calm. Then the Yunnan kicks in and I feel nothing. Total paralysis. Although that might just be the leeches.

Palais Des Thes Advent Calendar Day 3:
I’m a pretty big fan of earl grey teas so I was excited for this one. The unsteeped tea sachet just smells like a typical earl grey. I drank this without milk or any additives.
Once steeped the tea is very smooth and creamy and the bergamot flavor is moderately strong. I’m not sure I love the Bergamot + Yunnan combo of this tea but that’s just me. I found that I enjoyed the taste of it a lot more after it cooled and was more of a lukewarm temperature.
I honestly would consider buying this one just because of how creamy and smooth it was which I haven’t found in other earl grey’s that I’ve tried before.

Earl Grey teas are often my favorites, but I’m surprised that I like this blend better than Palais des Thes traditional earl grey. This one was absolutely delightful and really made my day better just by sipping it. I will be looking for again!

Palais des Thés Advent Calendar – Day 3 (from November backlog)

Yay, Earl Grey! And this one has a Yunnan base, which is ideal for me.

I’m quite surprised that the bergamot is fairly light here, given the strong bergamot aroma I got from the dry sachet. And I’m glad it’s not overpowering, as the Yunnan base is obviously a bit less powerful than a standard Ceylon. It has a soft earthy flavor with no bitterness or astringency at all. The bergamot is citrusy and pleasant, with no perfumey notes that can sometimes come along with lower quality Earl teas.

To be honest, I don’t see myself ever actively stocking a plain Earl Grey tea, as I really love the versions with extra citrus or vanilla or even the Lupicia version with smoke and longan. But I would happily drink this tea anytime, and I really enjoy the Yunnan base as opposed to the usual suspects!

I’m not the biggest Earl Grey fan in the world, but if I liked it more, I think I’d love this one. Nicely balanced and very smooth.

Easily the most prestigious Earl Grey I’ve ever had. It tastes amazingly modern with it’s Yunnan base tea and this gentle Bergamot texturing; it’s got incredible depth. This is an Earl Grey for people who love Earl Grey as it’s both immediately familiar but absolutely unique all at the same time. The only thing I would say is this isn’t a breakfast tea, it’s just too spectacular to waste on a mouthful of eggs, bacon and potato’s. Enjoy it in the early hours of the afternoon, it will really set you up for the rest of your day.

This is a tea I drank a morning during a breakfast apointment in a Parisian cafe ( I can take pictures of my tea during profesional appointments, amazing … )

This is therefore an Earl Grey, kind of tea I particularly appreciate as a huge fan of bergamot .

This one is on a Yunnan black tea basis and mixed with blue flowers .

Although I was not able to pay the best attention to this tea , it seemed fine enough , the bergamot flavouring was a success. I am just regretting a too light body as the base was not present enough IMO.

Into the same tea family I preferred the Earl Grey French Blue by Mariage Frères but I would have to compare the two at the same time at home to get an unbiased idea .

The liquors of the Palais des Thés often have a very nice colour and this one is no exception .

Pics of my session with this tea are available here : https://thevangeliste.wordpress.com/2015/05/13/blue-of-london-le-palais-des-thes/

The second of the bergamot tea samples sent to me by Nicole. The dry leaves are joined by little purple buds of what must be lavender and some little off white buds. It brews up to a rich, dark amber. I like this one! The base tea is hearty, with only the faintest hint of bitter. The floral bergamot is only a distant flavor on my tongue. I won’t go out and buy 50 grams of this, but I certainly would drink it again if were a choice at a restaurant. (although, sadly, I’ve never yet had tea of this quality at a restaurant.)