No. 55 Lord Bergamot

Home from my performances, I’m enjoying a cup of this. Although I’m not always a fan of bergamot, I am a fan of Steven Smith, at least of the teas from him that I have tried so far (plus, as I’ve said before, I had a crush on a boy once named steve smith, so I can’t help but feel a small bit of nostalgia). The Earl is a little bolder than most, as it includes some Assam along with the usual ceylon. All of the blacks are of high quality, as is the Bergamot oil itself, and that, my friends, makes all the difference. :)

Today while running around, I got to the point where a stop for tea was required. I could feel the beginnings of that lack-of-caffeine headache. Here in the Pacific Northwest, there is a starbucks at nearly every corner (seriously, if you miss the starbucks at this corner, you don’t need to turn around, just keep driving and there will be another one within a mile). But, I don’t like starbucks, and I like Teavana even less. So, hubby was nice and took a detour and took me to Brewed Awakenings where they serve Steven Smith teas. I don’t like that they serve the tea in paper cups because I can taste the paper, but, at least I got some good tea on the go. It would be better if they found a better way to serve it, but, at least I don’t have the caffeine headache now.

I do love this tea, definitely one of my favorite Earl Grey teas out there.

Tea of the afternoon. I’ll have to take it easy on the caffeine after this because I had two cups of coffee while I was out at a workshop today…

I’ve had this in my cupboard for a while. It happens to be one of the only bergamot teas that I care for and I think that’s because of the quality of the bergamot in this blend. Smelling it reminds me of an essential aromatherapy oil. The black tea base isn’t bad either but I like this with a bit of sweetener.

Steep Information:
Amount: 2 tsp
Water: 212° filtered ~500ml
Tool: Breville One-Touch Tea Maker BTM800XL (black, strong)
Steep Time: 3 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: strong citrus (bergamot)
Steeped Tea Smell: black tea, hint of bake-y
Flavor: astringent black tea, hints of citrus
Body: Medium
Aftertaste: astringent, sweet
Liquor: translucent brown, orange hints

I am not a huge bergamot fan, and I am really liking this tea. It’s a mellow bergamot, smooth black tea, and generally a delicious cup. I can easily see myself restocking this once I have room in my cupboard.

The packaging was a nice sealed silver bag, with a sticker arrange so the bag could stand itself up. The packaging date was written on the bottom with what I presume is a lot number. The packaging is very nice, with the exception that it is not resealable.

Resteep: weak, left in for 15? 20 minutes, perhaps a cold brew instead overnight would work?

Images: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/05/steven-smith-teamaker-loose-leaf-black.html

I was so excited to come home to a box of tea samples from SimplyJenW full of a lot of teas I’ve been wanting to try. Making a decision was so difficult this morning! First I narrowed it down to some sort of Earl Grey, my usual choice for a bleary Monday morning, but that didn’t actually narrow it all that much. I ended up going with this one, which has been on my shopping list almost since I’ve been on here and was looking up well-liked Earls to try.

The only thing that I’m not sure about with this one is the part-Assam base since I’m not the biggest fan of Assams. We shall see! The steeped tea smells pretty nice, with a healthy dose of bright bergamot. Overall the taste is pretty good but a little weak. I always steep an unknown black tea at 3 minutes because I am sensative to bitterness, but it seems like most people steep this one for at least 4 minutes so I will have to try that next time, especially since there isn’t any bitterness in this cup. I do like the base on this one, actually, and the bergamot is of a middling strongness… not super powerful, but not too weak, either. Well, not too week beyond the overall weakness of the cup. I will hold off rating this one until I get another shot at it. Right now it is a pretty tasty Earl but it doesn’t really stand out to me.

This is really good. The base is very sweet and fruity and it reminds me of the mouthfeel I got from Tardis. There’s a bit of astringency at the end of each sip, but it’s pleasant. The bergamot is just a touch strong, but it seemed to mellow out as it cooled a bit.

Yes. I think Steven Smith teas are something to keep an eye out for! Hard to say whether I like this more than Tardis, or Mount Gray as they have similiar profiles, yet are still unique. Stock up on all three?

OK wow. Long story coming here.

So I went to Chapters today, purposely, to get a book. Not just any book. Hollow City, the sequel to Mrs. Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. The first book was amazing. The perfect amount of suspense, drama, fiction, and history. Highly recommended, by myself anyway. I couldn’t wait for a sequel, not know if there ever would be one, but how can they just leave you hanging at the end of a book like that. I would have rather ordered it online and had it sent directly to my door, but it wasn’t released in time, and I will purposely be reading it shortly. So I went to the store, I put my blinders on. Straight to the books, don’t look around, don’t look around, don’t look around. Dammit, I looked around. Out of the corner of my eye I see a logo that kind of reminds me of the Harley Davidson logo, but is really the Steven Smith Teamaker logo (Steve you are such a bada$$). It took me like 2 seconds to forget what I went for and to get over to the display, which was a bunch of Tea Forte with some Steven Smith hiding in between. I was in heaven. I was still reeling from the adrenaline rush from finding it (I would say until now it was impossible to come across in Canada, and unable to order from the Steven Smith online shop due to shipping restrictions).

Sidenote: What is happening by the way, Fauchon at Winners, now Steven Smith at Chapters, the [tea] apocalypse is coming!

I was completely drawn in. Then I saw Lord Bergamot No. 55. Oh my! I stood just sniffing the box. It got kind of weird because by now the employees were watching my “strange” behavior in the tea section. And every other customer just kept walking by, browsing the Tea Forte. I was screaming at the top of my lungs, but only inside my brain, come on guys, this is Steven Smith! But I didn’t because it is mine, all mine, my precious!

Still reeling from the huge adrenaline rush I stopped at McD’s on the way home. Today was my Rob-Ford-minor-set-back. I will get over it, maybe :)

By the time I got home, I was super wishing I had invested in some expensive and ridiculous gadget that turned my kettle on through an app or something. Because then I had to wait, very impatiently for the kettle to boil. While this was happening I read the very sleek and cheeky tea box. The tea came in sachet form, but there was tonnes of room for expansion. The back of the individual packet reads “Steep 5 minutes, while pondering the Earl’s affair with the Duchess of Devonshire.” No! No. The Earl is mine, we are having the affair. He seductively waved me in with the beautiful scent and steam that arose from the steeping tea. I pretending to resist, but really, who am I kidding.

This. Tea. Is. Magnificent. It is smooth, and creamy, and bergamotty. Definitely a more citrus bergamot. It is creamy and silky, slightly sweet. The blend of base teas is perfect. The bergamot is bold but the base is not. Ahhhhhh! The adrenaline is wearing off and serotonin kicking in.

Steven, you are a genius!

This is for the tea sachets, not loose leaf. I spent the weekend in Rochester NY, and my son had mentioned that he was in Wegmans Pittsford store, and there was a huge tea selection. Anyone who knows Wegmans knows they rock. I was already familiar with the brands they were likely to carry, so jotted down a few things to look for before going. Since Pittsford is their “Super” (mega super duper flagship) Wegmans (they are based in Rochester), this was written on my list, since SimplyJen found it at a store here in Ohio. And they had it !!!! (did I mention Wegmans rocks?). I wasn’t expecting the Harney ones (maybe 8 choices) but none I recognized as ones I wanted to try. I managed to leave the store with only 2 teas (very proud) lol. I did put 3 back, after remembering my cupboards back home. For the record, I’ve never seen Steven Smith or Harney at any of the other Wegmans (from smaller to bigger ones). That one also had a “Tea Bar” serving tea by the cup, with what looked like 20-30 selections. Was there after driving all day from Ohio (not in mood to explore further).

Anyway! This tea! Testing with honey (no coffeemate, which is usual for Earls). Fearing bitter, I only steeped 4 minutes, instead of their instructions for 5. There is no bitterness, and the tea manages to be strong and obvious. I’m not picking up strong bergamot flavoring with only sweetener, and I would prefer it stronger. Halfway through cup, going to add some coffeemate sweet cream …

Since I’m used to drinking my morning Earl Grey with honey and creamer, this is a fairer comparison I think. Now I can taste the bergamot “playing” with the cream and giving it more emphasis. I like, but don’t love. But it might be steeped too long for my tastes (the Assam is booming the most). Will re-try at 3.

Wegmans price for 15 sachets (boxed) was $9.99 … does anyone know how the loose leaf compares?

Tea of the afternoon…..

I have been checking out all of the produce markets in my area, and to my surprise, one of them stocks a few Steven Smith teas. Score! I was so hoping this was among their offerings, because I am a sucker for a good Earl. Or, I guess it is a Lord for this blend! It has been on my list because my picks for Earl Grey seem to line up pretty well with what LiberTEAs likes in an Earl, and this was one of her favorites. This is the first I have had with an Assam in the base. I quite like this. I can tell a good amount of effort was put into this blend so that the bergamot does not overpower the base, nor the bergamot get lost in the heartiness of the tea base. Could it be in my favorites? Quite possibly. And I have 14 more sachets to figure it out! I will have to check out the other Steven Smith teas I can get locally. (Mustard Seed Market for those in the area…)

Travel mug method…..boiling water, about 14 oz, one individually wrapped sachet (unwrapped, of course!), 4 minutes. Lightly sweetened. YUM!

Travelling Tea Box C

I really need to try more and more teas by this Teamaker. I’ve had quite a few awful earl greys lately, but this one was lovely! The ceylong base was full-bodied, fruity, and smooth. The bergamot wasn’t oily or bitter. A really lovely earl grey!