Earl Grey Royal

Another sample that came with my order.

Group A streptococcus has paid a visit to our house, and between the sick kidlet not sleeping well and his younger brother being jealous that he was getting all the attention in the middle of the night and choosing to have a tantrum about it, I did not sleep well either. My eyes are pretty much at half mast this morning and we’re out of toothpicks.

So I though I’d invite the Earl to tea and see what sort of impression he made.

Yellow and blue petals among dry leaves that smell strongly of bergamot. Steeps to a very dark, reddish caramel color. Less bergamot in the aroma after steeping, instead it is more of an orange scent and a very rich, almost chocolatey black tea undercurrent.

The taste is quite nice. The bergamot is not strong and perfumy, which is great. Strong, oily, perfumy bergamot upsets my stomach. It’s more of an impression the tea gives rather than an outright taste. It’s like the way a good jasmine or other flower scented tea gives the impression more than an actual taste. To the extent it’s a taste, it’s orangy, fruity and mild rather than tasting like rubbing alcohol smells, as some bergamot oils do.

The underlying tea is a yummy, smooth black tea. Medium-to-full bodied and medium-sweet with low astringency.

It’s a gentle, polite Earl and he’s welcome to come back to visit any time.

The third of four free samples. The liquor is dark and has a nice bergamot aroma. It has sunflower and cornflower petals in it. The taste has a very nice slightly spicy sweet clove taste with a citrus zest notes. It’s not sour nor bitter and not perfumey at all. It is a very warm and comforting cup of tea, and I’m feeling good energy from it.

Solid flavorful Earl Grey with citrus fruit and zest notes. Creamy mouthfeel and balanced taste with a nice finish.

195°F, 3 steeps at 2min, 3min, 4min.

When I tried the sample of this tea, I longed to try it iced to see if it could replace Frank’s Southern Boy Iced Tea that had Captain Picard on the label – Earl Grey Iced. Well, my eldest daughter gave me a whole tin so now I get to experiment!

I made about a quart and used 1/4 cup sugar to sweeten. Is it exactly like Frank’s? No. Is it good? Yes. And I think I can tweak it a tiny bit and make it even better. I believe that a touch of sweet orange juice will carry this toward Lady Grey flavor and make it more like I remember Frank’s tea. It just needs something to take off the slight sour edge of the bergamot to really make it match. Comment if you have any other suggestions to help with that! A touch of jasmine? Just the orange juice? Or orange syrup?

Personal note: If you have been on here long, you know youngest daughter was a regular tea buddy for me. Our children were homeschooled and we went through a lot of tea every day in the last nine years of it.. Last year she left for university, and now…she is going to study in Poland! She leaves in late July and will return in late December.

Martin She is flying first to Prague and will do some sightseeing there. Are there any tea shops or tea rooms there you recommend? What brands do you like that can be found in grocery stores there?

Anyone with knowledge of that part of Europe, please chime in with advice or recommendations!

Yesterday I received the Theodor order that I placed on Vente Privée . Oh joy to see the postman emerging at my doorstep in the middle of the afternoon .

Obviously Theodor wanted to sell its so-called kimono bags , in aluminum . The 5 teas I ordered were in this type of bags that preserve wonderfully the qualities of tea. Well I personnaly do not care because all my teas end in an airtight dedicated tin but for those who keep their tea in the original bags , those ones were perfect.

This morning I had an embarrassment of riches with five new teas to test but my love for the legendary Earl Grey outweighed everything else. And seeing the sublime osmanthus flowers and corn flowers mixed with black tea leaves I cracked .

During the infusion the yellow flowers rise to the surface and we can see them only !

The liquor is very dark and smells delicious bergamot-y.

The taste obtained is strong bergamot, very present and very bright , almost slightly spicy . This is an extremely invigorating and joyful blend. Ideal in the morning. It reminds me a lot of Mademoiselle another blend by Theodor , another Earl Grey but scented with lavender . The Bergamot oil used is most likely the same . I don’t think I am wrong on this . It is also probably the same Chinese tea base between medium and full -bodied in terms of strength .

A good Earl Grey in conclusion even if I denote nothing very extravagant here .

You can have a look at pics of my session with this tea here : http://thevangeliste.wordpress.com/2014/10/18/earl-grey-royal-theodor/