This was the last of the samples from The Teaguy that I got around to trying. Of the bunch, I found it to be the best. It should be noted, however, that I am still a huge sucker for a good, straight-ahead Earl Grey, so it should come as no surprise that I was more taken with this blend than the others I received.
I prepared this tea in the Western style. I steeped 1 teaspoon of loose leaf material in approximately 8 ounces of 194 F water for 4 minutes. I neither rinsed the leaf material nor attempted any additional infusions.
Prior to infusion, the dry leaf material emitted a strong bergamot aroma. After infusion, the bergamot aroma was still heavy and strong, though I could also detect some subtle scents of toast, cream, and malt. In the mouth, the tea liquor offered strong bergamot notes on the entry that were chased by subtler malt, toast, caramel, cream, and orange zest impressions. The finish was dominated by a lingering orange zest impression and a suddenly rejuvenated bergamot note.
As Earl Grey blends go, this one was pretty basic and did not offer any surprises, but it was also a ridiculously aromatic, flavorful, and drinkable blend that was just heavy enough on the bergamot oil to avoid coming off as unbalanced. Truly good Earl Greys seem to be getting harder and harder to come by, so with that in mind, there is no way I could refrain from giving this one a high score. If you are an Earl Grey freak, make a point of checking this one out sometime.
Flavors: Bergamot, Caramel, Cream, Malt, Orange Zest, Toast
