Downton Abbey® Estate Blend

I bought this for the tin and my new realization that I love Earl Greys and would like to try more kinds just for fun.
Hot: I made this hot a few times and just can’t figure out how I like drinking it and don’t want to waste more cause
Iced: I love it, taste nothing like I expected but I am new to “creamed” Earl Grey. It tasted like an orange creamsicle. I’ve made this iced and love it every time. My favorite is iced with 1/2 a teaspoon of sugar.

Came back to this one after a few months of destashing less-loved teas and while this was better than I remember it being, it really just left an empty space in my bleak little heart for a more potent earl grey creme and now I’m off to the races to look for something to scratch the itch. This really is the ugly sister of Earl Greyer Vanilla.

I’ve had some bad Earl Grey cremes (looking at you Adagio) and I’ve had some good ones. This one is pretty good! The vanilla does a great job of smoothing out the potential astringency, and makes the bergmont almost orange flavored. The bergamont is very subtle, almost a plesant aftertaste, especially as it cools. In the tin, I get the distinct flavor of Panettone—an Italian Christmas cake and staple tradition in our family. Scent in the cup is nearly purely vanilla. It’s suprisingly good, in my opinion.

Ok ok, I gave this another shot and it turns out I was doing it completely wrong the first time. The first few times, I had it with just sugar and it as giving me a bitter taste.

I gave a few tea bags t my friend who said she looooved it with milk and sugar. SO. I gave it another shot, this time with milk and sugar. Game changer. Now it tastes much creamier and sweeter. I just needed the milk to cancel out the bitterness I was tasting. I only wonder why I didn’t think of that myself.

Backlog from this morning.

I do not watch Downton Abbey at all, but this tea was gifted to me by my grandfather, who very much enjoys gifting me tea. :)

This was one of those Mondays I woke up moody for no reason, so it was a good one to do this tea, which is actually pretty light-hearted and sweet. It reminds me a bit of some of Harney’s blends, like Paris? It’s very vanilla and fruity, but there’s also a cherry note to it that’s a little on the strong side… slightly like cherry cough syrup, but not nearly as obnoxious. I was drinking it on the way out the door this morning, so I didn’t get the most nuanced picture.

All in all, not bad! I have a feeling it’ll grow on me as I drink it some more. I think it would be a good work staple. Lord knows I need to bring some of my tea to work…

Currently this is my go-to “at work” tea. It’s very smooth and has a delightful aroma. I like it hot or cold, as is or with a little milk and sugar. The tea has a nice flavor, and it’s complimented well by the vanilla. It’s not overwhelming. There certainly are better earl greys out there, but for the price, I think it’s nice. I’ve bought it a couple times now, and gifted it to friends.

A delightful creamy earl grey. Soothing and smooth.

I love Downton Abbey and will probably collect all the teas.

World Market had this tea available to sample while we were there so I had a small cup while I was browsing the store. I would normally have a tea like this one with honey and cream, but they only had Sweet’N Low and powdered non-dairy creamer so I enjoyed this plain. The flavor reminded me of one of those all-natural cherry sodas, like Boylan or Virgil’s. I think it must have been the vanilla. I sipped it throughout the visit, and it was equally good both hot and at room temperature. I’m regretting not buying some so I think I’ll pick up a canister next time I go.

This is a great bagged Earl Grey. It captures the flavor and balance of a good Earl Grey. The vanilla is a great addition. I binge drank it for three days before slowing down.

Some friends of mine said this tea (after steeping) smells like cereal. I was surprised, and later on I tried to figure out why they said that. I realized that this has a very heavy vanilla aroma and I am guessing the sweet smell reminds them of sugary cereal. The vanilla does overwhelm the tea; I would say the black tea is average quality. If you over-steep it, even a little, it will have a bitter (old, stale) tea flavor.