I got my samples from Epi Tea today, and of course I dove right in! There’s a long list of teas I should try first, but I was dying to taste this one. Lavender Earl Greys are some of my favorite EG blends, and while my current favorite blend is ETS’ Versailles Lavender I’m looking for one in teabag form. I know some loose-leaf fans have kind of a stigma against teabags, but I enjoy having an easy way to brew up a cup when I’m feeling sick or, well, lazy. ^^; Plus these are pyramid bags, so the tea does get to expand quite a bit.
This is a very soft EG. The bergamot, lavender and black base aren’t very assertive, but not in a negative way. It’s very much a tea for slow evenings where you can relax and unwind. In fact, I might have said this was an ear grey cream if I didn’t know better, it has that soft creamy vanilla background taste going on. The lavender is very nice, not overpowering, only slightly perfumey. I let it steep for 6 minutes+ on the second steep (kind of lost track of time!) and it was more agressively floral, which personally I like. This is the best bagged lavender EG I’ve tried!