Oh, the infamous Tower of London, much beloved around these parts. I had high hopes for this one after hearing its praise sung in many a tasting note. The dry leaf pretty much looks like a “generic” black tea – very dark, short, slightly twisty leaves. However, the smell is not at all generic. It’s a powerful and tart-smelling combination of peach, vanilla, and bergamot. I actually brewed this twice.
The first time, I did a teaspoon for 4 minutes (which was the average steep time according to Steepster). It came out quite bitter and I couldn’t finish the cup, even with sugar. I’ve had the exact same problem with Paris before.
The second time, I did a 5 minute steep instead (which seemed to solve the problem in the past). It came out much better at these parameters. It has a sweet and tantalizing aroma with a lot of vanilla, accented by peach, plum, and honey fragrances. The taste is similar but a bit more complex. The vanilla hits my tongue first, followed by the bergamot, then a jumble of peaches and dark sweet cherries. Finally, the honey comes in at the end, right before a slightly unpleasant bitterness. Not sure what I’m doing wrong there. I found this tea to be quite similar to Paris, perhaps with a touch more bergamot and with a slightly brighter fruit flavor compared to Paris’s more jammy one. A tasty tea with a bit of sugar added.
Flavors: Bergamot, Cherry, Honey, Peach, Vanilla
Preparation
Comments
Since you recently tried St Petersburg do you find it similar? I do, but I didn’t do side by side, my Kusmi tin is new and I don’t want to open it now
Since you recently tried St Petersburg do you find it similar? I do, but I didn’t do side by side, my Kusmi tin is new and I don’t want to open it now
I can see the similarity, but I think I get more bergamot in this than I do with St. Petersburg. I’m not sure whether this or Paris would be more similar…