I received a package in the mail today from Germany, which is a first! I was very excited to open it because it contained tea that I won in a contest being held on Steepster by RiverTea. In order to keep people excited for the upcoming launch of their online shop they asked readers ‘what would you do if only 100 grams of your favorite tea existed in the world, what would you do to get it?’ and my answer involving crayfish put me among the winners. As per usual when I get a box in the mail containing tea, I had to try some of it immediately!
Today I am reviewing Marquis de Gris by RiverTea. (they are still pre-launch, but if you sign up for notification you can get a nice discount and samples) This tea is a blend of Mango, Bergamot, and Black tea with Rose, Sunflower, and Cornflower Blossoms. This tea is exceptionally pretty and colorful, I love teas that stimulate multiple senses. Well, on to the olfactory analysis, in a word this tea is heavenly. The aroma is one of the best blends of, well a blended tea, that I have run into, no one aroma overpowers the other. You can certainly detect the sharpness of the bergamot, the sweet tropical aroma of the mango, the delicate floral aroma from the various blossoms, and a rich maltiness from the tea.
Once steeping the aroma fills up my room, even though the petals become sad and faded. The aroma becomes more intensely citrus and the oaky, malty aroma of the black tea is really noticeable. It is a very brisk aroma and wakes me up (which is good because I have a serious case of the groggies). The liquid has a more sweetly floral aroma that blends well with the aroma of mangoes. The bergamot and black tea aromas are not as intense as with the steeped leaves.
The taste is wonderful, a perfect blend of mild sweetness, floral, and tartness. There is a hint mild astringency giving the tea a brisk quality that is not at all intrusive. A while ago I tasted a Lady Grey and thought it was, well, kinda awful, this tea gives me what I want in a ‘milder’ bergamot Early Grey style tea. I do not necessarily want there to be less bergamot but I want it accented with other things so it does not overpower. In this tea I can taste the citrus, the roses, the rich mango, and the base tea and they are harmonious, it does a wonderful job of being subtle while also being intense enough to keep my interest. I decided to add a splash of cream and sugar (my usual way of drinking Black teas, especially blends and first thing in the morning) and it was an excellent idea! The cream added that edge of richness and made the mango more pronounced and the sugar, well I just like my first tea of the day to be sweet. I have been looking for a new morning tea and I think I have found it, as you all know I do not often say ‘new favorite tea’ but today I got lucky.
For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2013/11/rivertea-maquis-de-gris-tea-review.html
I’m glad to see you were the winner!