I got a new tea pot for home from Tea District, and while I was there I had to pick up a sample of this tea. I’m a fan of Earl Grey, and I love the smell of lavender; plus, this one advertised a hint of jasmine, which I also adore. The aroma of the dry leaves is fantastic, very strongly smelling of lavender with citrus as well. The steeped tea matches remarkably well; the aroma is almost identical. It smells almost sweet, though there’s no actual sweetness in the flavor of the tea. This tea tastes like an Earl Grey with a heavy overlayer of lavender, but the lavender doesn’t overwhelm the EG. I don’t get a distinct jasmine note, but I have a feeling it’s contributing to the overall floral aroma and taste. I steeped this one a little short of the instructions (4 minutes), since I usually steep black teas I haven’t tried for 3 minutes, but this one doesn’t seem like it’s going to get bitter with more steeping. There really isn’t a hint of bitterness, so I’ll probably go ahead and steep it for 4 minutes next time, which should further bring out the flavors.
This is my first lavender Earl Grey, which I had suspected that I would really like. Turns out I was right, I really love this flavor combination. There’s something about lavender and bergamot that is so similar and complementary to me. This tea brings them together very well. Fortunately Tea District often has groupons, because I think I’ll be ordering more of this.
