So, this is the last of the bagged Taylors of Harrogate teas I subsisted on in Lexington. Of the bunch, this was far and away my favorite. As a matter of fact, I plan on trying the loose leaf version just to compare the two.
I prepared this tea using the one step Western infusion process I tend to favor for non-Chinese black teas and many black tea blends. I steeped the tea bag in approximately 8 ounces of adequately hot water for 5 minutes. Again, I have no clue what the water temperature was, and I did not attempt additional infusions as I never reinfuse bagged teas.
After infusion, the dark mahogany tea liquor produced integrated aromas of bergamot, cream, honey, toast, caramel, and wood. In the mouth, I picked up on smoothly integrated notes of bergamot, wood, brown toast, honey, cream, malt, caramel, butterscotch, and cocoa. The finish was mild and slightly citrusy. The bergamot presence continued to shine, underscored by fleeting impressions of wood, caramel, cream, malt, and butterscotch.
I found this to be significantly better and more sophisticated than many of the bagged teas I have tried in the past. Unlike at least one previous reviewer, I did not note anything that seemed overtly artificial about this tea. For a bagged Earl Grey, it certainly was not bad. I could see myself reaching for this again in similar circumstances in the future. I am definitely planning on trying the loose leaf version soon.
Flavors: Bergamot, Brown Toast, Butterscotch, Caramel, Cocoa, Cream, Malt, Wood
