So, normally I don’t really love EG teas so to be completely honest I’m not sure why this one spoke to me the way that it did – I’ll be honest, at least part of it probably boils down to teabento’s really cute marketing/imagery.
That said, when I cracked open the sample pouch of this I was pulled in by the sweet smelling, malty aroma mixed with the fresh bergamot oil notes. It actually smelled really, really good. As it was steeping, this stayed true – and the whole kitchen gradually started to smell of aromatic, sweet bergamot notes. Really inviting, and delightful!
I added some almond milk to the steeped brew; if I was smart I would have tried it straight first and then added my almond milk but I didn’t think that far ahead. What can I say, I’m sort of groggy right now. I went for the milk though because rarely do I drink my EG plain; I prefer some sort of creamy element in my EGs and milk helps a lot with that.
Flavour wise, I was a little taken back by how sweet this is! And I know that sweetness isn’t coming from my almond milk because it’s the unsweetened, not vanilla flavoured stuff. No, this is definitely like a French bread and honey kind of sweetness. Really warm and comforting and ultimately quite pastry like in nature. It’s also really, really pleasantly malty. Plus, of course, there’s the flavour of bergamot. I have to say, it’s a really fresh sort of bergamot and, true to the tea’s name, I think it’s pretty gentle all things considered. It compliments the honey and freshly baked breads notes quite well, actually – and the malt is just off set enough from the citrus to really pull out some of the brightness of the bergamot. It’s a very soothing profile overall; makes me feel relaxed and happy. Plus, now I kind of want to have a nap but like in a good way.
Yeah, I can get behind this one.
Song Pairing: https://youtu.be/AmIYWroqsyk