I definitely want to get more small, local companies onto Steepster. Tea Lani… I thought I added, but they don’t have a central website/a source of photos (these are from her Facebook and Instagram) so I guess I hadn’t.
I first encountered her in university. One of our buildings allows vendors to set up along the main hallway to sell stuff. Often people selling homemade jewellery, knitted projects, small stuff like that (some resellers). That’s the first time I bought this tea (at the time called Lavender Earl Grey). It was an instant favourite, because it was a Lavender Cream Earl Grey. Plus a tea seller right on campus!
I was a little sad because I didn’t see her again after that, and I finished my jar.
Fastforward half a decade to the Vancouver Tea Festival: the past two-ish years she’s been there, and I’ve bought a new jar every time.
The smell is a creamy earl grey with light lavender, body about the same. The tea base has a bit of body, Ceylon likely, but carries the flavours well. Lavender as a top note, body largely vanilla London Fog. Bright, citrusy, a bit harsh. The lavender is faintly herbaceous (there is a lot of it), which trails into the aftertaste.
I don’t drink it with milk, but it’s got enough strength that it would probably do fine with it. This is a tea I pick up fairly often. I’m halfway through the jar I bought from the last Tea Festival already.
Flavors: Bergamot, Lavender, Vanilla