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Thanks so much for the awesome swap, derk!  The swap was inspired by this tea — an Earl I’d never heard of before.  (Have to try ALL the bergamot.)  The leaves here are larger than is typically seen flavored with bergamot so I went with two loose teaspoons for a mug, so as not to spill any leaves all over the place… so it could really be 1 1/2 teaspoons if I was really packing the leaves into the teaspoon. The flavor is lovely this way but I will try it with less leaves next time anyway.   The black tea is brisk enough with two teaspoons, without being overpowering, but I didn’t really expect any astringency from these big leaves.  The bergamot is tasty — bright, strong citrus, sometimes hints of cream occasionally which is unexpected… or maybe I’m just imaginging this/wishing this.  I miss my unnatural as all getout cream EGs.  It’s amazing that some bergamot can be the best tasting flavor ever, but then others can be the most disgusting flavor.  Maybe this isn’t my favorite bergamot ever (it’s great!) but that will be tough to find these days (which is exactly the reason derk offered to send some of this over).  I will certainly enjoy the remainder of this sample! 
Steep #1  // 2 loose teaspoons for full mug // 20 minutes after boiling  // 2 minute steep
Steep #2  // 5 minutes after boiling //  3-4 min
2020 Sipdowns: 34 Teavivre – Moonlight Beauty

derk

You’re welcome :) It is a strong tea. The few times I’ve had it, I’ve used only a teaspoon for a mug. What would you say is your favorite Earl Grey?

Nattie

I was about to ask that too, @derk!

mrmopar

I like Stash Double Earl Grey.

tea-sipper

All my favorites are gone gone gone:
SpecialTeas- Earl Grey de la Creme (probably my favorite of ANY tea ever)
Element – Creme Earl Grey
Zen – original recipe Earl Grey Creme

Nattie

Okay I’m adding everything to my wishlist haha. I’m a sucker for an EG Crème.

tea-sipper

I hate to inform you Nattie, but those teas haven’t been available for years. :/

ashmanra

Earl Grey Supreme by Harney, Earl Grey Royale by The O Dor. (My fave is reblended and I don’t like the new base. I loved Nina’s Earl Grey when it had a Keemun base but I don’t like the Ceylon.)

Nattie

Oh nooo! I saw that the Element one was unavailable but didn’t notice the others. Why must the good EGCs be doomed? ):

Nattie

I totally didn’t see the bit where you said they were gone! Whoops…

Nattie

@ashmanra – I might try the Nina’s EG, I’m not usually a fan of Keemun so I might prefer the Ceylon base

derk

I’d love to try a keemun Earl Grey. If anybody finds one, lmk!

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derk

You’re welcome :) It is a strong tea. The few times I’ve had it, I’ve used only a teaspoon for a mug. What would you say is your favorite Earl Grey?

Nattie

I was about to ask that too, @derk!

mrmopar

I like Stash Double Earl Grey.

tea-sipper

All my favorites are gone gone gone:
SpecialTeas- Earl Grey de la Creme (probably my favorite of ANY tea ever)
Element – Creme Earl Grey
Zen – original recipe Earl Grey Creme

Nattie

Okay I’m adding everything to my wishlist haha. I’m a sucker for an EG Crème.

tea-sipper

I hate to inform you Nattie, but those teas haven’t been available for years. :/

ashmanra

Earl Grey Supreme by Harney, Earl Grey Royale by The O Dor. (My fave is reblended and I don’t like the new base. I loved Nina’s Earl Grey when it had a Keemun base but I don’t like the Ceylon.)

Nattie

Oh nooo! I saw that the Element one was unavailable but didn’t notice the others. Why must the good EGCs be doomed? ):

Nattie

I totally didn’t see the bit where you said they were gone! Whoops…

Nattie

@ashmanra – I might try the Nina’s EG, I’m not usually a fan of Keemun so I might prefer the Ceylon base

derk

I’d love to try a keemun Earl Grey. If anybody finds one, lmk!

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Hi! I love tea and trying new ones – it adds a bit of variety to my day! Books, music, TV & movies are my thing… and tea, of course.

Some of my favorite tea shops (still operating):
birdandblendtea.com
teavivre.com
52teas.com
svtea.com
whisperingpinestea.com
justea.com
harney.com
Dammann Freres
fusionteas.com
Javateaco.com
Lupicia
Octaviatea.com
Davidstea
eco-cha.com
what-cha.com
singleoriginteas.com
teasenz.com
tealyra.com
Mandala
verdanttea.com

Favorite tea shops (RIP):
butikiteas.com
steapshoppe.com
steepcityteas.com
aquartertotea.com
dellaterrateas.com
zentealife.com
angrytearoom.com
theteamerchant.net
joysteaspoon.com
tealiciousllc.com
Rivertea
Specialteas

My icon photo is Richard Mayhew from the graphic novel ‘Neverwhere’ by Neil Gaiman, Mike Carey & Glenn Fabry.

Most of the teas listed in my cupboard are actually sample sizes. I don’t really have 2,000 ounces of tea around here! Many of my teas have only one teaspoon left… maybe two. But I like keeping them in my cupboard list for reference to what I could be sipping. Usually, I write tasting notes once for each tea. I’m still drinking them, just not writing tasting notes each time!

I’m always in search of: Hattialli, Qu Hao black, Jin Jun Mei, teas using marshmallow root.

My dislikes: hibiscus, ginger (unless in chai), turmeric, bee pollen, charcoal type flavors

My ratings:
95-100 – Super awesome deliciousness favorites – cupboard essential
80-95 – Also pretty delicious
65-80 – Pretty good
50-65 – Okay
1-50 – Probably won’t want to sip it again

I’m planning on being a Steepsterer as long as there IS a Steepster, so if you’re not hearing from me, that means something happened to my health… if you know what I mean. (Or as evidenced by the great computer hiatus of 2019, something happened to my computer… I have a dumb phone so can’t access internet on that. As of 12/20/21 my wifi might start getting unreliable.)

Happy sipping!

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USA

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