Mount Gray

Whoa. This is STRONG. I made it for iced tea.. so even slightly more diluted than normal it was almost too strong. There’s so much of it too so I’ll be drinking this for a while. This is my first tin of tea from Damn Fine Tea, it came with a cute magnet and all… wonder if all the teas are so strong. Smells great dry and brewed.

So I have not found an equal to Andrews & Dunham’s last earl gray. And it was a limited edition.

Needless to say my life has been an empty pit of despair since series 3 sold out. Fortunately, A&D came out with Mount Gray and I jumped on it like a drowning man to a lifeboat. Or clambered up the side, weak, wet and cold from my ordeal, whatever.

I can’t compare it to their last Earl Gray, since I used the last of it quite some time ago. But it’s front loaded with a strong hit of Bergamot, yet not the flowery bergamot. Underneath it’s smooth and satisfying.
It holds up to second steeping, retaining it’s mellow characteristics with a subtler bergamot taste.
All in all, this tea is like spinning around and around with my arms outstretched on a hill with the Swiss alps in the backdrop. And maybe a spot of Metallica playing in the background. Hey, I gotta keep some sort of dignity.

Wow I have been terrible about logging teas lately. I blame my adorable puppy. What can I say I’m a sucker for sad puppy eyes and cute fluffy faces <3
Been in a bit of a funk today. Work was very slow all week :( booooo. Sure hope my clientele picks up next week.
To pull me out of this bad mood I thought I would try one of my new teas today. As soon as I opened this one up I knew I chose correctly!! The bergamot oil smells amazing! Calms my head instantly. Thats exactly what I have been needing lately, something to pull me into another land, an escape from my thoughts.
Steeped it smells a bit more earthy, reminds me of being in my parents flower garden as a kid.
Mmmmm this is the perfect tea for me today.

I received this sample a while ago from yssah – Love is Tea (LIT). I wanted to give this a try before purchasing a large tin. I am a huge fan of Andrews & Dunham Damn Fine Tea. I have almost all of the tins, save 3 of them.

Anyway on to Mount Gray. I LOVE Earl Grey teas. This one is definitely in my top 5 now. The bergamot isn’t very strong or overpowering, which some Earl Greys tend to be. This is well blended. The tea itself brews rather dark and strong even below 3 minutes. It has a slight astringency to it. The base is warm and toasty but strong enough to counteract the bergamot. Good blend. It is different than the others I have tried.

It’s been a while since I’ve had any activity around here, but I logged in today specifically to rate this tea. Because I like it. It is good. I happen to think it’s very good.

I think I expected it to taste like A&D’s last Earl Gray. I was fine with that, as the previous one was good. This one is better. As others have already noted, there’s no skimping on the bergamot here. This is unsurprising if one knows Mssrs. Andrews and Dunham. Actually, I don’t know them, but I buy all of their teas. It seems to me that they like strong black teas. I have no quarrel with this.

So yes, healthy infusion of bergamot here, but there’s something slightly different about it here. Good different. I haven’t yet decided what I think that is, but I don’t immediately associate it with any other particular Earl Gray that I’ve previously enjoyed. I account this a good thing because it tastes great. I agree with Jen that it seems like there’s some sort of blend in the base tea. Regardless, it’s delicious.

Fortunately this is not a limited edition. While I enjoy getting a numbered, limited edition tin as much as the next guy, I don’t feel like I have to sprint through this tin to justify ordering a second before they run out…and there will definitely be another tin of this in my future.

Another swapped blend, it was a really nice black tea but there wasn’t enough bergamot for my tastes.

Thank you, Shae, for the sample. This is a decent blend. The dry aroma makes it smell a bit artificial. Candy lemon drops. Lemon tart. The wet leaf aroma brings in a bit of woody notes along with bread pudding. The flavor isn’t quite what I was expecting though. The bergamot is subdued. Even the woody tones of the tea itself are somewhat muted. It tastes more medicinal than anticipated. But with candied undertones?

Okay. Round two. Still not impressed, unfortunately. The bergamot is just too subdued for pleasantries. It is fine to drink on its own but would not work for a London Fog.

The black tea in this blend is a little harsh for me. I also feel like the bergamot could have been stronger. It was all right, but one of the less good EGs I’ve had. I do appreciate the share though, tea-sipper! I drank the last of my cup and the resteep cold, and I’d say this tea definitely shines more as a cold latte. It’s much smoother that way.

For quite some time, I couldn’t drink earl greys because they would cause headaches. I hated that bc this is one of my favourite earl greys and I just COULDN’T. curse my dumb body, basically.

but today, I am drinking up the last of this can. earlier this week, I steeped the last bits in a big ole pitcher and threw in some vanilla syrup and that is what I’ve been taking to work these last few mornings. no headaches. I love this tea and I’ll be savoring this last bit it of it. /chef’s kiss/

365 Days of Tea Challenge – Day 5/365

Yay, I’m finally writing about one of the A&D teas that I ordered a few weeks ago! I was so excited to see them back in stock, so I immediately pounced on a 3-pack of Black Sunshine, Tiger Assam, and this tea. According to the website, this Earl Grey is on an Asian black tea base. Obviously, that’s a bit vague since all three of the most popular black tea regions are in Asia… I don’t often drink “plain” Earl Grey blends, tending to prefer those with added citrus or vanilla, but I figured this one would be worth having as I’m sure the base is high quality.

I steeped this using my usual black tea parameters – 3 minutes at 200°, even though the website recommends a longer and hotter steep. I guess I’m just a creature of habit!

I will say, I’m very much enjoying this one. The base tea is definitely at least partially Chinese – smooth and mellow with nice malty bread and earth notes. There’s a bit of woodiness present as well. I love Chinese black teas – they’re not sharp or astringent, but they’re still so flavorful.

This one makes a lovely base for the bergamot. I was worried about the strength of the bergamot, as I’ve had Earl Grey blends in the past where I found it to be overpowering. But here, the bergamot seems perfectly balanced to me. It has a pleasantly sharp citrusy flavor without being floral or perfumey. There’s also a bit of a pine/eucalyptus note from the bergamot, which really drives home the great outdoors theme of the tea for me.

Delicious! I’m so glad these A&D teas are so tasty, as the tins are so gorgeous that I would likely buy them regardless… ;)

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