Earl Grey Creme

Once again Della Terra doesn’t let me down. I am constantly on the look out for the ultimate Earl Grey tea, it’s always been one of my favorites. I’m not sure if this is it, but this is pretty darn good and if you haven’t tried it, you should. I’ve been drinking it pretty much non stop for the last two days, which considering how much I crave variety in my tea, really says something.

This is my first Earl Grey Creme and I’m wondering how I made it this far without trying one before. This isn’t an EG that hits you in the face like many of the others I’ve tried. This is much more subtle, with the vanilla coming through the strongest giving a nice creamy taste, followed up by the citrus bite from the bergamot. I was surprised a bit by how little bergamot was present in this, it tends to be much more present in EGs in general. I’m not sure if this is typical of an EGC or just Della Terra’s take on an EGC. Guess I’ll have to go buy some from a different company and find out (and boy won’t that be a hardship)

I’m really interested to find out how this works as a tea latte since EG is my tea of choice for those. It’s a shame I didn’t order more of this with my last order, I’ll have to wait awhile to find out.

Pretty good (and there are so many decent earl greys out there to give one a run for one’s money!), though I’m learning as much as I enjoy marveling at the smoothness of a well made cream earl grey I actually prefer mine heavily scented and a bit brisker tasting for some reason—more refreshing, less dessert-rich. This is certainly on the dessert-rich end of the spectrum, with lots of vanilla.

As cream versions go though, this is very well done; with some milk it becomes smooth as butter, with the bergamot element coming in most strongly mid-sip (initially it’s merely fragrant on the nose and then it dissipates after the swallow, taken over by a mouthful of silky cream). Great easy-to-drink texture that doesn’t compromise flavor or overall black tea character. I could definitely see switching up my standard Upton lavender with this sometimes for a regular/near-daily don’t-think-about-it cup, when I want to feel more like I’m eating an afternoon snack than just drinking tea as a pick-me-up.

tl;dr: Not a trace of bitterness or astringency, just butter and silk. Rich rather than refreshing.

First taste on a nerve-wracking exam morning. So far, loving this tea. The bergamot is definitely flavorful, but not overpowering as in some Earl Greys, and the creme flavor softens it enough to allow for a milk-free cup. I love the marshmallowy creaminess the creme adds. Since I’m still a newb, I haven’t had the delight of tasting many creme teas yet, but if this is a hint of what’s to come, I’m pleased to start on the adventure.

I’m finishing this today from an old try me pack. I used to love Earl Gray, but I think I overdid it in my university days and got sick of it. But this tea seems to be bringing me back around. While it is unmistakably Earl Gray in its floral taste, it isn’t overwhelming. I technically over leafed because it wasn’t enough to leave for a future cup, so I dumped it in and just didn’t steep it for quite as long on the first steep. Regardless there was no bitterness. I enjoyed the creaminess and even looked down at the contents to see if I had absent mindedly put some milk in there…nope! Although I still don’t naturally gravitate towards Earl Gray anymore as a rule, I venture to say that this is the best Earl Gray I’ve tried. Nummy!

This Earl Grey Creme is heavy on the sweet cream and vanilla, and light on the bergamot. Delicious and easy drinking. The actual dairy in this blend is apparent. It adds to the thick, smooth mouth feel. Different from other Earl Grey Cremes I’ve had, and quite good.

This is the second earl grey creme I’ve tried. I gave 1 tsp about three minutes in boiling water, and added a splash of milk. To be perfectly honest, I think this would be fine without it, but since those are my normal parameters, I decided to stick with them for today.

This one looks (medium brown liquor) and smells (black tea, bergamot…citrus!) just like a conventional earl grey. As soon as I took a sip, though, I could taste the creaminess really well. It’s pretty much the main flavour, although it works well with the relatively mild earl grey here. My main complaint about Della Terra teas is that they sometimes taste artificial. I feared this would be the case with the “creme” here, but fortunately it’s not. It doesn’t taste half so chemical as coffee creamer, so it’s a nice alternative to earl grey with milk/cream when that’s the effect you’re looking for. I added milk of my own, so I think I got a bit of a double whammy. I love creamy teas, though, so I’m okay with that!

This one isn’t quite as good as my current favourite — Bluebird’s Earl Grey Creme — but I think it probably just needs time to grow on me! Fortunately there’s enough in my sample for another few cups, so I can get to grips a bit more with this one. First impression is good, however.

T&C TTB#11: Smells like buttercream vanilla icing with not much bergamot. Steeped it is mostly vanilla but not much even of that. Mostly a light vanilla black tea with some dryness. Not offensive but nothing I’ll run out to stock.

Ah! I can’t believe I drank this the other day and forgot to log it. The nerve! And what’s the point of drinking tea if you’re not going to tell everybody on Steepster about it? Ha ha.

This was tea two of my 3 × 1 oz order from Della Terra, possibly my last order ever, who knows.

I was curious to try this as the one from Davidstea is one of my all time faves.

Surprisingly enough (given my recent track record with DTT), I actually think I like this one more. It’s verrrrry creamy, which I love, and not overly strong, though it’s got a nice richness. If I ever placed another DTT order, I’d probably order a couple ounces of this to have on hand, seeing as how EG’s, especially creamy ones, are breakfast standbys for me.

Another from my swap with miss Eva. Apparently I’m on a bit of a black tea kick. I’ve had a lot of different Earl Grey over the years, both bagged and loose leaf. I only recently started to try the offshoots of it, such as Lady Greys, Earl Grey Cremes, etc. When I brewed this one up, I was surprised at how subtle it was compared to its predecessors. The flavor was light and silky, with the bergamot immediately making itself known on the palate. The creme part was also present, but I feel like it presented itself mostly in the aftertaste. It reminded me, strangely, of marshmallow: sugary and creamy all at once. The hints of all that decadence made me wish that the flavor was just a little stronger. I suspect I’ll have to adjust my brewing technique and see if I can wrangle more out of it.