Winter White Earl Grey

The Final Sipdown: Day 3.3

After a rough and tumble couple of teas, I decided to treat myself to something I knew would my tastebuds would enjoy. As an added bonus, I get to remove this from my cupboard and my sample box until I get around to putting another Harney & Sons order through. [Vanilla Comoro, I’m looking at you.]

I can definitely taste the white tea in this, and if I were to take a stab at naming it I’d say it’s a bai mu dan. [Looking at the description, it says Chinese mutan. Is this yet another varietal of the Chinese name for White Peony?] The bergamot is nice and light, combining nicely with the white tea flavors and not overwhelming the cup. The finish has a bit of sweetness to it, and the aftertaste is refreshing and clean. The only downside is that it’s quite drying, and I find my tongue sticking to the roof of my mouth.

It’s raining outside right now. I can hear it tapping on my window. If it snows this winter, I can tell I will want this tea to drink while I’m watching it. There’s something different about the quality of the light that filters indoors during the winter and the feeling it induces complements this tea beautifully. Given the barrage of wintry precipitation we received last year, though, I think I’ll be thankful for the rain.

It’s been about a year since I last drank this, but the remainder of my little sample held up nicely. Sometimes I feel a bit mean and harsh when I write a negative note about a tea, but then I drink something like this and it reminds me that no, sometimes it is absolutely justified to leave some teas sitting on a poor rating. Winter White Earl Grey is a superb example of a well balanced, well executed blend. Bumping the rating a bit.

Samples Downed: 9

I re-steeped and the bergamot was just a light, citrus-y note hanging out in the background. I’ve got maybe a cup’s worth of this tea left, but I’m definitely putting it on my Shopping List to get more of in the future. :)

A lovely light tea with a sweet scent. Liquor is quite dark for a white tea. The Earl Grey flavoring is well balanced with the Silver Needle. Thus far I’ve found that all of Harney’s white blends are beautifully balanced, so I was keen to try this.

I over-steeped (2.30 min) one of my cups so added a splash of milk, which was a nice addition. I also tried it with sugar, which was yum (but thats not difficult to achieve with sugar granted), but found that both milk and sugar tasted very odd.

I would definitely repurchase this as I can see myself drinking it in both the winter and summer (when I find that blacks are too hot & heavy). I’d also be curious to see what it’s liked iced.

Second tea of the morning……

I have plans for this one if I like it. I only bought 2 ounces of loose from the Millerton Shop to be sure I would like it. I am a little confused why a tin of 2 oz on the website is $13, because 2 oz of loose at the shop is just over $5. I saved enough on this tea alone to more than pay for my shipping from the shop. It only comes in a pound in loose tea on the website other than a sample, so I will probably only be buying this one from the shop.

First trial of this was using about the same volume of tea that I would when prepping a black….this is not really typical for whites. They usually recommend 2 tsp per cup rather than 1 due to the fluffiness of the tea. I used much cooler water than for a black tea, steeped for 2 minutes, and sweetened. I can tell I probably won’t need to sweeten this one. It is light and sweet all on its own which is a bonus! I love it when I find a tea I like that does not need my Splenda crutch. I think for my next cup, I am going to try a little more leaf, and leave out the sweetener. I also really want to try this one iced. I have a thing for iced Earl Greys….. I am also imagining this one with a little jasmine added…

Now here’s an odd brewing for this tea… I got it in my mind to clean out sample packets today, I guess, and I had probably enough Winter White Earl Grey for a cup, but a measely half-teaspoon of Chinese Flower (also by Harney). Since Chinese Flower is a lemony/citrusy green, and Earl Greys are citrusy, I put the Chinese Flower in with the rest of this tea. These being the bottom of the sample pouches the leaves are broken into tiny little pieces (I actually shook out the tea ‘dust’ through my strainer before brewing to prevent it from getting too strong), so the tea brewed up strong pretty quickly. It tastes mostly like the WWEG, but the tea base is bolder from the green in the Chinese Flower, and the bergamot is extra citrusy and lemony. Not a bad cup from a mix of the dregs two teas, and I got to kill two sample pouches in the process.

(Now I need to order some more of each from Harney!)

I cannot make up my mind on this one. Today I gave it a milder steep then I have in the past, and its made it much tastier to me. Hmm.
Light, and this steeping gives it only the softest waft of bergamot. Which is how I like my bergamot.
I’ve got a fair amount of this, so I should certainly find the way I enjoy it most.

I got this sample back in the summer from Kaliska, but I decided to keep it sealed and save it for winter. It’s not actually cold here, but I suppose tonight is as good of a night as any.

The leaves are lovely. They’re mostly flat green pieces with some rolled, brown, narrow leaves mixed in. I can also see a few fuzzy silver tips here and there. To an Earl Grey lover like me, they smell so promising and soothing. The bergamot scent seems much sweeter with a white tea base! There’s no sharpness about it at all.

The brew comes up to a nice light tan. Upon first sip, I realize what I’ve been missing. Without the boldness and astringency of black tea to compete with, the Earl Grey flavors have a real chance to flourish. Backed with the light, sweet, and fresh taste of Mu Tan that reminds me of a mild darjeeling almost. Harney & Sons’ bergamot… there’s just something different and wonderful about it.

I shouldn’t have waited so long to taste this! It would be lovely any time of the year.

This is a lighter, brighter take on the traditional Earl Grey. The white tea is mild but very clean. I was pleasantly surprised at how well the taste of the tea came through. The bergamot doesn’t blend with the tea as much as it floats above it, and above the begamot there is a high floral note that is almost jasmine like. The different layers work well to make a delicate and delicious cup of tea.

The leaves are a mixture of green, brown and white leaves with some stems in. The aroma is lighter and sweeter than most earl grey teas and reminds me of vanilla with some light floral tones.

When brewed the leaves produce an orange-red liquor which effuses an aroma primarily of bergamot. There’s a hint of a light spiciness as well.

On the palate I note smooth vanilla notes, though I don’t think there’s any actually in the tea. I alsorecapture the floral notes from the dry aroma. Of course, the bergamot is present throughout but not at all overbearing.

There’s only a slight astringency to this brew. Less than most any earl grey I’ve ever had. It’s quite refreshing and relaxing.

John Harney Appreciation Tea #21

The first time I brewed Winter White Earl Grey, I oversteeped and the result was less than felicitous. Today, I kept the steep time short, and the result is very pleasing. On reflection, that principle (mutatis mutandis) may hold for ever decent tea on the planet: it all turns on the preparation parameters. Get them right, and you’ll be satisfied. Get them wrong, and you’re likely to cry foul, when in fact you are at fault!

I have already been noticing that white tea serves as an excellent canvas for flavors. In this case, Winter White Earl Grey lets the imbiber really get in touch with the essence of bergamot: lemony goodness with no sharpness whatsoever. I know, it sounds impossible, but here it is!

I also taste the white tea in this blend. In hot weather such as today’s, I prefer not to have a heavy cream-doused earl grey. This one was just right.