Judging by all externals, Mighty Leaf Earl Grey Decaf should have trounced the competition, this Numi Decaf Earl Grey, in tonight’s steep-off chez sherapop. The dried tea smelled better, there seemed to be much more of it, and in leaves not fannings and dust. Moreover, the liquor was slightly darker, reddish amber rather than dark orange.
It just goes to show, once again: you can’t judge a book by its cover or a tea by its trappings. This filterbag decaffeinated Earl Grey tastes better to me. I prefer the less intense bergamot and the black tea base, which may be Assam. I am not entirely sure, but Numi indicates that the regular (not decaffeinated) Earl Grey is aged Assam. They also apparently age the bergamot with the tea, and perhaps that is why I like this one better.
When I added cream to the two glasses, I found that the Numi had more of a slate brown veering grey color to it, while the Mighty Leaf was more of a burnt sienna shade.
In the end, Numi Decaf Earl Grey wins the steep off. I recall not having liked the Mighty Leaf Earl Grey (not decaf) very much, so it may all come down to the base tea and the degree of bergamotization. If that’s not a word, it should be!