Victorian Earl Grey Tea

I put some of this in the Breville, and was then promptly confronted by two eager young men who wanted to get to school EARLY because it was Valentine’s Day. Exactly why they wanted/needed to be early is a mystery. It’s not like they’re old enough to date…

As a result, by the time I got to taste this it was lukewarm. I am not going to rate this or discuss its virtues and shortcomings in depth given the circumstances.

For now, let me say it wasn’t at all what I expected. I expected a sort of rosy, lavendery frou frou Earl Grey (which I actually love). The dry leaf has a very rosy fragrance with a lavender undercurrent. It’s a very pretty dry leaf, with little lavender buds, rose petals and rosemary needles strewn among the tea. I don’t smell rosemary and I don’t really smell bergamot either.

But that changed in the drink. I think it’s the rosemary that makes the difference. There’s a savory note to this that I’m tasting fairly heavily, and it is more pronounced than the floral notes which I taste as a sort of general coolness (which may also be the bergamot). I wonder whether this is a factor of the cooling process or whether it’s how this would have tasted hotter as well. The tea has a sweetness to it and the flavor has a complexity, but I don’t really taste the bergamot at all. I’m not getting anything that tastes like citrus.

Will try again and see how it fares when it is drunk hot.

Hot water wasn’t HOT when I infused this! Oops! Go figure for a Monday Morning…anyhow…still went with the infusion for about 10 minutes in cold water and it was much lighter in color and flavor but still quite nice and yummy cold! A good mistake on my part, I suppose! :) All ended well

This is an awesome twist on the traditional Earl Grey. I love the way the rose congou, lavender, rosemary and bergamot all work together. The flavor is so delightful. Sweet yet savory.

A very pleasing tea.

Oh, this was just delightful! I wanted to add to the Battle of the Earl Greys blog this morning, but found myself craving something a little different. This was the perfect choice.

With my allergies, I can’t often stick my nose into a bouquet of flowers. This tea gave me the experience without the sneezing! I was very pleasantly surprised by how fresh the three floral notes both smelled and tasted. I’ve tried floral teas before which smelled and tasted more like perfume than fresh flowers, but this tea manages to overcome all that.

It’s not the strongest Earl Grey, but the bergamot and black notes of the usual flavor profile do make themselves known. Overall, I found myself really enjoying this tea – and I will go back for a second cup!

You can read my full review here:
http://wordsabouttea.blogspot.com/2013/07/victorian-earl-grey-by-simpson-vail.html

A lovely tea, with a really good balance of Lavander and Earl Grey, with some hints of other flavors as well. An excellent blend

Well, no idea why I rated so high the first time.

Since then, have had twice more. It is strongly in-your-face floral. Experimenting with different Earl Grey’s is fun and I’m a fan of S&V. The tea is simply pretty with the flower petals. It’s definitely strong, but I find that I don’t want a strong floral note in my Earl Grey and would prefer it to be a subtle friend to the main Grey blend instead, so don’t think I will be ordering more of this.

Simpson & Vail Advent Calendar – Day 22

(originally written November 22nd)

Not looking forward to this one… It contains both rose and lavender, neither of which I generally enjoy.

Well, it’s not awful, so that’s good. I think the lavender actually goes fairly well with the bergamot, and perhaps stands out a bit less than it would otherwise. And I don’t get rose at all. The bergamot is a nice amount, not too strong. But I can’t taste the base tea, which is unfortunate.

Someone who enjoys lavender more than I do would probably really love this one. But I prefer my Earl Grey sans lavender. ;)

(Withholding a rating for this one)

It’s time to celebrate another Earl Grey sipdown! Seriously, I feel like I’ve been inhaling this stuff over the past week. I started this one some time ago and then put it away when I took a break from Earl Grey. The extended break gave me a chance to properly evaluate this tea while I was finishing the last of it up.

Prior to infusion, strong aromas of rosemary and lavender were underscored by a trace of rose. I couldn’t pick up much in the way of bergamot. The herbal and floral aromas seemed to overpower it. After infusion, the resulting liquor was a dark amber. Aromas of toast, malt, rose, lavender, honey, and rosemary were clearly evident. I still couldn’t pick up the bergamot. In the mouth, lovely notes of rosemary, lavender, honey, rose, toast, and malt mingled with light bergamot notes. The texture was very soapy, which one would kind of expect from a traditional Earl Grey. The finish was toasty, herbal, and floral; the rose notes really stood out on the back of the fade, offering a pleasant, soothing sensation.

Overall, there was a lot going on in this blend. Rather than merely being busy, however, there was a lot to like here. I really appreciated how the herbal and floral notes merged so seamlessly. The only real knock for me was the lack of a truly distinct bergamot presence-it really gets overpowered by the rosemary and lavender. Still, I think this is a very good blend, one that fans of Earl Grey would be likely to enjoy.