Today's tea comes from The Rare Tea Company, who kindly sent me a sample of their gorgeous British-grown Earl Grey tea. The leaves are grown on an estate in Cornwall and provide an interesting contrast to the mass produced leaves in many varieties of tea. Knowing this, it is understandable that you will pay a bit more for this tea. However, I highly recommend it.
The colour is a gorgeous amber, which is somewhat lighter than that of the last two teas. The smell is a subtle bergamot that is lighter than some other 'brash' EG teas. I instantly liked this. I don't like my tea to be overwhelming.
Then we get to the taste. Normally, I would expect an Earl Grey to have a strong, overwhelming flavour. This one has a sophisticated flavour, smooth and unpretentious. It's the kind of Earl Grey that I expect Charles Grey would have drunk in the 1830s. Overall, the tea and bergamot oils are balanced so finely that the taste is light, sweet and luscious. I would probably drink this in the afternoon with a nice bit of cake and a chat with some friends. I would only save it for the friends I really, really like though; it's much too special to hand out to anybody!
I would love to try this. I purchased some Earl Grey from a local store and it did NOT taste good to me. Knowing that all Earl Grey's aren't overwhelming makes me not want to give up on them just yet.
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