 | "A decent Earl Grey, but not quite the higher-class experience promised... the tea base tastes slightly pulpy, though the bergamot flavor is nice and has a hint of natural sweetness."
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This is one blend I was really looking forward to reviewing, as I’d had the chance to sniff the aroma a few days ago while portioning out a sample of it to another Teaviews reviewer. It was by far one of the best-smelling Earls Grey I’ve ever come across, with bold, fresh and fragrant notes of bergamot wafting up so thick you’d almost swear you could see it. So this morning I made a specific point of rooting around in my tea cabinet to brew up a cup.
The result was… well, it was a good cup of tea, let me start out with that. If I’d been served this in a tea house, and I had no previous expectations of greatness, I’d drink it, say “mmmm nice” and then promptly forget about the experience five minutes later. But alas, those tea leaves made a nostril-based promise that the brew just couldn’t deliver. The tea base wasn’t smoky, the way many Earls Grey are, but was instead a little woody - not in the sense of cedar-infused, but actually pulpy-tasting, as if small bits of paper had been soaking in it. The bergamot flavor was there, and wasn’t too bad, but it wasn’t nearly as tasty or bold as the aroma had suggested. There was, however, a tinge of natural sweetness in the aftertaste, which I don’t often see in blends of this type - that was a nice surprise.
As per the bag’s description, this tea is a blend of high-grown Ceylon and China black teas, with white Yinzhen tips or buds, mixed with “only the best oil of bergamot.” I guess I expected a little more from this blend - a more delicate, refined tea base with a higher quality bergamot flavor. Unfortunately that’s not what was delivered. The “pulpy” taste wasn’t absolutely awful, but it was enough to seriously detract from what might otherwise have been a very fine cup of Earl Grey.
As a sidenote, I’m not sure exactly what the point is of including “white tips” or buds in a primarily black tea… surely the subtle and delicate flavors of the buds can’t be expected to compete with the overwhelmingly bold flavors of the black teas? Is it just for visual appeal? That’s the only explanation I could think of.
— To purchase Tea Table Earl Grey White Tip, or for more specific information on ingredients or the story behind this particular blend, click here to go directly to the manufacturer's web site.
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Stephen Teaviews.com Reviewer » Read more about this reviewer on Stephen's profile page. » Find a list of recent posts by Stephen. |
February 4th, 2008 at 4:30 am
True, I have not tasted this one, but I view any attempt to flavor White Tea as an admittance that the White tea was not worth drinking straight. For me, using a few Silver Needles in a flavored black tea blend is just marketing hype - eye candy - not proper tea blending. Such vendors should be avoided.
Nigel at Teacraft