 | "A strong, rich black tea with plenty of bergamot, sure to please die-hard Earl Grey fans."
| ||||||
Mariage Frères is a French tea shop whose teas are famous, but hard to find. The Cultured Cup in Dallas is the only local store I am aware of, and I try to visit at least once a month. When I do visit, I take time to get a whiff of some of the teas and decide which ones to try. Although I am not a fan of Earl Gray, these tea leaves had a wonderful aroma that made me want to try it. The smell of bergamot was very strong and blended nicely with the quality black tea leaves.
The Cultured Cup recommends 1.5 teaspoons of tea, steeped for three minutes. Following these directions produced a rich, dark cup of tea with the strong bergamot aroma still present. The leaves unfolded very nicely as the steeped. This cup of tea had a very high quality appearance and aroma, making me look forward to drinking it. I’ve only tried a handful of Earl Grays, but I’ve noticed that the smell of bergamot is no guarantee that it will be present in the taste. In this case, the bergamot was present, and stronger than any of the other Earl Grays I’ve tried. It continued to linger in the aftertaste, minimizing the astringent taste usually found in black tea.
I am still not a huge fan of Earl Gray and I don’t expect to make this one of my regulars. However, I can certainly appreciate high quality tea, and Mariage Frères Earl Gray Imperial is exactly that. It probably deserves a higher rating than what I am giving it. For those who love Earl Gray, this one is ideal; a strong, rich black tea with plenty of bergamot.
 |
James Teaviews.com Reviewer » Read more about this reviewer on James's profile page. » Find a list of recent posts by James. |
Recent Comments