Initially I had planned to review TeaVivre's Ripened Rose Pu-erh Mini Tuocha, but between going on a road trip with my mother and son for two weeks and having my brother-in-law stay with us for three weeks I got distracted and ran out of time for Tuesday's post. What can I say, it's Summer and I enjoy being out having fun.I'm going to bump reviewing the Rose Mini Tuocha back a week, but I do have a back-up post for you. It always pays to be prepared, I guess being a Girl Scout finally came in handy. I hope you enjoy the review of Cream Earl Grey from Culinary Teas.
Tea Description:
An exquisite Earl Grey character mellowed with soft hints of cream. Truly a taste extravaganza in a tea cup! Now in a convenient tea bag.
Ingredients: Luxury black tea, Cornflower petals, Natural flavors
Other Information:
Leaf Type: Black (flavored)
Where to Purchase: Culinary Teas
Suggested Brewing Tips:
Serving Size: 1 teaspoon per 8oz serving
Water Temp: 212°
Steep Time: 2-3 minutes
*the packaging suggest 2-3 minutes, however the website suggest that you can steep this as long as 7 minutes. I would be wary of trying to steep an Earl Grey for longer than 5, they tend to turn bitter with extended steeping due to the build up of tannins.
Review:
Earl Grey tea has been a favorite of mine since I was little, but I haven’t had much experience with Earl Grey Cream (EGC) so I ordered a variety from several different companies to try out. I hope to add one to my regular rotation of teas just to change things up a little, it is a nice change over the standard Earl Grey that I'm so fond of. I’m looking forward to the day where I can compare these side by side, but I’ll have to wait for now since I’m ready to head off traveling again soon. We're heading to Arkansas for a family vacation at the lake, so check back for soon for another Tuesday Tea Road Trip Edition.
My first sip of this was when it was still very hot and I was surprised by the lack of astringency that I normally notice when I drink an EG before it has cooled slightly. This was one creamy EGC, I tasted the vanilla straight off, but it completely takes over this blend. I really like the black base they used for this although it doesn’t stand out as much as I would have liked, this ends up being pretty mild and I like my EG a bit stronger. This may change if I go with a longer steep time, for my first cup I went on the lower end, starting at 2 minutes, to be safe.
My second steep lost a lot of the cream flavor that I enjoyed in my first cup. What was left behind was a rather weak EG that wasn't completely to my tastes. I did try a third steep, just to see what it would taste like, although I normally only resteep my teas once. My final step didn't have much flavor at all so I didn't finish it. In the future this will end up being a tea that I only steep once, which is a little disappointing, I like to get a little more mileage out of my tea.
One thing that I would like to try in the future is making this into a tea latte. I think that this would be the perfect EGC to use for that.
My Rating: 82/100
Would I order this again? Absolutely. So far this is my favorite Earl Grey Cream tea.