Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Mint Chocolate Clouds

I have to apologize for this one. I fell for the trap. I read mint and chocolate and it sounded really good. It tastes of mint and smells of chocolate but does it taste of tea? Barely. I was disappointed by this tea so I couldn't make it a tea of the month. You are welcome to have it, try it and share your opinions about it. It is a black tea so 90-100C water is necessary but again the tea flavour is minimal and the brew does not do well with milk.
I solemnly swear never to make this mistake again. I will choose teas and not flavours in the future.

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Earl Green


Earl Green

Origin: Sri Lanka

Certification: Organic

Biodynamic green tea scented with bergamot oranges.

There are many variations of Earl Grey in tea. Lady Grey, Crème of Earl Grey,… They all have one thing in common, they are all scented with the rind or oil of bergamot oranges. Usually infused with black tea, this Earl Green is an exotic departure of Sri Lankan green tea and the same popular aroma that made Earl Grey “regular” tea.

Earl Green is best infused at 70-80 degrees. It is flavourful and bold and doesn’t need sweetening but can hold its own if you prefer a sweeter taste. Green tea is a perfect partner for bergamot oranges as there are little to no tannings and therefore minimal bitterness and aftertaste.

The legend of Earl Grey is told in many variations. One story claims a young Chinese boy was rescued by Earl Grey (then a soldier and later Prime Minister of the United Kingdom) and presented him with the blend to express his appreciation. An unlikely story as Earl Grey II never visited China.

Another tale has two prominent English tea companies fighting for the invention of the blend.

Finally the Grey family claims that the tea was made as a special request for their family as the water available to them at the time contained a lot of lime. The bergamot flavour would have concealed the lime in the water.

All I know is that I'm glad someone came up with it.

Friday, March 2, 2012

Supplier Woes

Hi everyone,

My supplier woes are finally through. Apparently they were moving so my first order was ignored, then my second and I finally got a response with the third when I tried an alternate email. Their excuse was that they had received my order and it would be shipped out soon. Two weeks later and another email and it turns out they have been moving. How silly of me. Of course moving takes 2-3 months. But long story short they are in now so look forward to Earl Green coming within the next 2-3 days.