Zenjala Tea Company, Creamy Earl Grey

The addition of vanilla flavor and vanilla beans to the traditional black tea and bergamot oil makes this tea rich and creamy.

This is the second tea I have reviewed by Zenjala. The tea arrived in a really nice and reusable tin. Removing the lid reveals a sealed black plastic bag containing a full ounce of tea. The inner bag has steeping instructions printed on an affixed label.

I used scissors to cut the top off the sample bag. Immediately the air was filled with the wonderful scent of bergamot. I love the smell of bergamot in the morning. The leaf itself is CTC or small pieces of leaf. This is typical of most flavored loose black teas.

I used about 1 ½ tsp of leaf in my French press. Boiling water was used with a 3 minute steep. Zenjala recommends a 4 to 5 minute steep. That just sounded a bit long for my tastes. While steeping this has a strong black tea aroma like an Assam or possibly a Ceylon. I don’t know what kind of black tea base is actually used but it smells inviting.

Although the bergamot and tea scents are strong this is not an overpowering cup. In the sip the bergamot is medium strength. It is the main driving flavor but you can still taste the tea. I don’t get the creamy reference in the taste, as I don’t taste the vanilla. It does have a creamy texture. Possibly my sample is accidentally standard Earl Grey instead of Creamy Earl Grey or the vanilla is just very light. It is good regardless. There is no bitterness in the cup. It does have a nice light bite. This is a solid Earl Grey with what seems to be cinnamon notes. That is interesting as there is no cinnamon in this tea. I made 2 steeps from the leaf. This is quite nice.

Update! - I revisited this one today. After I filled my cup I noticed a drop hanging off the spout of my press. I wiped it with my finger (I know, I know) and of course, I licked my finger. I caught the vanilla flavor in the drop. When I sipped, I wondered where did the vanilla go? So I concentrated a little harder and the flavor became noticeable. Once I caught it it was easy to detect afterwards. It is quite light but it does make the bergamot very smooth. I like this even more today. This is a really good Earl Grey.