A delightful scented afternoon tea. Genuine Bergamot, teamed with dried orange and lavender. Truly an inspiring brew to accompany high tea.
Oranges and Bergamot virtually assault one’s nose and palate, with lavender lurking about.
Food Pairing: This tea is excellent throughout the day and goes especially well with citrus tarts and pies. Also recommended to enjoy with fish-based dishes. Or Chocolate. Note: Do not combine the fish and chocolate.
Ingredients:
Black and White Teas, Orange peel, Lavender, Bergamot oil
My Review:
I just read Lord Devotea's Tea Spouts blog post about this blend. I highly recommend this blog for the witty, sometimes dry, humor and the insights into the world of tea. It is disclosed in this post that they grow their own oranges and often the lavender. I love knowing little things like that about my featured cup of the day.
In the process of gathering information for this review I was briefly confused as to how it should be steeped - since there are both white and black teas used in the blend. My sample came from a friend so I do not have the original packaging. No problem I found guidelines on The Devoteas website. Boiling water, steep 3 minutes. That is just what I was going to do and in fact did.
The liquor is a bright and happy orange. The aroma is orange, bergamot, and lavender, like I expected anything else. It seems light in scent to my nose but then I love the smell of bergamot.
While I wait for the cup to cool... I have tried a variety of bergamot teas with each of these ingredients but never in this combination. I am not sure what to expect but one thing I already love is the decision not to name this Earl Grey something, or worse Lady Grey. Those names have taste memory attached and lead to confusion and disappointment when the reality differs from the memory. So bravo for the name.
OK, the cup has cooled, I lift my mug and... cinnamon? Well no, not really. The first note is the natural bergamot. This quickly morphs into orange, which is later replaced by a mild lavender. The weird thing is if you aren't being observant to the transformation and simply take it all in at once, it comes off as a mild cinnamon with an equally mild pepperiness. That's pretty cool.
A word about the lavender - it is one of those additives that I normally find a bit repulsive. It just grabs the senses and dominates unless it is in the hands of a master. Apparently the Lady Devotea has such hands. In this blend it fits beautifully, neither dominating or being lost in the crowd. I am impressed.
I am sipping this very slowly to see how it works at cooler temperatures. As is usually the case for me, I much prefer it as it cools. I am now tasting the tea base more in the aftertaste. All in all an interesting and relaxing cup. It has depth for those who choose to catch it and it works well as a simple sip as well. Nicely done.
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