Brew Tea Co.- Earl Grey

Another day, another Brew Tea Co. tea.

Today felt like an Earl Grey sort of day. Earl Grey is a tricky one to get right, as the tea and bergamot need to balance each other out. Too often, this fails and either the resultant drink is tanin central, or an accident with lemon washing up liquid.

My two Brew Tea Co. trials so far have been positive, so I was hopeful about the Earl Grey.  I am quite attached to Twinings blend, so it had a lot to live up to.

The first thing I noticed was that among the tea leaves was orange peel and little yellow flowers.A bit of research tells me that these are Calendula petals. My trusty friend wikipedia informs me that Calendula is good for the digestive tract and liver, and is an anti-inflammatory. I assume that these effects would only be seen with the consumption of a large amount.

As with the English Breakfast, the tea is malty and smooth. Again, there is no bitter tanin flavour which for me is the mark of a good tea. A sip test picks up a slight citrus bergamot, but also flavour a bit like gently toasted marshmallows. Warm, golden and slightly caramel like I can only guess that it comes from the Calendula (I am not entirely sure how something can taste golden, but it does!).

This wasn't a mimic of the Twining's blend. It's Brew Teas own creation and is different in taste. I am not sure that I would have identified it as Earl Grey in a blind taste test, but I did think it was a very enjoyable tea and I will definitely be looking at getting some more in stock. I will have to check my local Waitrose, as they seem to have the best tea range of the supermarkets.