Tag: Black Tea

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Dessert by Deb’s Peaches & Cream Parfait

Peaches & Cream Parfait by Dessert by Deb
Black Tea / Flavoured

Peaches & Cream Parfait came as part of my bimonthly tea subscription box and is a subscriber exclusive blend.

First Impressions

Peaches & Cream Parfait came in my bimonthly tea subscription box in a light pink metallic pouch that’s sealed and resealable. This is part of the Deb’s Vintage Dessert Diner collection of other like-minded diner inspired treats. The colourful pouch is always a fun part of experiencing a Dessert by Deb blend, especially the colourful label with polka dots.

Peaches & Cream Parfait consists of organic: black tea, natural peach essence, peaches, toasted coconut, and calendula petals. The aroma is strongly of peaches, with hints of coconut in the background. It does remind me of a peach cobbler, or an other type of peach dessert, and definitely has a summer feel to it.

Preparation

Dessert by Deb recommends steeping Peaches & Cream Parfait in 212°F (100°C) water for 4 to 6 minutes. I did an initial steep of Peaches & Cream Parfait for 5 minutes, just going for the middle of the road length of time.

First Taste

Peaches & Cream Parfait steeps to a pretty golden orange colour. It has a strong peaches aroma. The flavour of Peaches & Cream Parfait is primarily peaches, followed by an earthy maltiness that I attribute to the black tea base. The toasted coconut comes through with the roasted notes and a creaminess from the coconut. I do think this might do well as a tea latte, just to add a heightened level of creaminess to the tea.

A Second Cup?

I attempted to resteep Peaches & Cream Parfait, and found that that the resteep with the leaves doesn’t have a strong peach flavour to it. I would recommend Peaches & Cream Parfait for just one steep.

My Overall Impression

I liked Dessert by Deb’s Peaches & Cream Parfait. I found the flavour was enjoyable, and the peaches to be strong. It has a nice balance between the peach essence and the black tea base, as you get that malty flavour from it and earthiness plays well with the peaches. It definitely seems like a tea more suited for warmer weather, because of when peaches go in season, but I find it helps brighten up some rainy days.

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New Moon Tea Co’s Cream of Earl Grey

Cream of Earl Grey by New Moon Tea Co
Black tea / Flavoured
64g

Cream of Earl Grey was given to me as a gift, as such I did not look up the price. New Moon Tea Co is a tea company located in Nakusp, British Columbia, Canada.

First Impressions

Cream of Earl Grey came in a kraft paper pouch (both sealed and resealable), with large black labels on the front and the back of the packaging with white print. Cream of Earl Grey is described as being a premium loose leaf tea, the pouch holding 64g of tea that is small batch and hand blended. Part of the reason that I was given Cream of Earl Grey is because one of my students found out that I love tea and this was her favourite blend – also bonus points of the fact that I also love Earl Grey blends (as I’ve mentioned countless times before both on the blog and on Instagram).

Cream of Earl Grey is a beautiful blend – with visible flower petals mixed into the black tea base. Cream of Earl Grey consists of: black tea, cornflower petals, orange peel, and natural bergamot. Earl Grey has a decently long history as one of the original tea blends, and typically consists of black tea and bergamot. There are lots of blends that have been inspired by the original Earl Grey blend, and also changed to suit ones needs. Cornflower petals is a common ingredient found in an Earl Grey blend, so I was happy to find it in this one as well. The bergamot aroma from the dry leaf is rich and truthfully, one of my favourite parts of enjoying an Earl Grey tea.

Preparation

New Moon Tea Co recommends steeping Cream of Earl Grey in 100°C (212°F) water for 3 to 4 minutes. I opted to follow the steeping instructions and do an initial steep for 4 minutes.

First Taste

Cream of Earl Grey steeps to a rich orange. The aroma of the tea is primarily that of the bergamot, the tea itself is smooth with a creaminess to the tea that I find intriguing, and a bergamot flavour throughout. The black tea itself has no astringency and bitterness at the steeping time at 4 minutes. There’s no sweetness to it, but I did have a cup with both some cream and sugar (hello, attempt at a London Fog) and it took to it very well.

A Second Cup?

I attempted to resteep Cream of Earl Grey, adding an additional 30 seconds for the first resteep. I found that the flavour of the tea was lacking in terms of bergamot, and it was primarily the black tea base coming through. I would recommend steeping Cream of Earl Grey for just the initial steep.

My Overall Impression

I liked New Moon Tea Co’s Cream of Earl Grey. I can see why this Earl Grey blend is a favourite for New Moon Tea Co fans! I frequently enjoy an Earl Grey blend, and found that the flavour was delicious. It’s more subtle compared to other Earl Grey blends that I’ve had in the past, in terms of the strength of the bergamot flavour. If you like your Earl Grey to have stronger bergamot, you might not enjoy this blend as much – but if you like an Earl Grey having a creamier finish with a more subtle bergamot I think you’ll enjoy Cream of Earl Grey. I personally think it works brilliantly as a base for a London Fog.

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DavidsTea’s Blood Orange Earl Grey

Blood Orange Earl Grey by DavidsTea
Black Tea / Flavoured
$9.98 for 50g

First Impressions

Coming in a sealed, resealable silver pouch, Blood Orange Earl Grey comes in familiar packaging. The label is a navy blue with teal print, and the finer print is (like I’ve said a few times before) small. The tea caught my interest because I’m a fan of Earl Grey and I like trying blends inspired by Earl Grey, so when I spy a blend called Blood Orange Earl Grey, I’m going to try it.

The aroma of Blood Orange Earl Grey is a very bright citrus aroma – it’s inviting with the fruity fragrance. Blood Orange Earl Grey contains: black tea, orange peel, rosehip, hibiscus, calendula petals, and natural flavouring. The ingredients are organic, hence the labelling on the packaging and the USDA symbol.  I don’t really smell a heavy floral fragrance, but I think it’s because the orange peel and natural flavouring is just a stronger aroma in comparison. I also didn’t spy a lot of hibiscus in my bag, even after giving it a shake to redistribute the ingredients.

Preparation

DavidsTea recommends steeping Blood Orange Earl Grey in 95°C (200°F) water for 3 to 5 minutes. I opted to do an initial steep of Blood Orange Earl Grey for in 95°C water for 4 minutes.

First Taste

Blood Orange Earl Grey steeps to a bright yellow, with a citrus aroma to match. The tea is lightly floral, with a bright citrus flavour. There’s a bit of astringency at tail end of each sip, which I contribute to the black tea base. I found there wasn’t much of a sweetness to the tea. I did try adding some sweetener (organic agave syrup) and I found that helped to temper the astringency, and adding a touch of evaporated milk made it more palatable. With most teas, having acidic ingredients (e.g. lemon, orange, hibiscus) does tend to curdle dairy products, but I found that evaporated milk held up (please note, there wasn’t a lot of visible hibiscus in my pouch of Blood Orange Earl Grey).

A Second Cup?

I attempted a second steep of Blood Orange Earl Grey and found that it was bland in comparison to the initial steep. I didn’t get a lot of citrus notes, and found it was primarily malty with an astringent notes from the black tea base.

My Overall Impression

I liked DavidsTea’s Blood Orange Earl Grey. I liked the citrus notes in this Earl Grey inspired blend, and found that it did well with being doctored up with some sweetener and milk. The astringency was the part that made me not enjoy it as much; but those that don’t mind astringency in their black tea blends would probably enjoy it.

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