Fortnum & Mason: Countess Grey

As arrogant as I may sound when I write this, I feel as though Fortnum & Mason have created a tea just for me! So delicious and perfectly suited to me is their wonderful Countess Grey tea that somehow it feels as though it was created with me in mind.

Last week I wrote on this blog about my recent trip to Fortnum & Mason with my (almost) lifelong  friend Kirsty. It was, I feel, one of the nicest day's out I've had in years. It was lovely to look around the world famous shop and enjoy the London sunshine, but it was far much more fun catching up with my old friend.

Kirsty has a heart of gold, always thinking of me. Quite often I will have little packages sent to me in the post and we even sent each other a parcel full of chocolate for Easter! During our rather tearful farewell at Euston Station (I hate goodbyes) she suddenly produced this wonderful tea which she had, somehow, managed to purchase without me knowing. With lots of hugs and tear's I waved her off, left standing with this marvelous box of tea in my hand.

When I visited Fortnum & Mason's rather extensive tea floor I was truly stuck about what to buy but I had seen the Royal Christening tea and was determined to buy a souvenir, albeit belated, to celebrate Prince George's birth nearly two years ago. So this tea, actually, hadn't really crossed my radar.

But what a joy this tea is. It's available in both loose tea, in a caddy no less, or in teabags. I had the bagged tea which is just as good as loose.

The tea is made up of orange pekoe black tea, and has the addition of a glorious orange flavour. It's Fortnum & Mason's twist on Twinings Lady Grey.

The tea has a glorious, fruity fragrance which in itself is a wonder. It's inviting and warm and as I soon came to understand, utterly addictive. So bad is my addiction to this tea that even though I am determined to try some of the Royal Christening tea, my heart, and tastebuds, tells me to make a hot, steaming pot of Countess Grey!

I adore also how the tea fills up the kitchen with the fruity orange scent as it's steeping. Glorious!

One of the many things I really love about this tea is that it's well blended. I find that sometimes Earl Grey and it's counterpart, which is sometimes called Lady Grey or Duchess Grey or even Princess Grey, are often too strong and have a perfume element making it very hard to drink, or at least, drink a entire pot. With this tea you finish your pot and are left wanting more, and more, and more!

The use of a Orange Pekoe tea as it's base is a brilliant, though not unexpected choice. Orange Pekoe has a basic sweetness to it (in some cases) which I think contributes to the gentle element of this tea. I would feel that a tea like Assam would be a little bit too overpowering for this drink.

The tea steeps to a wonderful golden,syrupy colour which is a joy to look at, and which I am fortunate to see in the tea maker. And, even when you are reaching the end of the pot and the tea has cooled, it still retains the soft element, and doesn't tend to go bitter or tart as some black tea's can go once they have started to cool.

Fortnum's own description of the tea is that it has added bergamot, which is traditional in a blend like this, and a light orange.

I loved the fruity flavour of this tea. It really wakes you up in the morning and at the same time, when taken in the evening is equally as relaxing. Although the description said the orange flavouring was light, and it is, I found it to be full of taste and it makes my taste buds dance with joy! I love the natural feeling of this tea, it doesn't at all feel artificial or perfumey. With some Earl Grey based tea it can be rather like drinking perfume straight from the bottle. But there is none of that with this tea.

Orange works so well in a tea, and, if the tea is of a good quality, as it is here, it can be perhaps the best experience going to curl up with a mug and to taste the glorious citrus flavours. 

And, once you have finished your cup your mouth feel's cleansed and the last lingers for a short while.  I have drunk this tea by the cup but normally just load up the tea maker and make a pot, getting three or four cups from one steeping.

Drinking Countess Grey is an experience. And it's worth taking a few minutes out of your day to sit down and really enjoy and taste the tea. I like to experience every aspect of this tea, from the richness of the base tea to the fragrant orange flavour. It's soothing for the soul on those day's when you're not feeling quite yourself and it's something to celebrate the good times with, too.

And for your afternoon tea this would go hand in hand with some lovely cakes and good conversation!

Thank you to Kirsty for treating me to this wonderful tea. It's a little gem that I loved and enjoyed with every single sip.

And, on a personal level, every time I make a cup I think of that sunny day in London where we chatted to our throats were sore and laughed till our sides ached. A tea with memories in every sip.