There has been a distinct lack of posts lately, for which I apologise! However, I've just started a new job and, apart from the terrible nerves I suffered from, the shifts have been long, with me on my feet all day, and I've just been slightly tired at the end of the day. However, I'm hoping that things will shortly settle down and normal blogging can resume.
When my feet are aching and I still have some time left on my shift my mind wonders to two things, tea and music. My mouth can literally be watering at the prospect of a tasty mug of a favourite blend and the bus trip home can't go by quickly enough!
Today is my day off so I have decided to try a new tea that was kindly sent to me but the lovely Francesca from Piacha Tea.
The tea of choice is Earl Grey Vanilla, a tea that has been sat on a shelf staring down at me, tempting me for quite some time. But when I try a new tea, I like to really try it, not guzzle it down. One of life's pleasures is to sit and sip, taking in every part of the tea's flavour so have reserved this fine blend for my day off.
And what a fine blend it is. Just to look at the tea is wonderful, it has a lovely dark colour to it, and it is lovely to the touch.
The aroma of this tea is magical. When I cut the packet open the first thing I noticed was the lovely and oh so familiar scent of fruity bergamot. A very welcome aroma for a woman who has Earl Grey pumping through her veins! But in addition there is the ever so slight, sweet smell of vanilla which adds a gentleness to the very powerful aroma of bergamot. The vanilla is so delicate but you can instantly detect it amongst the other scents.
Earl Grey Vanilla is the sort of tea that you only need a little of to make a decent cup. I use the Sage tea maker daily and I have experimented with this tea, and know that a little goes a very long way indeed. If you use too much and the tea is strong it can be overpowering, as any Earl Grey can be, so a little restraint is used when loading up the infuser basket!
This tea brews to a gorgeous copper colour. It really is an attractive tea in every sense and as a fanatic of Earl Grey I could not wait to try this tea.
Now, I have tried tea's that contain vanilla with varying degrees of success. Some of them have been wonderful, others have been sickly and too overpowering, but this is the first time that I've tried vanilla tea in the context of Earl Grey so it was an exciting prospect to try this tea.
This tea is delightful. And it truly is the best of both worlds. First of all there is absolutely no doubt at all that this tea is a Earl Grey. You have the familiar fruity flavour that you always get with a good Earl Grey. It's rich and refreshing and on a chilly day like today warms you up from the inside.
The addition of vanilla though, is clever. You can certainly taste the vanilla but it is not rich, sickly or overly sweet. It is a perfect addition to the tea and it compliments the traditional elements of Earl Grey. Somehow, and I do not know how Piacha do it, but they manage to add enough vanilla to allow you to taste it, but it doesn't overpower the other flavours, nor is it too sweet, either.
Earl Grey Vanilla is so well blended it is ideal for those who like their tea to be different, but I also believe that those lovers of Earl Grey will find this a charming and satisfying blend too. It's a different spin on Earl Grey but at the same time retains the familiar qualities that we all love.
It's also a very indulgent blend that makes you feel like you having a luxurious treat and that can't be bad after a long day at work can it? It's smooth, mellow and just wonderful. This is the second tea I've tried from Piacha and I'm as impressed with this tea as I was with their gorgeous Apple Green Tea.
This tea would be ideal to serve at afternoon tea with some lovely creamy cakes, or as a after dinner drink. At the same time though, it's great to enjoy any time of day. But I would advise you to enjoy this blend when you have the time to truly experience all of it's lovely flavours. To drink this quickly as you run off to work, school or whilst you are busy would do this tea a huge injustice. This tea deserves to be enjoyed at leisure!
I was so impressed, and it's hard to impress me when it comes to Earl Grey.
Well done to Piacha tea, you've created a fantastic blend and one that I certainly will not forget in a hurry!
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