MDTEA: Shades Of Grey

It's all about the Earl Grey for me. And I've tried quite a few. I just love it. Earl Grey is just a part of me as anything else!

When this months absolutely fabulous teatourist box arrived, I excitedly flicked through the box. The herbal tea's were awesome but amid those herbal tea's sat this little gem. I will, naturally, review all the tea's but my Earl Grey loving heart just can't ignore this blend! My soul just can't seem to resist.

This modern, funky and very different twist on such a traditional tea is from MDTEA and it's a blend called Shades Of Grey.

It's a absolutely gorgeous looking loose tea. It's base tea is Sri Lankan. And it also includes the traditional bergamot as well as orange peel and rose petals. Two of my favourite tea's, Earl Grey and floral coming together in one blend? Oh my god!

The tea itself has gorgeous, black leaves. What makes this tea even more attractive to look at is the contrasting colours - the orange from the orange peel and bright pink from the rose petals. It's just so very lovely - aesthetically pleasing in fact.

As it's a black tea it's you don't have to be quite so careful during the brewing process, so after filling a bag up, I let the blend brew for the full five minutes as suggested on the information card. However, if you like your tea a little weaker then it can be brewed for as little three minutes. I love my tea strong so the longer the infusion, the better!

What I found immediately impressive about this tea is the aroma. When I opened the packet the smell of bergamot was really strong. I happen to love the smell so I found it gorgeous. It could be a little overpowering if you are not used to it. But honestly, for me, it was perfect.

Despite the strong scent of bergamot however, amazingly, the tea is delicate and that was really surprising as I, on scent alone, would of thought the tea would of been stronger. Yet, at the same time, when infusing the aroma was inviting and that mixture of floral and citrus - wow, not experienced anything like it - and quite frankly, I loved it! It's my ideal tea!

But, we cannot judge a tea on scent alone. Upon first tasting it's delicateness was the first thing I noticed in a odd way. The scent and taste were almost like it was two different tea's.

The Sri-Lankan tea is gloriously smooth, with a slightly nutty flavour. Easy to drink and rich it is a well rounded, tasty tea. I could actually drink this tea unflavoured. It's just really, really good.

It was the citrus flavour that came through first. The oh so familiar, and much loved flavour of bergamot combined with the orange peel is very refreshing and cooling on a warm day. I like how the bergamot is calmed down by the sweet taste of the orange peel. Just delicious.

The rose flavour is the last to develop as you sip the tea. It's light and airy and I cannot tell you how lovely the citrus and floral work together. On paper you may not put the two things together but it works and works exceptionally well. As a lover of both tastes I am delighted with this tea.

This is a different tea. I think it's traditional enough to keep us Earl Grey lovers happy, but puts a modern spin on the blend making it very new, very interesting and exciting.

It's a deeply satisfying cup of tea. I had enough tea to make four cups and have had three already!

If I were to criticise this tea at all, which I hate doing, I would just up the strength of the floral and citrus flavours a wee bit so that they make a bit more of a impact. They work so well together it would be nice if they were stronger. However, that's just my taste and you may completely disagree with me once you've tried this tea.

Aside from that, I really liked this tea. I liked the quality of the ingredients. I liked how smooth and refreshing it was. I liked how moreish those flavours are. Just a simple joy to drink.

I finished my cup of this blend a very happy lady. I still cannot get over the fact my two favourite flavours are married together in one blend - it's just ideal for me. I'm sitting here with a wide smile on my face, happy to have tasted this tea. And for me, feeling happy is just one of the lovely gifts I get when I drink tea.

MDTEA get a huge thumbs up from me. This blend is genius.