Blue Lady from Zest Tea

With a name like Blue Lady I thought this would be like Lady Grey, a type of earl grey. But I was mistaken! Not an earl grey, but a flowery orange pekoe.

Beyond the black tea, there is hibiscus and passion fruit, fragrant even in the dry leaf. Brewed, the black tea is bright and crisp, which pairs well with the juicy hibiscus. The sour red fruit taste of the hibiscus adds a jammy, berry flavor beneath the citrus tones of the orange pekoe.

This is not too sweet or sour, still very suitable for a breakfast cup of tea. With just enough tropical flair this blend is summery and satisfying, hot or iced.

And since this blend is from Zest Tea, there is added tea extract so you know each cup packs a punch of caffeine without the coffee jitters. When you want a juicier take on classic orange pekoe, brew up a mug of Blue Lady.


Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Zest Tea
Description:

Our Blue Lady Black blends a sultry South Indian black tea base with an aromatic mix of orange, lemon, passion fruit, and hibiscus. A peppering of vivid blue cornflower petals and bits of orange peel make for a visual spectacle. Blue lady will excite all of your senses. No wonder this is a favorite among hot and chilled tea drinkers.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Lady Grey from IndiasTea. . . .

It’s hard to pin down exactly what makes a tea a Lady Grey blend.  I believe Twinings tea company first coined the term, making a citrusy earl grey tea without powerful bergamot oil.  Either way, Lady Grey blends tend to be earl-grey-inspired teas blended to be a bit more gentle or ladylike. Lady Grey from India Teas certainly fits into that category.

While this blend has bergamot oil in it, it is at much lower levels than your average earl grey. Instead of the intense bergamot, this tea is accented with lemon peel and orange peel, making for milder and gentler citrus tones.

The leaves and the brewed tea had a fragrance of lemon-vanilla, reminding me of lemon poppyseed muffins. The tea is bright and pleasant, but not overly sweet, still preserving some of the citrus pop of traditional earl grey.

Brewed, the leaves appear much greener than when they are dry.  I’m not sure exactly what type of tea leaves are used as a base, but the flavor and color lead me to believe it is a darjeeling, or less oxidized tea.  The more delicate leaves suit the airy lemon peel flavors and ladylike theme.

Lemon is the star player in this blend since there is no black tea tannin richness to overpower it.  This Lady Grey is light and drinkable, a sunny lemon brew with just a little grounding to distinguish it from an herbal tea.

This is a delectable alternative to powerful earl greys, and might just be your new favorite citrus tea for cold brewing as the weather gets warmer.


Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: black
Where to Buy: Indias Tea
Description:

Not to go by its name, Ladygrey Tea is a modern creation so as to appeal to every age groups with its distinctly citrus fragrance.

Ladygrey Tea is a Tea blend which has been flavored with the addition of oil of bergamot to provide a relaxing and calming effect by taking you on a only-me journey.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Lady Grey® Black Tea from Twinings of London

LadyGreyTea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black

Where to Buy:  Twinings of London

Tea Description:

Lady Grey® is offered exclusively from Twinings. This light black tea is perfectly balanced with the citrus fruit flavours of bergamot, orange and lemon to deliver a delightful tea with a refreshing taste and uplifting aroma.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

After my less than exciting experience with Earl Grey tea from Twinings of London, I found myself skeptical about this Lady Grey® Black Tea from Twinings of London.  So, my hopes and expectations were not high when I brewed this tea.  I guess it’s a good place for me to start with a tea because it’d be difficult to be disappointed by it, right?

And fortunately, with low expectations, I’m finding this much more tolerable than I found the Earl Grey tea.  I guess when I say “Earl Grey” I get excited because I love me some bergamot and so my expectations are immediately set pretty high and that tea really let me down.  This one doesn’t disappoint me and I’m not sure if that’s because it’s a tasty tea or because I wasn’t expecting all that much from it.

I like the combination of lemon, orange and bergamot.  I like the way the other citrus flavors bring out the flavors of the bergamot.  That said, the black tea is still kind of blah.  It tastes stale.  It tastes boring.

Not horrible, just boring and blah.  I can’t help but feel like the flavors would be much better suited for a better tea leaf.  Or perhaps a tea company that actually cared about its product to not mince it to dust and stick it in a tea bag.

Ahh … I feel the tea snobbery steeping into my soul!

Lady Londonderry from English Tea Store

LadyLondonDerryTea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black

Where to Buy:  English Tea Store

Tea Description:

Our Lady Londonderry Tea is a delightful afternoon tea with a malty floral flavor and hints of strawberry and lemon. This tea is made from black tea, dried orange, daisy white, and natural flavors. This tea is delicious hot or iced, and either way, your family and guests will feel like royalty!

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

Ah … this is nice!

The black tea base is so smooth and malty.  I like that I’m getting a rather rich, malty taste but it’s not an overly assertive tea.  It truly is a perfect afternoon tea.  Not a strong or hefty cup of tea that you need in the morning, but a pleasantly smooth cup – an ideal tea to brew for guests to make them feel welcome.

There are pleasant floral notes that are soft and add a touch of femininity to the cup.  The notes of strawberry and citrus are delicate.  I like it when I find flavored teas like this – where the flavoring is strong enough to be tasted but not so strong that they’re overwhelming the flavors of the tea.

To brew this tea, I had just enough of it in the sampling that I received from a friend to brew in my Kati Tumbler.  I put the loose leaf into the basket of the Kati and added boiling water to the tumbler and let it steep for 3 minutes.

The result is a really enjoyable cup that isn’t overly astringent.  I feel a slight dryness toward the end of the sip.  The sip starts out smooth and sweet with light floral notes.  Then I start to pick up on the strawberry and the strawberry is a whisper of a flavor but it lingers well into the aftertaste where I experience that berry tingle.  The lemon is a light “brightness” that weaves its way throughout the sip and it’s a very uplifting flavor.

Very nice, indeed!

Lady Earl Grey Black Tea Blend from Simple Loose Leaf

Lady Earl GreyTea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black

Learn more about Simple Loose Leaf here.

Tea Description:

Our very popular Earl Grey blend of citrus bergamot over an extraordinary Nilgiri Black Tea with the added indulgence of Vanilla. This mouthwatering combination is the perfect invigorating treat. For the famed “London Fog” effect, add steamed milk and enjoy a smooth and creamy delight.

Ingredients:  South Indian Flower Orange Pekoe Black Tea, Earl Grey Flavor, Vanilla Flavor, Cornflowers

Learn more about this tea here.

Learn more about Simple Loose Leaf’s Selection Club subscription program here.

Taster’s Review:

How awesome is this?  Lady Earl Grey in the Selection Club box for August.  If I wasn’t already in love with these boxes from Simple Loose Leaf, they would have had me at this tea!

When I first saw the name of this tea – Lady Earl Grey – I thought that it might be a bergamot flavored black tea with either Lavender or Rose added.  It wasn’t until I opened the pouch and smelled the tea and could immediately recognize the aroma of the vanilla that I knew that this was a Creme style Earl Grey.  The vanilla is very well pronounced in the fragrance of the tea and this translates to the flavor.

I brewed this in my Breville One-Touch by pouring 500 ml of freshly filtered water into the jug, and then scooping out two bamboo scoops full of the fragrant loose leaf tea and putting it in the basket of the tea maker.  I set the tea maker for 212°F and the timer for 2 1/2 minutes.  This produced two cups of perfectly brewed tea!  (Have I mentioned lately that I love my Breville One-Touch?  Everyone should have one of these!)

This is one of the nicer creme Earl Grey teas that I’ve tried in a while.  The bergamot is strong and flavorful, but the sharp edges of the Italian orange is softened beautifully with the vanilla notes.  It’s so delightfully creamy and smooth!

The black tea base is nicely round and has a malty tone to it.  I like how the malt-like flavors of the black tea marries with the vanilla flavors to create an almost caramel-esque flavor that is positively delectable.  The black tea is an invigorating, full-flavored black tea.  I like that it’s good and strong and isn’t overwhelmed by the flavors of bergamot and vanilla.

The bergamot is pleasantly strong.  It’s not the strongest bergamot flavor that I’ve experienced from an Earl Grey tea, but, it’s by no means weak or lacking in any way, in my opinion.  It’s balanced well with the notes of vanilla so that these two components are not competing with one another, but working very harmoniously with each other, making for a heavenly cup of tea!

Save 25% off when you sign up for the Selection Club.  Use the coupon code SISTERSELECTION25 when you join.  This discount is applicable only to the monthly Selection Club subscription and not the retail selection of teas.