New House Blend Black Tea from Bluebird Tea Co.

new_house_blendTea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black

Where to Buy:  Bluebird Tea Co.

Tea Description:

Perfect for those who like a stronger Earl Grey, our New House Blend is a full bodied blend of whole leaf Earl Grey and Assam. Enjoyed for years at founder, Mike’s, family home, The New House, where his family created this blend when he was just a boy!

Learn more about this blend here.

Taster’s Review:

When I am given a new-to-me Earl Grey tea to try, I’m as excited as a kid in a candy store.  Earl Grey is my favorite “flavor” of tea – so long as it’s done right.  I have had several poor excuses for Earl Grey in the past.  Fortunately, today, I’m having a really awesome Earl Grey.

Because today, I’m drinking this New House Blend from Bluebird Tea Co.!

When I first opened the pouch, I had forgotten that this is actually an Earl Grey (it says “New House Blend” on the package, and I didn’t read the small print that says:

A stronger Earl Grey blend with whole leaf Assam

Nor did I read the ingredients that list:

Ceylon black tea, Assam black tea, Kenyan black tea, Bergamot flavour

I didn’t have my glasses on, so all that I could easily read was the “New House Blend” part and I knew that it was a black tea, and since I needed my caffeine fix (my first cup of the day!) I grabbed it and tore open the package.

Then I smelled it.  BERGAMOT!  Yes!  It’s Earl Grey!

And the bergamot here is strong and beautifully aromatic.  I think that my taste buds jumped up off my tongue and started doing the happy dance after I smelled the dry leaf.

So, I impatiently waited by the tea maker as this tea brewed like a love-sick heroine from a romance novel who was anxiously awaiting the arrival of her lover who has been away for far too long.  Yes, I admit it, I have been having an affair with Earl Grey.  My husband knows about it.  He doesn’t necessarily approve, but, since it’s a tea that I’m in love with, he accepts it.

Finally!  The tea maker beeped to let me know that the brewing cycle was complete.  I poured myself a cup and inhaled the fragrance deeply.  The bergamot has softened somewhat during the brewing process, now I also smell the richness of the black tea blend along with the lovely notes of the Italian citrus.

Oh!  This tastes SO GOOD.  This blend has been skillfully crafted.  As much as I love bergamot, the real star of this cup is the black tea base.  The combination of not just Ceylon and Assam but the Kenyan black tea as well has created a solid, well-rounded black tea flavor that is rich and smooth.  No bitterness and very, very little astringency.  It’s a good, robust black tea with some gusto to it – this would be a good first cuppa!  (Which it happens to be for me today.)  It will give you that nudge you need to start the day.

But, of course, no “Earl Grey” tea would be a proper Earl Grey without the bergamot.  The bergamot fruit here is done quite well.  It’s strong but not so strong that it ends up tasting like Uncle Albert’s after shave.  I like the strength of the bergamot, but I think it could be just a tad stronger without that after shave taste.  If I had to offer any complaint about this tea at all, that would be it – I’d like just a touch more bergamot.

But don’t take that criticism as me saying that I’m not happy with this cup because this tastes amazing!  The bergamot adds a tangy note with just enough sweetness, it’s bright and acidic, but not so acidic that I feel the insides of my cheeks puckering from it.   There are a few floral notes to the fruit, but this bergamot is more fruit than flower – which is the way it should be!

An excellent Earl Grey, and a tea that is definitely worthy of an esteemed title of “New House Blend.”  Well done, Bluebird Tea Co.!

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