Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Luhse
Tea Description:
STORY:
Queen Song is clearly not your typical gorilla. She’s a risk taker and norm-breaker. She couldn’t just leave traditional Earl Grey tea alone.
TEA DESCRIPTION:
Earl Grey’s flamboyant brother. Added vanilla takes average Earl to a whole new level.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Dorian Grey is one of two Luhse flavoured blends I picked up with my recent order. The first thing I noticed about the full bags is how unique and well thought out the branding is. Everything from the colouring (midnight blue), to the white, searchlight-like logo, through to little things like the font and bigger things like the slogans is spot-on for the 20s, prohibition-era theme. Luhse are really sorted from a brand perspective, and that’s a nice thing to see. The “story” somehow makes their blends more than just tea, and it adds a lot to the appeal, that’s for sure.
Dorian Grey is an Earl Grey Cream, and it smells delicious from the moment I open the bag. Sweet, rich, and gloriously decadent. It’s a fairly unassuming blend to look at – just fairly small, uniform black-brown leaves. I used 1 tsp of leaf for my cup, and gave it 3.5 minutes in boiling water. It brewed up pretty strong, so I added a splash of milk.
To taste, this is one of the creamiest Earl Grey Cream blends I’ve tried. The initial sip is full-on vanilla; sweet and rich, with an intense creaminess that reminds me very much of premium vanilla ice cream, or perhaps crème anglaise. The earl grey is very much second fiddle, but it’s possible to find the bergamot lurking in the mid sip. It’s not over-strong, which I appreciate in an Earl Grey blend, but it does manage to cut through some of the heady vanilla sweetness. It’s a pleasing, citrus-laced counterpoint, and adds a layer of depth to the flavour. The black base can hardly be tasted, but it’s smooth and unobtrusive, and it lets the flavours shine.
I’m really impressed with this one. It more than lives up to its promise, and it makes for a deliciously tasty cup. It would make for an excellent introduction to Earl Grey Cream blends (although possibly you’d be spoilt forever), or a fabulous treat for existing fans. This one blows others out of the water.
Dorian Grey Tea from Luhse Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Luhse Tea
Tea Description:
Story: Queen Song is clearly not your typical gorilla. She’s a risk taker and norm-breaker. She couldn’t just leave traditional Earl Grey alone.
Tea Description: Earl Grey’s flamboyant brother. Added vanilla takes average Earl to a whole new level.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Ah, this is nice! I love Earl Grey – as I’ve mentioned many times! – and I love it when I find a delicious creamy Earl Grey like this Dorian Grey Tea from Luhse Tea. The traditional bergamot flavored black tea with a touch of sweet, creamy vanilla makes this Dorian Grey different from the classic Earl.
It would seem that I’ve tasted almost as many Earl Grey “Creme” blends as I have the traditional Earl Grey teas … because it would seem that for every Earl grey tea that there is out there, there is the creamy counterpart. But please do not read that as a complaint … just a statement of observation. I love Earl Grey, and I’m certainly not going to complain that there are too many Earl Grey teas out there – all the more for me to sample, my dear!
And I’m really enjoying this Dorian Grey Tea. I wasn’t too sure about it when I first opened my sampling of this tea, because the aroma was rather muted. I didn’t smell a whole lot of bergamot, or vanilla … or well, anything. I was worried that either my olfactory nerves were not operating properly, or maybe the tea was a stale sampling. However, once, I brewed the tea, the aroma came forward! Beautiful citrus-y notes, hints of flower, and a lovely vanilla overtone. My taste buds started to jump for joy.
The flavor is really quite delightful. The vanilla is just a tad stronger than the bergamot … but it doesn’t overpower it. It mellows out the bergamot – as I expected it to – but I still taste the tangy citrus notes. The cream adds a lovely sweet note to the cup … and the thing I love about creamy Earl Grey teas is that it’s a built-in “latte” – no dairy required!
This is a smooth, wonderful tea. A great choice for those who find the traditional bergamot tea to be a bit too much … this is softer, creamier, and more decadent! I love it!
