Be sure to brew flowers in your tea! (Suki Earl Grey Blue Flower Tea Fairtrade Organic)

Member Name: eilidhcatriona

Product:	Suki Earl Grey Blue Flower Tea Fairtrade Organic
Date:	31/07/09 (53 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Clear and refreshing taste, best earl grey I have tasted

Disadvantages: A bit pricey, not readily available in shops

"Suki Earl Grey Blue Flower Tea". Bit of a long name for some tea. And that's not including the fact that it's Fairtrade Organic. It deserves it though. In my opinion (and I am a bit of an earl grey connoisseur), this is the crème-de-la-crème of earl grey teas. It can't be beaten. I've said that before about other teas, but this time I think this is it.

I came across this tea in a small farm café in rural north east Scotland. It's an excellent little café, so I was certainly expecting a good pot of earl grey with my lunch. I got more than good however.

The Earl Grey Blue Flower is loose leaf tea. It comes in 100g or 500g bags, and dry it has a pleasantly fresh earl grey aroma, with a hint of something else. To look at, it's actually a very attractive tea - because it has little blue flowers in it!!! These are cornflowers.

I brew this for around 5 minutes, and I use one teaspoon per cup and a little extra for the pot. When poured it is a nice dark gold colour, not too dark or too light. I have it with milk and sometimes a little sweetener.

To taste, this is instantly recognisable as earl grey. It has a flavour of bergamot as expected, but it's a flavour that I would describe as "clear". I think that is because it is not a heavy overbearing taste of bergamot, not cloying which is how I find Twinings earl grey, but rather much more refreshing. The cornflowers add that little something extra, which is what makes it so special. I can't adequately describe it, as it is not like anything else, but it is a little bit sweet and floral, and balances perfectly with the bergamot. I find there is no aftertaste that cheaper earl grey (yes that's you again Twinings) can leave behind, and in that sense it comes a close second behind rooibos teas for leaving me feeling hydrated. It is however, way out in front in terms of taste.

I've bought this a few times from the same farm café that I first tried it in, because I want to give them the business (I don't live locally anymore but my parents do), and I paid £4.50 for the 100g bag. You can order it from the website www.suki-tea.com for £3.79 for 100g or £16 for 500g.

This has become my earl grey of choice (although I do still have Williamson's tea bags for at work or when I'm too lazy to brew this!). I'd really recommend you give this a go, particularly if you're a fan of earl grey like me. It's pricey but as soon as you taste it you can see why!

Summary: Once you've tasted this you'll never go back...