Several months ago I ordered an Earl Grey Creme Vanilla from Upton Tea (review here). I shared some with my friend Ana and she suggested that we do a comparison of as many Earl Grey Vanilla Creme teas as we could get our hands on. What follows is a list of what we sipped, in order of our preference.
1. Upton Tea, Season’s Pick Earl Grey Creme Vanilla – full review here. This was hands down our favorite tea of the ones we tried. Sweet and creamy, it really elevated Earl Grey to a new level. I had ordered this one, curious as to what it tasted like. As soon as I sampled it I brought the bag to Ana and she loved it too.
2. Teavana, Earl Grey Creme Black Tea – This one tasted like a good strong black tea, just with subtle notes of bergamot and vanilla. This is probably the best choice if you’re not a huge Earl Grey fan, as it’s very mild and a great afternoon tea with just a hint of something different. This was definitely a strong second in the tea wars.
3. Adagio Teas, Earl Grey Moonlight – The Adagio version included orange peels which I thought made for a delicious addition to the tea, however though it advertised a creme and vanilla flavor, I didn’t taste that. I think I’d prefer this blend for a strong cup of afternoon tea, but it doesn’t quite fit what I was looking for in an Earl Grey Cream.
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4. Argo Earl Grey Creme – Prior to brewing I didn’t get much in the way of vanilla flavoring, but once brewed the vanilla scent was delicious. The black tea wasn’t super strong – on the whole this was a very mildly flavored tea.
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5. Stash Teas, Vanilla Earl Grey Black Tea – I missed the vanilla in this one, but it was a delicious Earl Grey. It also boasted a hazelnut flavor on the package that I didn’t get. Again, a good Earl Grey, but not what I was looking for.
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6. Tea Market, Earl Grey de le Creme – This is labeled as a “Lady Grey” – black tea with Bergamot and lavender. I definitely smelled the lavender when I opened the package. This tea was ok. It tasted more like a regular Earl Grey; I didn’t get a taste of creme at all. I’m also not a big lavender fan so it wasn’t for me. However, if you’re looking for an Earl Grey with a bit of lavender, I think you’d like this one.
7. David’s Tea, Organic Cream of Earl Grey – This one had a very fragrant bergamot smell, but also nice traces of vanilla. Ana thought she detected something in the aftertaste that she didn’t like. I wondered if the cornflowers or marigolds added something extra to the fragrance and taste that I didn’t taste in many of the other blends. Overall, this one didn’t get very high on our list.
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I’d love to hear from you if I’ve missed your favorite brand of tea. Next up….. Chai wars?
David’s Tea was the one that had Red Vines aftertaste! Blech!