Earl Grey week continues! So, first of all, if anybody who speaks or reads Russian ever comes by here, my apologies, all I did was type the words "Tea. Earl Grey. Hot." into Google translator, and I'm sure I butchered the job.
Apologies to the Russian speaking population aside, today's review picks up where Cream Earl Grey left off, with another variant on the Earl Grey blend: Russian Earl Grey. I first had what I thought was Russian Earl Grey at Mrs. Bridge's, our local tea house. No offense to their fine establishment, but I think they mislabeled a tea, or perhaps their vendor sent them the wrong tea. The cup I got was Earl Grey, but the tea was blended with a smoked variant, probably Lapsang. I didn't question it, smoky Russian Caravan being the only other Russian blend I had actually tried, until I purchased a pouch to try on my own and found it a completely different tea. After doing some research, I found that Russian Earl Grey is not made from a smoked tea, but there is a common (not Russian) variant called "Smoky Earl Grey" that is. This must be what I had for that first cup. It was excellent; I'll have to find that variant online, so I can post a review.
What, then, of Russian Earl Grey? It turns out to be an Earl Grey blend, flavored with bergamot, Thai lemongrass, and orange peel. Russia has a fine tea culture, dating back to the 17th century, and features almost exclusively Chinese teas, often flavored. Tea is brewed in ornate vessels called samovars, and served in ornate glass and metal cups. I love the look of those cups, and have always wanted one since first seeing them in The Hunt for Red October. The tea itself is very often flavored; smoke is the key flavor in Russian Caravan, but not the predominate flavoring in other Russian teas, which are often flavored with citrus fruit. Russian tea was once drank with a spoonful of jam, or whilst holding a lump of sugar between your teeth, though I don't know how widespread this once was, or how common it is today.
So, there isn't any smoke in Russian Earl Grey, but there is lots of citrus, and a nice tea backbone, a blend of Ceylon and China teas. Russian Earl Grey is quite similar to Baroness Grey, yet another Earl Grey variant, but is sturdier, with bolder flavors. The orange peel and lemongrass bring really nice citrus notes to the table, sweet, yet some complexity; the lemongrass is an interesting choice, bringing a slightly different flavor than lemon peel might have. Lemongrass in tea seems strange at first blush, but a different Russian tea I found while researching is flavored with buffalo grass. The orange and lemongrass mix really well with the bergamot, balancing out that piney taste, and while the texture isn't as velvety as the Cream Earl Grey, the tea has a clean finish, with only a mild pleasant aftertaste.
Russian Earl Grey is a nice cup of tea, but probably not quite a staple that I'll keep on hand. I'm very curious to track down that Smoky Earl Grey and give that another whirl...I'll be sure to post my notes here when I do. Score: 85 (B)
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