A unique Earl Grey made with Tieguanyin and laced with saffron and frankincense. . . . Traditional Earl Grey is a classic, great for every season, but we have always thought that bergamot is such a bright flavor. What if the brightness of Bergamot could be balanced and tempered by darker woodier notes for a tea that could be both comforting and uplifting for the winter months? This was our goal in blending the Earl of Anxi.
We start not with a black tea, but with our famous Hand-Picked Tieguanyin to give the bergamot a cleaner base to integrate with, and reinforce the floral citrus notes. We draw out the citrus sweetness with a uniquely creamy and rich orange peel, and crystallize the florals into a prominent position with jasmine blossoms.
To create the darker more comforting brew we are looking for, we add a creamy, savory base with generous use of Spanish saffron threads. We deepen the sweetness with the caramel fruit notes of goji berries, and to bring it all together we employ the resinous woody notes of pure wild-crafted frankincense sap. This acts as an intriguing base that unifies all the flavor elements and evokes a mountain temple with incense wafting through the air.
Taken together, these ingredients yield a tea that is sweet and creamy, cleansing, and at the same time warming and vaguely intimate because of the saffron and frankincense. Brew up a big pot as a cold-weather companion that evokes the warmth of summer.
Ingredients: Autumn Harvest Tieguanyin, Organic Orange Peel, Organic Jasmine, Wildcrafted Frankincense Resin, Organic Goji Berry, Organic Saffron
Date of Picking:November, 2012
Location of Picking:Anxi County, Fujian, China
What Was Picked:Large, thick spring leaves, shaken to bruise the edges and partly oxidized.
Sourcing Agent(s):Weiwei Ren
Use freshly boiled filtered water and allow to cool to 195 degrees. Use 5g of tea for eight ounces of water. Steep for 2 minutes, and save the leaves for one or two re-infusions.
Incredible iced tea can be made with this blend by using about a teaspoon of leaf per cup of water. Mix the leaves with room temperature filtered water and refrigerate overnight. In the morning you will have a flavorful iced tea.
