Earl Grey Lavender Tea is a Fickle Fellow

During college, I had a waxing interest in the Steampunk subculture– not to the point where I wore Steampunk-inspired garb– but I did have a handful of Steampunk bands loaded onto my iPod. Abney Park was my favorite. I also frequented Steampunk blogs, and it was through them that I discovered a webcomic called Wondermark by David Malki !. The comic wasn’t really Steampunk, although it did make the occasional reference:

For the most part though, I would describe it as modern-day pop culture and political references set against a backdrop of old, Victorian-era scenes. I would also describe it as hilarious, which is why I yanked Wondermark vol. 2: Clever Tricks to Stave Off Death from the shelf and added it to my nearly toppling stack of library books.

When I returned home, I had a brilliant idea to brew myself a cup of Adagio’s Earl Grey Lavender tea to enjoy alongside an old favorite. You may not think so, but Earl Grey Lavender was a daring choice. Prior to this weekend, I had tried brewing myself Earl Grey Lavender three different time, and all three times it was undrinkable– bitter and overly perfume-y and more appropriate for the drain than my taste buds. But, ever the optimist, I decided to give Earl Grey Lavender once last try, and I’m glad I did. I have a bad habit of “eyeballing” a tablespoon, so this time I actually used measuring spoons– one rounded tablespoon for about 8 oz of water. Just by reducing the amount of tea leaves and time to steep the leaves, I somehow brewed the perfect cup. I finished off the cup with some sugar, and when I took my first sip, I was immediately transported to an English garden in early summer, where red Trumpet Honeysuckle climbs up trellises, the pink and purple, bell-shaped blossoms of Foxgloves and Canterbury Bells are in full bloom, and a light breeze carries the scent of lavender with it.

I then proceeded to make myself two more mugs of Earl Grey Lavender while finishing up Wondermark vol. 2, which was, as I suspected, still hilarious.

Have you ever tried Earl Grey tea or a variation of it? Did you enjoy it?

21 responses to “Earl Grey Lavender Tea is a Fickle Fellow”

Laura Cottam

September 21, 2015 at 11:14 am

It took my friend at university to show me a decent earl Grey for me to fall in love with it now I only have it occasionally but it’s still yummy 🙂

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1. Jackie G.
  
  September 23, 2015 at 4:03 pm
  
  What brand was it? I’ve tried a handful of Earl Greys from different brands, and so far I’ve only ever liked one.
  
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  1. Laura Cottam
    
    September 23, 2015 at 4:06 pm
    
    It was actually sainsburys finest 🙂
    
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Ocean Bream

September 21, 2015 at 11:58 am

My mum loves earl grey and always has it with milk! I think milk destroys the taste but she is adamant that it adds to it. She is also particular about how it’s brewed, and I never understood why until I tried to do it myself. I’m glad you found your perfect cuppa tea! 🙂

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1. Jackie G.
  
  September 23, 2015 at 4:02 pm
  
  While I am not apposed to drinking tea with milk, I cannot imagine drinking Earl Grey with milk! I’m admit, I’m curious about it though…
  
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  1. Ocean Bream
    
    September 28, 2015 at 2:25 am
    
    Never know until you try it! 😉
    
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Alice Hawkfield

September 21, 2015 at 1:24 pm

I haven’t tried Earl Grey tea, but I think I may give it a go now 🙂 I think my favourite tea is either black or peppermint.

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1. Jackie G.
  
  September 23, 2015 at 4:01 pm
  
  I looooove peppermint! It’s probably the tea I drink the most of, actually. I love how it keeps me alert without bombarding me with caffeine.
  
  I hear Earl Grey can be hit or miss. For me, it’s obviously a hit! It’s black tea flavored with a citrusy bergmot oil. I would definitely recommend it!
  
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Lola

September 21, 2015 at 6:34 pm

I love earl grey tea, but I don’t think I have ever drinken earl grey lavendar tea. It sounds good! I am glad to hear you gave it another time and measuring a teaspoon did gave the right taste. I am usually not too carefull with measurements when it comes to spoons either. I usually buy tea in teabags, so I don’t have to measure anything and just drop a bag in my cup when I want tea.

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1. Jackie G.
  
  September 23, 2015 at 3:57 pm
  
  I buy both loose leaf and bagged tea. The quality of loose leaf is great, but sometimes I want quick and convenient. It’s just that, sometimes after drinking bagged tea for a while, I become careless in my steeping my loose leaf; it’s easy to get away with over steeping tea bags– not so much loose leaf tea though.
  
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Christy

September 21, 2015 at 7:02 pm

I had a earl grey lavender a couple years ago during a meeting and loved it. I haven’t had any since, though. I’ll have to play around and do it myself.

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Inge

September 22, 2015 at 5:33 am

It’s a good thing you kept trying! I probably would’ve given up after several bitter cups. Earl Grey is definitely the tea I drink the most, but I drink it like a sissy — with a lot of sugar and a lot of milk, otherwise it’s too bitter for me. I may have to try out the lavender tea, as the image you described sounds really lovely.

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1. Jackie G.
  
  September 23, 2015 at 3:54 pm
  
  It’s really rare that a tea is too bitter for me. I am also a hardcore coffee drinker, and I usually take that black, so I was surprised when the Earl Grey Lavender was too much for me. If you can hit the sweet spot though…the floral aroma is truly a lovely accent for this one!
  
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readerlygeek

September 22, 2015 at 9:11 am

I drink Earl Grey on occasion (usually from a bag so that could be why I don’t love it). If I’m going to drink black tea, I usually go for my loose leaf Irish Breakfast or Assam Melody instead.

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1. Jackie G.
  
  September 23, 2015 at 3:51 pm
  
  I do love me some Irish Breakfast! I’ve been drinking a lot of that lately, actually. I’ve been working my way through a tin of loose leaf Irish Breakfast, and I’ve discovered that I actually prefer the tea bags over the loose leaf (or at least for the Twinings brand, anyway).
  
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Faye (@kawaiileena)

September 28, 2015 at 10:20 pm

Damn, this tea sounds yummy and refreshing! I’ve only ever tried of jasmine tea, and a particular one I can’t remember right now but I tried when I was in the Middle East, but I’ve long heard about the English and their famous teas (while eating scones, no less). I’d love to give this a try! I have to admit that my taste buds’ are very, very inexperienced when it comes to this particular field (heck, it’s inexperienced in trying the cuisines of other cultures) but hopefully that will be amended ^_^

Faye at The Social Potato

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Melanie (YA Midnight Reads)

September 29, 2015 at 8:30 am

I’ve never heard of Earl Grey Lavender tea – sounds like a hit or miss! I only really like teas when they have milk it in, for some reason.

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Beth Whatley

September 30, 2015 at 4:38 pm

I… am an Englishwoman who does not drink tea. So no, I have not tried Earl Grey lavender tea – but well done you for trying it! And also, I need to applaud you on your good taste in music; I love me some Abney Park!
Beth x
http://www.thequietpeople.com

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1. Jackie G.
  
  September 30, 2015 at 6:58 pm
  
  I am tickled pink that you’re a fan of Abney Park! I’ve never actually talked to/known anyone who has even heard of the band.
  
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Shawna C

May 3, 2016 at 3:51 pm

I Really Like Lot of Adagio Teas but found the Earl Grey Lavender too strong as well. Might have to give another try using your advice. I find their Earl Grey Brava too strong as well and add other flavored tea as I brew, or I just brew up their My Dear Watson blend when I want Earl Grey. I like the chocolate in it. ;). I hear Earl Grey Moonlight is good. So need to order. Or see if I have sample. ;). And on my list to order next full moon is their Earl Grey Bella Luna to try. 😉

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1. Jackie G.
  
  May 8, 2016 at 9:05 am
  
  I’ve never had Earl Grey Moonlight on its own, but it was included in a Tardis Tea blend, which I thought was pretty fantastic. And! It made a really lovely custard too 🙂 I too would love to try the Earl Grey Bella Luna! I just need to plan my purchase around the full moon (clever marketing there). It’s such a pretty looking tea.
  
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