Advent Day #19

Tea #19 - "Victoria Grey"

Did you know that there are hundreds of brands of “Earl Grey tea” yet there is no standard to what constitutes “Earl Grey tea”?  Given that tidbit of information, you will not be surprised to learn that there is no standard recipe, or even profile for the other types of “…Grey…tea”. When I set out to research what Victoria Grey tea was, I was constantly met by the opening line: “our take on Victoria Grey tea contains…” and then a litany of flavor profiles, none of which were constant. 

 

The Victoria of today’s tea in question is Queen Victoria. F&M named their newest tea blend after the queen under whose reign tea drinking gained popularity. She had no association with the Earl Grey of the tea’s namesake other than they lived during the same era. Although Earl Grey was Prime Minister of England, it was just before the reign of Victoria began. And to be fair, there is no consensus as to why Charles Grey, the Second Earl Grey, is even associated with tea in the first place. There are several apocryphal stories, but no real agreement.

 

With all of that having been said, the Fortnum and Mason Victoria Grey tea describes itself as “A bergamot-based tea blend, Victoria Grey combines liquorice root, lavender and cornflower petal with our very own Fortnum’s Salisbury Plain Honey. The result is a highly delicate loose leaf black tea with bursts of zesty citrus and a slight floral sweetness.”

 

I decided to change things up a little with my preparation. Instead of a mug, I opted for a proper teacup and saucer. I brewed for the longer end of the window, 5 minutes, and added two small brown sugar cubes and a light glug of skim milk. I am happy to report that it was a delightful cup of tea! I did not get the citrus overtones that were promised, which is actually a good thing. I did get a preponderance of lavender and cornflower. The tea is extremely drinkable and a joy to savor. I would love to try this in loose tea form and put into a proper tea pot and drink in small cups like one would do in a tearoom.  If you want a heavily floral tea paired with a sturdy black tea base, this is your choice. Darn near perfect for my palate. 9/10