Comte Gris Lavande

While it is certainly no substitute for coffee - I too need my morning (and late morning, and afternoon, and late afternoon, and evening ...) jolt - tea is a wonderful thing. So, I was really thrilled when Travis pointed me to a Minneapolis outfit called, with delicious pretense, La Société du Thé. Also on his recommendation, I ordered the Comte Gris Lavande, or Earl Grey with Lavender.

I drink regular Earl Grey all the time; it's one of my favorites. Soon, my order arrived, the box itself smelled so fantastic that people at my office kept asking what was inside. I took it home, and greedily opened it, to find a fantastically aromatic black sachet of tea.

For as aromatic as the bag was, the leaves inside were more so. I put on my kettle (filled with filtered water, of course!), and waited for the boil, heaping the gorgeous-smelling leaved into my teapot. The kettle wails.

I pour.

I wait.

I wait.

Three-to-five minutes.

I choose four.

I pour, and the tea itself has a lovely odor similar to the teas. The leaves have a powerful aroma, but the tea is subtler. Like the bergamot flavoring all earl greys, lavender is astringent, a bit sharp, and clean tasting. To separate the two on the palette is difficult, but not impossible - and they compliment each other gloriously. Lavender is the dominant flavor, with the bergamot adding its
citrusy hue beneath - almost as if this is a traditional thè lavande, with bergamot added as an afterthought.

I usually drink my earl grey with cream, but I worried about ruining this beautiful infusion with that - with no reason, a splash of half-and-half smoothed the
pique of the lavender, creating a lush, even flavor.

I am so hooked.

La Société du Thé, Minneapolis, Minnesota