Debonair Tea Co – Extreme Earl
Debonair Tea Company’s Extreme Earl is a blend of organic Sri Lankan orange pekoe black tea and organic bergamot oil. It’s a delightfully warm and refreshing brew with a lovely natural bergamot taste that comes through loudly enough to make itself known but not so noisily that it dominates the proceedings. It’s a perfect Earl Grey blend that I can’t find fault with.
Except… it’s not very extreme, is it? The word ‘extreme’ is right there in the tea’s name. And yet it’s a blend of black tea and bergamot which is, let’s face it, the traditional route to go down when making an Earl Grey blend. I’ve had Earl Greys with vanilla, and lavender, and grapefruit in them and those didn’t even call themselves ‘extreme’.
Frankly, I was expecting the unexpected with this one and I didn’t get it. I’m not sure how extreme I need my teamongers to go with Earl Grey blends but I am sure there are some extremities left to explore.
Maybe they could have added some habanero chillies. Or some popping candy. Or so much bergamot oil that it makes your nose bleed. That would be pretty extreme. I know! Debonair Tea Company should add ricin to every hundredth packet of Extreme Earl. So you could never be sure if your next cup of tea is going to be the one that kills you.
Admittedly, none of these suggestions are terribly practical (and I suspect one of them might actually be illegal). This is why I’m in the ‘drinking tea and talking nonsense’ business rather than the tea-blending business. I wouldn’t really want to change the recipe for Extreme Earl anyway. It honestly is very nice indeed. As an Earl Grey fan, it’s exactly what I want in life.
If I may though, I would like to respectfully suggest to Debonair that they consider a name change. Maybe “Rather Tasty Earl Grey” or just “Ahh, That Hits The Spot”. Then we’d all know where we stand.
Today’s featured book is The Suicide Club: A Virgin Tea Planter’s Journey by Herman Gunaratne.
