إيرل غراي

Wasn't expecting the Ceylon to come through so clearly under the malty dianhong, but it does — bright and citrusy right at the end of each sip. Brewed it at 95°C for three minutes and it stayed smooth, no bitterness at all.

The Yunnan dianhong base gives this a malty depth I wasn't expecting from an earl grey, and the ceylon keeps it from tasting heavy. Two whole-leaf teas blended instead of dust really shows in the cup.

I was expecting the usual bergamot punch, but the ceylon side keeps it bright and almost citrusy instead. The whole leaf dianhong steeps into something smooth enough to drink without milk, which I didn't think I'd do with an earl grey.