We’ve dedicated this blend to the tale of Dorian Gray, as told in Oscar Wilde’s 1891 novel The Picture of Dorian Gray. In the story, the young Dorian wishes that a portrait painted of himself would age instead of his actual body, allowing him to retain the spirit and beauty of his youth - Mr. Gray was evidently quite vain! The tragedy for Dorian is that no matter how hard he tries, beauty is ethereal and will always fade. In the end, he dies, aged and disfigured.

So why would we dedicate a tea to his cause? Our Master Taster, a great fan of Oscar Wilde thought that there was no better way to capture the fleeting qualities of beauty than through a tea. Tea is itself a beautiful product to behold with so much time and effort going into creating each individual leaf. Once boiling water is poured over them, the leaves whither and releases their golden essence never to produce a good strong cup again. (Unless of course you’re talking green teas, some of which can be brewed up to 5 times!) This blend is based on the floral notes of a good strong Earl Grey that is sweetened further with a touch of caramel, both flavors serving to hint at the sweet hold of youth. To further enhance his vision of a tea that reflects the waning qualities of temporal beauty, our Master Taster blended in dried apple pieces, calendula petals, and delicate elderblossoms - products of nature that lend a character of tragic allure. Brew a pot for yourself and dream of years gone by. Ah...sweet youth...and even sweeter tea!