I began with Earl Grey. There’s something about bergamot and black tea that carries elegance — almost like a tailored blazer in tea form. I crushed the loose leaves by hand in a mortar, releasing that citrus-floral aroma into the air. The scent rose gently, almost ceremonially.
The fine tea powder was folded into silky cream cheese, tinting it softly and perfuming it in the most delicate way.
A thick slice of sourdough went into the toaster until golden and crisp at the edges, warm at the center. When the heat met the Earl Grey cream, something beautiful happened — the aroma bloomed. The bergamot lifted. The black tea deepened.
On top, fresh fig slices — soft, honeyed, and almost jammy.
A drizzle of golden honey.
A whisper of flaky sea salt.
And suddenly, it wasn’t just toast.
It was atmosphere.
Fig & Earl Grey Toast
You’ll need:
- 1 slice sourdough bread
- 2–3 tbsp cream cheese (Philadelphia works beautifully)
- 1 tsp loose leaf Earl Grey tea
- 1–2 fresh figs
- Honey
- Flaky sea salt
How to make it:
- Crush the Earl Grey leaves finely using a mortar and pestle.
- Mix the crushed tea into the cream cheese until smooth and fragrant.
- Toast the sourdough until golden and warm.
- Spread generously with the Earl Grey cream.
- Top with sliced figs.
- Drizzle with honey and finish with flaky sea salt.
Serve immediately — while the toast is still warm and the aroma is at its peak.
A Toast That Tastes Like Perfume
The result is delicate, warm, and slightly unexpected.
Creamy yet bright.
Sweet yet structured.
Comforting, but elegant.
It tastes like walking through a fig grove at golden hour.
Like linen drying in the breeze.
Like memory.
At By Sips, we believe tea is more than something you drink. It’s something you live with. Something that connects scent, flavor, and feeling in one quiet held moment.
This toast is one of those moments.
Must taste.
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Video by @kokkonen_a
Plates by @platescurated
Would you dare to taste your favorite perfume?