What Is Earl Grey?

Earl Grey Tea: Earl Grey tea is a tea blend which has been flavoured with the addition of oil of bergamot. The rind’s fragrant oil is added to black tea to give Earl Grey its unique taste. Traditionally, Earl Grey was made from black teas such as China keemun and therefore intended to be drunk without milk.

However, tea communities have since begun to offer Earl Grey based upon stronger teas such as Ceylons which are better suited to the extension of milk or cream. Other varieties have been recommended as well, such as green or oolong.

Best Earl Grey Tea

What Is Earl Grey Tea

I love Earl Grey tea. I enjoy it so much that I even wrote an article on the history of Earl Grey for my blog. I discovered Earl Grey doesn’t just have a unique and tasty flavor (although not everyone would agree with that), it also has a wide range of benefits.

Tea contains very high levels of catechin, an antioxidant that fights oral infections. Fluoride is also a natural component of Earl Grey tea, and it’s also found in tap water. Fluoride is good for your teeth because it protects them from cavities, as well as fighting decay. So if you’re not a fan of city water, Earl Grey can be another natural way to get your daily dose of fluoride.With its light elegant flavour and aristocratic roots, some people think of Earl Grey tea as somewhat posh – reserved for high days and holidays. But in reality, it’s one of our most popular blends for every day.
Sip and savour the refreshing brilliance of bergamot and the subtle twist of lemon. Stock up on your favourites and try some new variations, too.

Earl Grey tea has been known to improve digestion. It aids in the digestive process and helps relieve painful indigestion, colic and nausea. It is also used to treat intestinal problems such as worms. Because it helps the digestive process, it can also help to keep you regular.

Earl Grey Tea Benefits

The Earl Grey blend, or “Earl Grey’s Mixture”, is assumed to be named after Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, British Prime Minister in the 1830s and author of the Reform Bill of 1832. He reputedly received a gift, probably a diplomatic perquisite, of tea flavoured with bergamot oil. A “Grey’s Tea” is known from the 1850s, but the first known published references to an “Earl Grey” tea are advertisements by Charlton & Co. of Jermyn Street in London in the 1880s.

According to one legend, a grateful Chinese mandarin whose son was rescued from drowning by one of Lord Grey’s men first presented the blend to the Earl in 1803. The tale appears to be apocryphal, as Lord Grey never set foot in China and the use of bergamot oil to scent tea was then unknown in China. However, this tale is subsequently told (and slightly corrected) on the Twinings website, as “having been presented by an envoy on his return from China”.

Jacksons of Piccadilly claim they originated Earl Grey’s Tea, Lord Grey having given the recipe to Robert Jackson & Co. partner George Charlton in 1830. According to Jacksons, the original recipe has been in constant production and has never left their hands. Theirs has been based on Chinese black tea since the beginning.

According to the Grey family, the tea was specially blended by a Chinese Mandarin-speaking individual for Lord Grey, to suit the water at Howick Hall, the family seat in Northumberland, using bergamot in particular to offset the preponderance of lime in the local water. Lady Grey used it to entertain in London as a political hostess, and it proved so popular that she was asked if it could be sold to others, which is how Twinings came to market it as a brand.