Searching for the Best Earl Grey Tea

For a period of time in my youth, I had a very limited understanding of what the world of tea was all about. In Germany, as a child, I would sometimes drink Chamomile Tea, which was something I would go out with Oma to pick in Odelzhausen. Much later I learned this was not a “tea”, but rather a ”tisane,” a hot herbal drink.

In Japan, I would drink mainly Milk Tea and green tea. Later, in my teens, I was introduced to tea and infused teas. Eventually I moved back to Germany and favored fruit flavored black tea, my favorite being Apricot tea.

Then I moved to the USA to attend college, per my mutti’s wish. What I appreciated then was Earl Grey and its deep black color, infused with fruit of a purple flowered bergamot plant providing citrus aroma. To this day, I drink Earl Grey nearly everyday, and not just because Captain Jean-Luc Picard of Star Trek fame liked it!

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History of Earl Grey Tea

Clarify Spelling

Earl Grey tea is one of the more famous, and most consumed black tea blends in the West (1). In the USA Earl Grey is sometimes incorrectly spelled Earl Gray. But since it is actually named after a person who spelled their name GREY the same should be used on the tea.

The Most Common Questions

The first question always asked is who is Earl Grey?

The WhistlingKettle writes that the tea was named after British Earl Charles Grey, who was Prime Minister from 1830 to 1834. Interestingly to tea history, he is the one to break up the monopoly over Chinese Tea held by the East India Trading Company (1833) . This in turn, opened up China to a free tea trade with Europe and increased profits and opportunity for many other traders and China sellers.

• As an aside, and not tea related, Earl Grey also was a bit of a progressive, as he was involved with the Reform Act of 1832 And the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833.

The second question is usually, why is the tea Named Earl Grey Tea?

There are several suggestions, some unlikely and just a few that actually seem feasible. The one reason I found most likely, is that Charles Grey and his wife served black tea with bergamot oil when hosting diplomatic events. As this new serving of tea became popular with the upper class guests, it caught on and soon everyone who was (or wanted to be) part of the “in crowd” wanted to have and serve the Earl Grey’s tea.

Third question is, why was it created?

A possible theory is that the Earl requested from a merchant that he be provided with a strong black tea, that had a good aroma and taste, mainly as a way to hide the limescale aspect of Northumberland’s alkaline drinking water. Since both black tea and bergamot (which comes from Italy) are acidic, they could potentially neutralize the water and provide an appreciative aroma (1).

Scented and flavored teas are a Chinese invention. So one story seems very possible, that is the tea was specially blended by a Chinese mandarin for Lord Grey (2) perhaps as gratitude for opening up Chinese trade to the West.

A third story from the FarmersAlmanac suggests: One story suggests it was created by accident when a container of tea and bergamot oranges were shipped together from Chinese diplomats to Earl Grey. The essence of the fruit was said to have been absorbed by the tea during transit.

My fourth question is how did the Earl make his tea back then?

These days the tea is either drank black, or with a bit of lemon, and perhaps sweeteners added, but back then, it probably would have been served, British style, with a bit of milk and white sugar.

• British style (tea with a bit of milk) came from the 18th century, when tea was brewed in pots and then the hot tea poured into delicate real china cups or cheaper imitations.
• To keep these fragile cups from cracking from the hot tea, they would add some cool milk first, then tea; the milk helping to lower the temperature and prevent damage.
• Since then tea was so expensive, poorer families also might add more milk to make up for lesser actual tea (3).

Since the Earl’s time was before the invention of tea bags (1904), it is known that the tea was made from loose leaf which, coincidently, helps maximize flavor.

The fifth and final question I have is, who actually created the tea?

Twinings and Jacksons of Piccadilly English tea companies, both claim to be the merchants that created the tea for the Earl, but there is nothing so far that indicates who first created the drink (4). History does show that Twinings was the first company to market the tea, while Charlton & Co. were the first to publish references to the tea in advertisements.

• PlumDelux writes that Richard, the sixth Earl Grey (1939-2013), lent his endorsement and signature to Twinings; it is his signature that appears on boxes of Twinings’ Earl Grey tea. They also have a trademark on “Lady Grey.”

Choices of Earl Grey

The base of Earl Grey tea is a dark black tea. Some of the flavor variations are based on where the black tea comes from, and how it is processed. Wikipedia states that if the Earl Grey tea was made from Chinese teas like Keemun, it was made to be drunk without dairy. However, if it was made from darker, heavier black teas from Ceylon, it was made for augmenting with dairy.

The traditional flavor of Earl Grey comes from bergamot, an orangy-lemony citrus plant that tastes a bit like Meyer lemon but with a hint of bitter; as a result, the tea has a floral, citrus profile. But the actual flavor can vary based on the processing of the bergamot. Some spray fruit-peel-pressed bergamot oil onto the tea, while others toss the dried peel and/or corn flower petals directly into the tea. Additionally, while experts think the best bergamot comes from Calabria, Italy, the plant grows in many areas and the fruit may exhibit regional differences.

Some people and writers consider “Earl Grey” to be any tea infused with bergamot and these days there are many variations:

• Blue Flower Earl Grey (see photo above)
• Lady Earl Grey (blue cornflower blossoms)
• Citrus Lady Grey (Seville oranges )
• Red Earl Grey (rooibos + bergamot)
• French Earl Grey (adds rose petals)
• Vanilla Earl Grey (vanilla + bergamot)
• Earl Grey Crème (black tea, lavender, bergamot, and vanilla)
• Smoky Earl Grey (bergamot, Lapsang Souchong, and Gunpowder tea)
• Jasmine Earl Grey
• Oolong Earl Grey

Health Benefits + Concerns

Benefits

HealthLine, documents black tea benefits, including:

• Black tea contains antioxidants and compounds that help reduce body inflammation
• Can help remove free radicals and decrease cell damage
• May help decrease the risk of chronic disease + stroke
• Contains polyphenols (catechins, theaflavins and thearubigins) that have cardiovascular, digestion, and cancer-preventitive benefits and may support a healthy gut
• The caffeine may help focus

Bergamot Oil benefits are reported on by WebMD:

• May be able to lower “bad” LDL cholesterol and may increase “good” HDL cholesterol
• Needs more study but could be an effective supplement to cholesterol drugs
• May have some analgesic properties
• Included with an aromatherapy blend, may help depression symptoms in older adults, people with terminal cancer, and women who are at high risk of postpartum depression
• It is possible that bergamot protects joints in people taking aromatase inhibitors

Concerns

On the other hand, MedicalNewsToday writes about concerns with black tea.

• All brewed tea contains some levels of minerals that can be poisonous depending upon dose: lead, aluminum, arsenic, manganese and cadmium
• The longer the brew, the higher the dose of caffeine or the bad chemicals listed above
• Depending upon source of tea, they may also have heavy pesticides or contain contaminants from airborne pollution (4, 5)

WebMD also notes that bergamot consumption has some health risks as well.

• Consuming too much of bergamot teas can lead to issues with potassium intake
• Bergamot is a source of bergamottin which is known to be responsible for grapefruit–drug interactions in which the consumption of the juice affects the metabolism of a variety of pharmaceutical drugs

Storing + Brewing a Cuppa

Storing

Find a good source for the tea you like best, and buy smaller quantities as if the tea is shelved too long it will lose its flavor potency. To store properly keep the tea in a cool, dark place, and in an opaque, airtight container away from light, and moisture. Also keep it stored in a pantry without highly aromatic coffee and spices; the concern is leaching flavors.

In general, flavored teas can sit still up to a year, but then the flavor can dull although you can continue to drink the tea. In this case I just add more lemon to up the citrus aroma and flavor I want in the tea.

Brewing

Traditional brewing

• For the UK, brewing a cup of Earl Gray starts with using an organic, loose leaf, quality blend.
• Add 1 heaping teaspoon of loose leaf tea for 1C water into your teapot strainer.
• Pour hot (95-100C) water, right off the boil and into the teapot.
• Steep for ~3 minutes, if steeped too long it can become tannin-bitter.
• Add lemon and/or sweet (sugar or honey), but some still prefer a splash of milk.

My Brewing

I have a morning tea pot that holds 2C tea. What I do is make three pot fills from this tea.

• Brew water to boiling
• In tea pot I add 2T of slightly heaping, loose leaf tea
• Fill the pot to the brim with water and brew for 2 minutes for a cup
• For my next pot I boil water, poor over the wet tea leaves and brew for 3 minutes for another cup
• Then finally I reboil, poor over tea leaves and brew for 30 minutes for ice tea

The first two brews are for my morning tea + lemon + honey drink. The third is poured into a glass bottle and placed in the fridge to keep an ongoing bottle of iced tea ready for my spouse.

Earl Gray (EG) vs English Breakfast (EB)

I like Earl Gray (EG) and English Breakfast (EB) in the mornings, especially since they are readily available here in the USA. Here are the main differences between the two:

• EG has a bergamot-citrus infusion, EB is a black tea.
• Both are black tea blends, but EG has Ceylon or Chinese Keemun tea blends, while EB is Assam teas.
• EG is a lighter and creamier tea blend, EB is a stronger tea.
• EG is an afternoon tea without dairy, EB is a breakfast tea with added cream and/or sweetener.

My Favorites

Additionally, there are two specific Earl Grey teas (that come in tins) that I like. First is the Ahmed Earl Grey Tea (AEG) aromatic loose tea in a tin; this is my everyday tea. The second is Harney & Sons Paris (HSP), that come in sachets (and a tin); this is my special tea that I drink on special occasions.

• AEG is good tasting blend of loose black tea, while HSP is a blend of black and oolong teas that are in sachets.
• AEG has bergamot flavor from peels (not flowers), HSP is black and oolong tea, black currant, mild bergamot oil, and caramel flavors.
• AEG Amazon rating 4.5 stars, HSP rating 5 stars.

— Patty

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