Earl Grey tea is atea blend which has been flavoured withoil of bergamot. The rind's fragrant oil is added toblack tea to give Earl Grey its unique taste.[1] However, many, if not most, Earl Greys use other natural or artificial flavours[2] or synthetic oils instead[3] as this is cheaper and results in a longer shelf-life.[3] The taste of the artificially flavoured teas is considered to be less well-balanced than that of naturally flavoured Earl Grey.[3]
Traditionally, Earl Grey was made fromblack teas such as Chinesekeemun, and therefore intended to be served without milk.[4] Sometimes it is blended withlapsang souchong tea, which lends a smoky character. Other varieties have been introduced as well, such asgreen oroolong.[5]
The earliest reference to tea flavoured with bergamot dates to 1824; however the article in question makes no mention of Earl Grey. Bergamot seems to have been used to enhance the taste of low-quality teas.[6] In 1837, charges were laid against a company accused of secretly adding bergamot to misrepresent their tea as a superior product and thus selling it at a higher price.[6]
It has been suggested that the Earl Grey blend, also called "Earl Grey's Mixture", was named afterCharles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, BritishPrime Minister in the 1830s.[7] However, the fact that adding bergamot to tea was being done in a disreputable manner near the time of his death suggests that, while it is possible that the second Earl Grey encountered tea flavoured with bergamot, it seems rather unlikely that he would have championed it.[6] Nonetheless, there have been a number of hypotheses attempting to link the tea to the earl.
One legend claims that a gratefulChinese 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 beapocryphal. Lord Grey never travelled to China[8] and the use of bergamot oil to scent tea was then unknown in China. However, this tale is subsequently told (and slightly corrected) on theTwinings website, as "having been presented by an envoy on his return from China".[9]
Another legend claims that he received as a gift, probably a diplomaticperquisite, tea flavoured withbergamot oil,[10] perhaps as a result of his ending the monopoly held by the East India Company on trade between Britain and China.[11]
According to the Grey family, the tea was specially blended by a Chinese mandarin for Lord Grey, to suit the water atHowick Hall, the family seat in Northumberland, using bergamot in particular to offset the preponderance oflime 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 was how Twinings came to market it as a brand.[12]
Jacksons of Piccadilly claim they originated Earl Grey's Tea, Lord Grey having given the recipe to George Charlton, partner at Robert Jackson & Co., 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.[13][14]
Other theories for the provenance of the tea suggest that its development had nothing to do with any Earl, and that the title was added at a later date.
References have been found in old advertisements dating to the 1850s and 1860s (after the death of the second Earl Grey) to "Grey's Tea" or "Grey's mixture", with the earliest being attributed to a tea merchant named William Grey in 1852. The first known published references to an "Earl Grey" tea are advertisements by Charlton & Co. ofJermyn Street inLondon in the 1880s.[15] It has been suggested that the "Earl" title was added to make the tea seem more socially refined, or alternately that it became associated withHenry Grey, 3rd Earl Grey, who was alive when the "Earl" title began to be attributed to the tea.[6]
A 2010 survey found that a significant number of people in the United Kingdom associate drinking Earl Grey tea with being "posh" or "middle class".[16][17] Earl Grey tea has also been associated withPatrick Stewart's characterJean-Luc Picard, introduced inStar Trek: The Next Generation, for whom "tea, Earl Grey, hot" is something of a catch phrase.[18][19]
"Earl Grey" as applied to tea is not a registered trademark,[20] and numerous tea companies produce their own versions of Earl Grey tea, using a wide variety of tea leaves and additives.
Bergamot orange (Citrus bergamia), a probable hybrid of thelemon andbitter orange,[21] is a smallcitrus tree which blossoms during the winter. It is grown extensively inCalabria, Italy, accounting for 90% of the world's bergamot oil production.[22]
Like other black teas, the tea leaves used in Earl Grey are green when harvested, and undergooxidation during processing. This results in a change in theirchemical composition, a darker colour, and a stronger flavour.[23] Occasionally, green tea leaves or oolong leaves are used in place of the black tea leaves. When this is the case, the oxidation process is shortened or skipped. There are two methods of flavouring tea leaves to get Earl Grey tea.[23] The first, which is said to result in a stronger citrus flavour, is the coating or spraying of the black tea leaves with bergamotessential oils. The second method is the addition of dried bergamot orange rinds to the Earl Grey tea blend. With this method, the citrus flavourinfuses the black tea leaves during the brewing process.[23]
The process of brewing the tea to drink it varies significantly, depending on personal preference. Opinions vary on the preferred method of boiling the water, as well as the idealsteeping time. Steeping tea for too long results in a bitter flavour; two to three minutes is a common recommendation, although some recommend as long as five minutes in order to "enjoy the full benefit of the citrus aroma."[23][24]
A beverage called "London fog" is a combination of Earl Grey, steamedmilk andvanilla syrup.[29]
Earl Greymilk tea is a popularbubble tea flavoured drink in many Asian countries.[30]
Earl Grey tea is used as a flavouring for many types of cakes and confectionery, such aschocolates, as well as savoury sauces.[31][32] Flavouring a sauce with tea is normally done by adding tea bags to the basic stock, boiling for a few minutes, and then discarding the bags. For sweet recipes, loose tea is often added to melted butter or hot cream and strained after the flavour isinfused.[33][34][35]
There is no conclusive evidence of any health effects specific to Earl Grey tea; consumption of black tea, which includes Earl Grey, may help improve alertness.[36][37]
The caffeine in black tea may interfere with the intended therapeutic effects of variousprescription drugs.[37]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)Stephen Twining traced back his family's business to the 1700s, when coffee houses as meeting places were the vogue. How ironic that it was in the company's coffee house where tea was introduced. Earl Grey tea makes Stephen Twining wish he could move back time because the company did not lay claim to the formula, or the name, when they had produced the blend for the British Prime Minister who was known as the second Earl Grey.
The original secret formula for Earl Grey tea is changing hands after 155 years with its sole proprietors, the Jacksons of Piccadilly tea merchants... with the sale goes the special recipe of the Earl Grey blend which was entrusted to Robert Jackson's partner, George Charlton, in 1830 by the second Earl Grey. To this day the formula—which mixes black China tea with other unknown teas—has remained unaltered.
Earl Grey shallot sauce.
Chocolate dipped Earl Grey shortbread wedges.
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