What is Earl Grey tea, and what is bergamot?
Earl Grey is the most famous flavoured tea in the world and most people who drink it could not tell you what bergamot is. It is a citrus fruit, somewhere between a lemon and a bitter orange, grown almost entirely in Calabria on the toe of Italy. The oil pressed from its peel is what gives Earl Grey that bright, slightly perfumed lift. Here is the rest of the story.
Where the name comes from
Charles Grey was British Prime Minister in the 1830s. The usual tale is that a tea scented with bergamot was made up for him, or gifted to him, and his household kept asking for it by name. Whether that is true or a Victorian marketing story, the tea has carried his name since the 1800s and is now made by every tea house in the country, each a bit different.
What is actually in the pouch
Ours is a rich black tea base, natural bergamot flavouring and cornflower petals. The base matters. A thin black tea gets lost behind the citrus. A full one holds it up. The cornflower petals are there for the look and a very soft floral note, which is why it is called Finest with Flowers. They do not change the taste much, they make it a prettier leaf.
Some Earl Greys use artificial flavouring, which tastes sharper and a little soapy. Natural bergamot is rounder.
How to brew it
One heaped teaspoon per 200ml mug, freshly boiled water, three to four minutes. Earl Grey turns bitter faster than a breakfast blend if you overdo it, so four minutes is plenty. The second steep is weak, so use fresh leaf each time.
Milk, lemon or nothing
Traditionally it is drunk black or with a slice of lemon, which picks up the citrus. Plenty of people take milk and I am one of them. The London Fog is Earl Grey with steamed milk and a little vanilla syrup, and it is a proper drink, not a crime. If you have never tried it, make one on a cold afternoon.
Earl Grey against the breakfast teas
If you want a bold cup to wake up with, Scottish Breakfast. If you want something brighter mid morning or after lunch, Earl Grey. It also makes a lovely iced tea with a slice of orange, and it is the base of a lot of baking, from Earl Grey cake to a poaching liquid for pears.