Earl Grey Teas

The story behind the name Earl Grey tea is that it refers to Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, who was the British prime minister from 1830 to 1834. Either Earl Grey himself, or a diplomat sent to China during Grey's leadership, is said to have saved the life of a mandarin, who then gave him the recipe for this special tea as a symbol of gratitude. Generally, though, it is believed that this tale was fabricated as a marketing ploy. Whatever the truth of the origin of the tea, it doesn't affect its flavor and how enjoyable it is to drink.

Portrait of Earl Grey
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Earl Grey tea is traditionally made with black tea from China and flavored with the oil of bergamot, a citrus fruit. The fruit is not exactly edible, being mostly rind, but the oil extracted from this rind has a powerful aromatic flavor. It makes the tea "perfumed" and in fact, oil of bergamot is used by perfumers.

Since the distinctive feature of Earl Grey tea is the bergamot oil, not the particular black tea, it can be produced with other teas such as green tea, oolong tea, even white teas, and of course decaffeinated. For those who find the perfume a little strong, it can be varied by mixing a little Lapsang Souchong tea to give it a smoky flavor, or a little lavendar. In any case, drinking Earl Grey tea is one of the pleasures of life, albeit one that needs a little getting used to.

Earl Grey Tea by Eric Barjot
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Earl Grey tea contains black tea, so all the benefits of the tea plant are included. The main health benefit comes from the antioxidants. These reduce free radicals, and since free radicals are damaging to the body drinking tea is generally considered a healthy choice.

The special ingredient of Earl Grey tea, though, is bergamot. Now it turns out that as well as smelling good, bergamot has many health benefits. Grown in Italy for centuries, Italians in medieval times used bergamot for treating fever and intestinal worms. They were not wrong, bergamot does have antiseptic and germicidal properties. The antiseptic feature makes Earl Grey tea good for oral health.

Bergamot is also an antidepressant, good for reducing anxiety. Often containing lavender as well as bergamot, Earl Grey tea can be a delightfully calming beverage.

Earl Grey Tea with Flowers
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Copyright © Jennifer P. Tanabe, 2009.
This page was created on May 13, 2009 and is the property of jptanabe (Jennifer P. Tanabe) and Squidoo, LLC. Please do not copy my material!