Earl Grey Tea
Wikipedia: Earl_Grey_tea | Teaviews: earl-grey-teaLast Updated: Sep. 17, 2015
↑About Earl Grey Tea
Earl Grey tea is a black tea flavored with oil from the peel of the bergamot orange (Citrus bergamia). The tea is named after Charles Grey, a prime minister of the UK who was a member of the Whig party.Most Earl Grey tea is made, as it was historically, with black tea, typically a Ceylon. Recently, as green and black teas have increased in popularity, green and white varieties have also become available. This style has even inspired Earl Grey rooibos, a caffeine-free herbal blend produced by substituting rooibos for tea.
Earl Grey tea has a strong and distinctive aroma that renders it easily recognizable as its own style, regardless of what variety of tea is used as a base. Many different varieties of black tea are used as the base for this tea. The amount of bergamot oil used also varies widely, ranging from blends where bergamot dominates the aroma to teas with only a hint of bergamot.
Earl Grey tea is a favorite of Captain Jean Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation.
The bergamot orange

This orange is mostly cultivated in south Italy, mostly concentrated in a very small stretch of land in Reggio Calabria. Other regions of production include Ivory Coast, southern France, and Antalya Province of Turkey. For Earl Grey tea production, the peel of the orange is pressed and the essential oil extracted; this oil is then used to flavor tea.
The fruit flesh itself is used in marmalade, and the juice is used for medicinal purposes, but not drunk as a beverage.
"Wild bergamot", Monarda sp.
The bergamot orange is not closely related to the "bergamot" plants (Monarda sp.), "wild bergamot", "Oswego tea", or "bee balm", which are all native to North America and in the mint family. These plants, however, have a very similar aroma, and make excellent herbal teas.These herbs can also be blended with black tea to yield a flavored tea closely resembling Earl Grey tea. The variety on the right, Monarda didyma, is sometimes called Scarlet Bergamot for its scarlet blooms. This species was used as a substitute for black tea following the Boston Tea Party.[2]
Health benefits and concerns unique to Earl Grey tea
Earl Grey is a black tea and thus has similar effects on health to other black teas. However, oil of bergamot also has other bioactive properties and may have other health benefits. Although it has not been extensively studied, some preliminary research shows that it may have neuroprotective effects, protecting the brain against damage caused by a chemical known to damage neurons.[3] Like other citrus though, it may cause photosensitivity. Bergamot also contains one of the compounds responsible for grapefruit drug interactions, so it may also cause similar interactions.References:
1. C.T. Federici, M.L. Roose, R.W. Scora, RFLP Analysis of the Origin of Citrus bergamia, Citrus jambhiri, and Citrus limonia, Acta Horticulturae (ISHS), 535, pp. 55-64, 2000.
2. Foster S, and Johnson R, Desk Reference to Nature’s Medicine, National Geographic, Washington, DC, 2006. (p. 34-35).
3. M.T. Corasaniti et. al., Cell signaling pathways in the mechanisms of neuroprotection afforded by bergamot essential oil against NMDA-induced cell death in vitro, British Journal of Pharmacology, Vol. 151, No. 4, pp. 518-529, June 2007.
↑Recent Earl Grey Reviews — RSS 
This is a good deal on an organic earl grey - as of this writing an 11 oz bag is selling for a very attractive price, and it is a good tea. The base tea is pretty mellow, and there is a little candied orange flavor from the bergamot. This is on the low-key side for the style. The aroma of the dry tea is strong and citr...
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Another "conference tea" here...I had a couple bags there, and brought another home to steep in boiling well water. Water quality at the meeting was good, so my impressions were consistent in both places.
The best part of this tea was its dry-bag smell: potent, high-quality bergamot, but still not too much to ove...

This is the second loose-leaf Earl Grey I've had from Murchie's, and an outstanding example of the type, especially for someone like me who likes a bold, assertive tea. It is made from Assam, Keemun and Yunnan, and you bet the Assam asserts itself boldly in all phases of taste and aroma. Upon opening the bag, the dry...
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The round, tagless tea bags are packed into a sealed mylar pouch, but aren't individually wrapped. The freshly opened pouch smells of bergamot, but isn't as fruity as Williamson's Duchess Grey. The bergamot has an aroma that is present in the Duchess Grey, but otherwise unique to Willamson. It's fruity, but almost has ...
Read Full ReviewBenner English Breakfast is ALDI's regular "premium" offering. This Earl Grey is a periodic special.
The tea bags are packaged in individual cellophane pouches. The dry tea looks like CTC granules that have been further crumbled. It has a nice bergamot aroma.
The brewing tea smells of bergamot, but there's little...
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↑Most-Rated Earl Grey

Earl Grey
Brand: | Bigelow Tea |
Style: | Earl Grey Tea |
Region: | Blend |
Caffeine: | Caffeinated |
Leaf: | Teabag |

Aged Earl Grey™ - Bergamot Black
Brand: | Numi Organic Tea |
Style: | Earl Grey Tea |
Region: | Assam, India |
Caffeine: | Caffeinated |
Leaf: | Teabag |

Earl Grey Decaffeinated
Brand: | Twinings |
Style: | Earl Grey Tea |
Region: | ????? |
Caffeine: | Decaffeinated |
Leaf: | Teabag |

English Afternoon
Brand: | Ahmad Tea |
Style: | Earl Grey Tea |
Region: | Blend |
Caffeine: | Caffeinated |
Leaf: | Teabag |
↑Top-Rated Earl Grey

Earl Grey Decaffeinated Black Tea
Brand: | Bigelow Tea |
Style: | Earl Grey Tea |
Region: | Blend |
Caffeine: | Decaffeinated |
Leaf: | Teabag |

Sapphire Earl Grey Tea
Brand: | Novus Tea |
Style: | Blue Flower Earl Grey |
Region: | Blend |
Caffeine: | Caffeinated |
Leaf: | Sachet |

English Tea No. 1
Brand: | Ahmad Tea |
Style: | Earl Grey Tea |
Region: | Blend |
Caffeine: | Caffeinated |
Leaf: | Teabag |

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Brand: | Republic of Tea |
Style: | Earl Grey Tea |
Region: | ????? |
Caffeine: | Caffeinated |
Leaf: | Teabag |

Earl Grey Bravo
Brand: | Adagio Teas |
Style: | Blue Flower Earl Grey |
Region: | Sri Lanka / Ceylon |
Caffeine: | Caffeinated |
Leaf: | Loose |