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Earl Grey Tea

Wikipedia: Earl_Grey_tea | Teaviews: earl-grey-tea 
Last Updated: Sep. 17, 2015 

About Earl Grey Tea

Loose-leaf Earl grey tea from Lipton. Public domain photo by Chamaeleon, Wikimedia Commons.
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

Cross-Section of a Bergamot Orange, © Jacopo Werther, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Although tea enthusiasts generally know that Earl Grey is flavored with the Bergamot orange, deeper knowledge of this variety of orange is not common in the world of tea. The Bergamot orange is likely a hybrid of Citrus limetta (Mediterranean sweet lemon) and Citrus × aurantium (Bitter orange), which is itself a hybrid.[1]

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.

Flowers of Monarda didyma. Photo by Nellswiki, licensed under CC BY 3.0.
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 rss icon

80 / 100

Organic Earl Grey Black Tea from Arbor Teas

Style: Earl Grey Tea – Region: India
Apr. 29th, 2023

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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61 / 100
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Earl Grey Filterbags from Tazo Tea

Style: Earl Grey Tea – Region: Blend
Dec. 11th, 2022

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...

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92 / 100
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Earl's Gold from Murchie's Tea & Coffee Ltd

Style: Earl Grey Tea – Region: Blend
Nov. 18th, 2022

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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70 / 100
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Earl Grey from Williamson Tea

Style: Earl Grey Tea – Region: ?????
Nov. 2nd, 2022

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 ...

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52 / 100

Earl Grey from Benner Tea Co

Style: Earl Grey Tea – Region: Blend
Oct. 5th, 2022

Benner 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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Review 9 teas to get on this list!

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Most-Rated Earl Grey

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Earl Grey

Brand:Twinings
Style:Earl Grey Tea
Region:?????
Caffeine:Caffeinated
Leaf:Teabag
28
43 Ratings
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Earl Grey

Brand:Bigelow Tea
Style:Earl Grey Tea
Region:Blend
Caffeine:Caffeinated
Leaf:Teabag
17
22 Ratings
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Aged Earl Grey™ - Bergamot Black

Brand:Numi Organic Tea
Style:Earl Grey Tea
Region:Assam, India
Caffeine:Caffeinated
Leaf:Teabag
60
11 Ratings
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Earl Grey Decaffeinated

Brand:Twinings
Style:Earl Grey Tea
Region:?????
Caffeine:Decaffeinated
Leaf:Teabag
4
7 Ratings
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English Afternoon

Brand:Ahmad Tea
Style:Earl Grey Tea
Region:Blend
Caffeine:Caffeinated
Leaf:Teabag
42
7 Ratings

Top-Rated Earl Grey

Picture of Earl Grey Decaffeinated Black Tea

Earl Grey Decaffeinated Black Tea

Brand:Bigelow Tea
Style:Earl Grey Tea
Region:Blend
Caffeine:Decaffeinated
Leaf:Teabag
100
3 Ratings
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Sapphire Earl Grey Tea

Brand:Novus Tea
Style:Blue Flower Earl Grey
Region:Blend
Caffeine:Caffeinated
Leaf:Sachet
80
5 Ratings
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English Tea No. 1

Brand:Ahmad Tea
Style:Earl Grey Tea
Region:Blend
Caffeine:Caffeinated
Leaf:Teabag
76
5 Ratings
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Earl Greyer

Brand:Republic of Tea
Style:Earl Grey Tea
Region:?????
Caffeine:Caffeinated
Leaf:Teabag
73
6 Ratings
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Earl Grey Bravo

Brand:Adagio Teas
Style:Blue Flower Earl Grey
Region:Sri Lanka / Ceylon
Caffeine:Caffeinated
Leaf:Loose
62
5 Ratings

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