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 

Earl Grey Royal (Nr. 128) from Carstensens Tehandel
Style: Earl Grey Tea – Region: BlendMar. 28th, 2021
One-litre pot at home, made from fine green and brown leaves of Darjeeling sprinkled with bergamot oil and flavour. Pours clear copper brown (against white china) with no sediment. Clear aroma of Darjeeling tea, with touches of bergamot oil and mild basement hints. Bitter, leafy flavour of Darjeeling, with touches of b...
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Earl Grey Decaf Tea Bags from Murchie's Tea & Coffee Ltd
Style: Earl Grey Tea – Region: BlendJan. 8th, 2021
My wife is trying to cut back caffeine intake, and had me include this offering in the latest virtual "Murchie's run" that we do a time or two per year. And being a big fan of both happy marriages and the $CAD---->$USD exchange rates the last few years, I did not object.
Now that I've tried the tea, I'm glad that I...

Earl Grey Lady Violet ® (No. 935) from TeaGschwendner
Style: Blue Flower Earl Grey – Region: BlendDec. 25th, 2020
Half-litre pot at home, made from a sample included in the tea company's Advent Tea Calendar (2020) and consisting of fine leaves of black tea and cornflower blossom, all sprinkled with bergamot oil flavour. Pours clear amber (against white china) with no sediment. Clear aroma of black tea, with hints of bergamot oil. ...
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I’m not an expert on earl gray. This may be the first I’ve ever had.
Prep: 200F, 5min, 2.5tsp, 16oz
Aroma - There is a ton of citrus exploding out of the cup. I can’t pick up much else, honestly.
Flavor: A little bit of orange peel, more orange zesty notes. It’s pretty hard to get to the actual tea....

Earl Grey Decaffeinated Black Tea from Bigelow Tea
Style: Earl Grey Tea – Region: ?????Dec. 7th, 2020
Having not been either impressed nor repulsed by Bigelow's regular Earl Grey, and having not gotten any new teas to review for some months, and having to work down a stockpile of reviewed teas, I finally raided my wife's cache of the decaf version to try it for a report here. I've missed RateTea more than I've missed ...
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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 |

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

Earl Grey Decaffeinated
Brand: | Twinings |
Style: | Earl Grey Tea |
Region: | ????? |
Caffeine: | Decaffeinated |
Leaf: | Teabag |
↑Top-Rated Earl Grey

Earl Grey Decaffeinated Black Tea
Brand: | Bigelow Tea |
Style: | Earl Grey Tea |
Region: | ????? |
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 |

Earl Greyer
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 |