Earl Grey Tea - Loose Leaf

You'll have customers for life if you serve an excellent Earl Grey tea blend! This classic bergamot tea blend is one of the most popular we sell. It takes a long time and a lot of trying and testing to make a new, high-quality bergamot tea. The recipe for our blend has stayed the same for over ten years. We put together high-grown Ceylon tea leaves, a smooth top-grade Keemun, high-quality natural bergamot oil, and blue cornflowers for decoration. The result is a high-quality cup of tea with no strong smell or aftertaste that tastes great with a slice of lemon!

Blended Leaves & Natural Oils

Sri Lanka's highlands grow high-quality black tea leaves with the familiar "Ceylon" taste. Ceylon teas are full of flavour with floral notes, mild astringency and a wonderful, bright coppery colour when infused. They make a great black tea base for flavoured black teas. You can find the best Ceylon tea in Dimbula and Nuwara Eliya in January and February. Uva and the eastern fields of Nuwara Eliya produce the best tea in July and August. This "dual peak period" lets us buy the best black tea leaves for flavoured teas at different times of the year, ensuring they are always of the highest quality and fresh. 
We only use natural flavourings from natural sources to add something more to the tea, not take away from its natural taste. For Earl Grey black tea, we use very high-quality bergamot oil that's rich in aroma and has a sharp, strong, orange-like flavour and floral aroma, but doesn't overpower the tea with too much perfume and flavour, so you can still enjoy the natural tea taste.

How is Bergamot oil made?

Bergamot oil comes from the fruit of the bergamot tree. It is a citrus fruit that grows in Southern Italy, Greece, and California. The fruit looks like a small orange but is an oval-shaped berry with thick skin. The bergamot tree is also known as the Bee-gum tree or the Oswego Tea Tree and grows several metres high.
Late summer and autumn are the best times to pick the fruit. When ready, bergamots are hand-picked and put into boxes. In the past, making bergamot oil involved soaking the peel in water and then cold pressing the skin to extract the oil. Today, ripe Bergamot are put in crates and taken to places where the oil can be taken out more quickly and easily through industrial processes. It is a very expensive citrus oil to produce, requiring around 180–200 kg of fruit to extract 1 kg of bergamot oil.

Where does Bergamot grow?

The Bergamot Tree, called Citrus aurantium, grows in many places, including Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, Greece, and North Africa. Bergamots are grown for their oil and fruit and are eaten cooked or raw. In many places worldwide, they are used as ornamental trees.

What does Bergamot look like?

The Latin name for the bergamot fruit, also known as berries, is Citrus aurantium var. bergamia. It has an oval shape and a thin peel that can be yellowish-green or greenish-brown. Bergamot essential oil is used in massage oils, cosmetics, and food.
The word "bergamot" comes from the Italian word for "bee garden," which describes how this orange fruit smells like honey.

Bergamot Tea Earl Grey: The History

There are many versions of how Earl Grey got its name. People say that Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, Prime Minister of the UK from 1830 to 1834, made Earl Grey Tea famous. One idea is that when Earl Grey returned from a trip to China in 1841, he told his helper to make tea with bergamot oil, just as he had enjoyed in China.

How to brew the perfect cup

• Bring fresh, cold water to a rolling boil.
• Preheat your teapot or cup by rinsing it with hot water.
• Add one teaspoon of loose tea leaves per 250 ml cup.
• Pour the boiling water over the tea leaves and let it steep for 3–7 minutes.
• Strain the tea leaves and enjoy!

Can you add milk or sugar?

Traditionally Earl Grey is enjoyed by many without any additions, but you can add milk, sugar, honey, or lemon to suit your taste preferences. Just be aware that adding milk may diminish the distinct bergamot flavour.

Health benefits

Earl Grey offers several health benefits, including:

• Rich in antioxidants, it helps protect the body from free radicals and reduces the risk of chronic diseases.
• It may improve heart health by reducing cholesterol levels and blood pressure.
• It can aid in digestion and help alleviate gastrointestinal issues.
• It may help with weight management by boosting metabolism and reducing appetite.
• It contains compounds that can improve mental alertness and focus.

Our Collection

Over the years, Earl Grey has changed in many ways. One popular way to make it is to add more citrus flavours, often called Lady Grey. Our version of this is Duchess Earl Grey. Building on our bergamot-based black tea blend, we have added a number of delicious, distinctive flavoured teas for you to enjoy, including a naturally decaffeinated version. You can find all these teas available in our Earl Grey Tea Collection.