Treat Yourself To The Distinctive Flavor Of Earl Grey Tea
The unique and aromatic flavor of Earl Grey tea offers a pleasure many people cannot substitute with anything else. The flavor is often described as that of spicy citrus, and certainly it is a flavor that once is has been tried once, cannot be forgotten. Apparently Captain Picard of Star Trek fame will not drink anything else!
While Earl Grey has grown a reputation of being a type of tea, in reality, Earl Grey is simply black tea with Bergamot. Some Earl Grey manufacturers have sometimes used lower qualities of black tea, hoping that the strong flavor of Bergamot will cover the less-than-desirable flavor of the tea. Earl Grey is often drunk black, at most with a slice of lemon, and it has gradually grown to become the most popular of all flavored teas available on the market.
Where does Earl Grey come from?
Earl Charles Grey served as prime Minister of England in 1830. The story is that while on a diplomatic trip to China, he saved the life of a mandarin. To show his gratitude, the mandarin gifted Earl Grey a special tea, which the Prime Minister took back to England with him. The tea quickly became a favorite in the Earls drawing room, and he asked his personal tea supplier to reproduce the same flavor for him. The new tea became fashionable and eventually spread throughout England and the rest of the world.
This is a lovely story, but it is suspected that it is just a story. Charles Grey never visited China and the Chinese drink very little black tea in any case, which means the true origin of Earl Grey tea is still a mystery.
Bergamot
Bergamot is a citrus tree that is cultivated on the south coast of Italy. The fruit of the Bergamot tree is not edible, but the oil is widely used in many fragrances. The oil was an ingredient of one of the first Eau de Cologne ever made. (Please note that Bergamot oil and the herb known as Bergamot are not related in any way.) The fruit is a cross between lemon, orange and grapefruit, sometimes compared to orange blossom.
Fruits are picked by hand in the winter months before they ripen. The essence itself is extracted with cold presses, and then it is stored for a long time, usually a year or more. Bergamot is used in aromatherapy to treat depression, and also has anti-microbial effects that can strengthen the resistance of the body to colds and illnesses. Some wonder if this wonderful tea can also help fight winter colds.
Is Lady Grey tea as flavorful?
At some point, it was a popular belief that women could not drink tea and maintain a proper behavior. Orange, lemon and bergamot were added to tea to calm these impulses, and Lady Grey tea was invented. Lady Grey is still a favorite today, and it is almost comical that many of the people that cherish it aren’t women after all.
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