History shows that Earl Grey tea scented with this vital ingredient, bergamot oil, was presented to the second Earl Grey, who later went on to become the British Prime Minister, by an envoy on his visit to China in 1830. The formula was passed on to Jackson’s of Piccadilly who first put the tea into production. This light tea, pale gold in colour, has been served in the gilded china of the drawing rooms of England ever since.
You could be forgiven for not knowing about the appearance of the bergamot fruit. I don’t know why but we never see them on our market stalls or supermarket shelves. The first time I saw one was in a friend’s garden in Cyprus. It was just ripening into a handsome looking sphere somewhere in size between a grapefruit and an orange.
Our Earl Grey is extra scented providing a citrus top note that married well with the China Black tea base. This is traditional base to use for Earl Grey as it is strong enough to provide a body but not too strong to overwhelm the citrus.
As with so many of our Tea Grades we only stock the very top! So, if brewing our version of this classic blend for the first time you should steel yourself for our Finest Earl Grey ‘Extra Scented’.
Contains;
China black Tea, Orange blossom, Bergamot, Natural flavouring.
