Earl Grey Tea, FLORAL & CITRUSY, 100% Natural Bergamot Flavor Blended with ORGANIC Loose Leaf Tea, 110+ Cups, 8oz, ORGANIC CEYLON, OP Grade Tea, U.S.A Processed & Quality Control

Earl Grey has a convoluted and oft questioned history. Most agree that it gets its name from Charles Grey. Charles Grey was (obviously) an Earl, and was also Prime Minister of England. He did some incredible things in office, including the abolition of slavery in the British Empire. It is a tad ironic that he is best remembered as the man behind a citrusy black tea, but so it goes. There are three disparate origin stories about Earl Grey. In one, Charles Grey, while visiting China, saved the son of a tea brewer from drowning. As a token of his gratitude, this brewer created the bergamot flavored black tea in Grey’s honor. Another legend is that two separate items were sent to England: bergamot oranges and black tea. In transport, the boxes broke and the products mixed. It gave the tea a distinctly bergamot flavor, and was then replicated in Earl Grey tea. Finally, some claim that the blend was made for Earl Grey because of his location. Howick Hall, his residential estate, had strong mineral flavor in the water. The citrus flavor of bergamot was added to black tea to complement this and create a tea that was specially designed for his region. The Grey family stands resolutely behind the regional explanation, while some tea producers like Twinings have argued for the first. There has been such heated discussion about it that the Oxford English Dictionary, the foremost authority on etymology and origins, put out a call for submissions in 2012 to learn about the history of the tea. What they found, sadly, did not settle the debate. They discovered that bergamot flavoring for tea was mentioned in the early 1800’s. Sadly, this did not mention Earl Grey tea, just the flavoring. Surprisingly, they learned that early on the strong citrus flavor of the bergamot orange was used to mask otherwise lower quality teas, and thus it was a marker for poor quality black tea in the early 19th century. In the mid 1800’s, the first ads for Earl Grey’s special blend appeared. Here the trail runs dry. There is no definitive mention of when bergamot flavored black tea was called Earl Grey. Despite this checkered and confusing history, Earl Grey tea is one of the most important teas in the world. Because of its balanced and mild taste it is a good base to use for tea connoisseurs when comparing different teas. Also, most tea drinkers have tried it, which also makes it a good point of comparison for individuals discussing tea. Though early on Earl Grey was brewed exclusively in England, it has spread and become a global tea. There are two unique ways of serving Earl Grey tea: English Earl Grey tea is served with just a lemon and sugar, while American Earl Grey, sometimes misspelled American Earl Gray, is served with cream and sugar. However you choose to drink it, this delicious blend of traditionally cultivated ceylon black tea and natural bergamot flavor will quickly become a favorite in your household. Strong enough to wake you up in the morning, yet floral and citrusy enough for a refreshing glass of iced tea in the summer, this loose leaf black tea is a five tool player in the tea world (refreshing, bold, caffeinated, good for iced tea, and good for Kombucha). In fact, if we were to go in depth on the flavor profile, we’d probably be underselling it by calling it a five tool tea. As with all our teas, we love to hear what you think! Reach out and let us know, give us suggestions on other blends you’d like to see, or simply discuss the ideal brewing and steeping methods. Enjoy every sip!