Earl Grey Tea

We've combined high grown Ceylon tea, a smooth Keemun along with top quality natural bergamot oil and blue cornflowers for decoration to produce a classic Earl Grey that delivers an amazing experience with no aftertaste or overpowering perfume. Enjoy!

Earl Grey Tea is available as both loose leaf tea or leaf tea in bio-degradable, plastic free, pyramid tea bags.

The natural tea flavour of Earl Grey!

High-grown teas from Sri Lanka have the distinctive "Ceylon" tea character, characterised by floral aromas, hints of mild astringency, and brilliant coppery colour when infused. Most significantly, these teas are perfect for use as a base tea in our flavoured teas, including Earl Grey. Dimbula and Nuwara Eliya provide the highest-grade Ceylon tea in January and February. In Uva and the eastern plantations of Nuwara Eliya, the best leaf grows in July and August. This "dual peak period" enables us to purchase the best components for flavoured tea blends several times during the year, guaranteeing they are always of the highest calibre and most fresh.

So, when looking to flavour Earl Grey, we wanted to use the best natural flavouring but still let the natural taste of the teas be enjoyed. To do this, we use a very high-quality natural bergamot oil that has the traditional, citrus orange aroma and flavour, but does not overpower the tea and has no strong aftertaste. We always want the natural flavour to enhance the taste of the tea, not mask its flavour.

How is natural bergamot oil made? 

The bergamot orange fruit from the bergamot tree contains an essential oil called bergamot. It is a citrus fruit in Southern Italy, Greece, and California. The fruit has thick skin and an oval form, just like a small orange. The bergamot tree is sometimes called the Oswego tea tree or the Bee-gum tree and can grow up to four metres high.
Fruit is harvested towards the end of summer and in the autumn when the bergamot is ripe. Once picked the fruits are put into boxes ready for transportation. Bergamot oil was traditionally removed by soaking the rind in water and then cold pressing the skin to release the oil. This was a very labour intensive process. To make 1Kg of bergamot oil around 200 Kg of fruit is needed to be pressed! These days, ripe bergamot is packed into boxes and sent to locations where commercial methods can press and extract the oil from the rind of the fruit.

In what region are bergamot trees grown?

Bergamot trees are planted for their essential oil production and for their fruit, consumed fresh or used in cooking. As such, numerous countries, including Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, Greece, and North Africa, cultivate the bergamot tree (Citrus aurantium). 

What does bergamot fruit look like?

Citrus aurantium var. bergamia's bergamot fruit or berries are oval and often have a thin peel ranging in colour from yellowish-green to greenish-brown. The bergamot oil that's extracted from the fruit is used in meals, cosmetics, aromatherapy and of course our beloved Earl Grey tea!
The term "bergamot" is derived from the Italian phrase "bee-garden," which alludes to the fruit's honey-like aroma.

Earl Grey Tea Origin

The history of Earl Grey tea has been the subject of several myths and legends over the years. It's believed that Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, who led Great Britain as prime minister from 1830 to 1834, is responsible for popularising the Earl Grey Tea that we know today. One theory is that Earl Grey was presented with a flavoured tea by a diplomat who had been given the recipe on a trip to China. Another suggestion is that it was the Earl himself who was presented with the tea after returning from a trip to China in 1841. However, one thing is for certain, there's no dispute that Earl Grey tea is one of the most popular flavoured black teas enjoyed today.