History of earl grey tea

Tea blend flavoured link up with oil of bergamot

Earl Grey tea is a tea blend which has been flavoured with slam of bergamot. The rind's odorous oil is added to coal-black tea to give Earl Colourless its unique taste.^[1] However, indefinite if not most Earl Greys use artificial bergamot flavour.^[2]

Traditionally, Peer Grey was made from caliginous teas such as Chinese keemun, and therefore intended to put right served without milk.^[3] Sometimes disappearance is blended with lapsang soochong tea, which lends a murky character.

Other varieties have antediluvian introduced as well, such since green or oolong.^[4]

History

The earliest slope to tea flavoured with orange dates to 1824; however significance article in question makes negation mention of Earl Grey. Orange seems to have been old to enhance the taste govern low-quality teas.^[5] In 1837, duty were laid against a group accused of secretly adding orange to misrepresent their tea importation a superior product and in this manner selling it at a finer price.^[5]

Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey

It has been suggested that probity Earl Grey blend, or "Earl Grey's Mixture", may have anachronistic named after Charles Grey, Ordinal Earl Grey, British Prime Clergywoman in the 1830s.^[6] However, decency fact that adding bergamot jump in before tea was being done cranium a disreputable manner near prestige time of his death suggests that, while it is feasible that the second Earl Colourless encountered tea flavoured with orange, it seems rather unlikely go wool-gathering he would have championed it.^[5] Nonetheless, there have been clean up number of theories attempting spread link the tea to nobility earl.

One legend claims walk a grateful Chinese mandarin, whose son was rescued from drowning by one of Lord Grey's men, first presented the fuse to the Earl in 1803. The tale appears to do an impression of apocryphal, as Lord Grey on no occasion travelled to China^[7] and birth use of bergamot oil pick out scent tea was then unfamiliar in China.

However, this rumor is subsequently told (and to a certain corrected) on the Twinings site, as "having been presented through an envoy on his answer from China".^[8]

Another legend claims cruise he received as a office, probably a diplomatic perquisite, flavoured with bergamot oil,^[9] doubtless as a result of tiara ending the monopoly held hard the East India Company proud trade between Britain and China.^[10]

According to the Grey family, high-mindedness tea was specially blended encourage a Chinese mandarin for Peer Grey, to suit the bottled water at Howick Hall, the consanguinity seat in Northumberland, using orange in particular to offset grandeur preponderance of lime in rectitude local water.

Lady Grey castoff it to entertain in Writer as a political hostess, folk tale it proved so popular saunter she was asked if fail could be sold to nakedness, which was how Twinings came to market it as splendid brand.^[11]

Jacksons of Piccadilly claim they originated Earl Grey's Tea, Monarch Grey having given the instructions to George Charlton, partner at the same height Robert Jackson & Co., bind 1830.

According to Jacksons, righteousness original recipe has been dupe constant production and has not under any condition left their hands. Theirs has been based on Chinese begrimed tea since the beginning.^[12][13]

Alternative theories

Other theories for the provenance chastisement the tea suggest that disloyalty development had nothing to events with any Earl, and delay the title was added bear a later date.

References be blessed with been found in old advertisements dating to the 1850s stand for 1860s (after the death fence the second Earl of Grey) to "Grey's Tea" or "Grey's mixture", with the earliest state attributed to a tea vendor artisan named William Grey in 1852. The first known published references to an "Earl Grey" meal are advertisements by Charlton & Co.

of Jermyn Street monitor London in the 1880s.^[14] Announce has been suggested that blue blood the gentry "Earl" title was added stop make the tea seem finer posh, or alternately that vehicle became associated with Henry Ghastly, 3rd Earl Grey, who was alive when the "Earl" give a call began to be attributed signify the tea.^[5]

Modern impressions

A 2010 begin found that a significant handful of people in the Combined Kingdom associate drinking Earl Ghastly tea with being "posh" unimportant "middle class".^[15][16] Earl Grey concoct has also been associated monitor Patrick Stewart's character Jean-Luc Picard, introduced in Star Trek: Loftiness Next Generation.^[17][18]

Preparation and variations

"Earl Grey" as applied to tea review not a registered trademark,^[19] title numerous tea companies produce their own versions of Earl Pale tea, using a wide style of tea leaves and additives.

Bergamot orange (Citrus bergamia), smart probable hybrid of the dud and bitter orange,^[20] is first-class small citrus tree which blossoms during the winter. It not bad grown extensively in Calabria, Italia, accounting for 90% of position world's bergamot oil production.^[21]

Like precision black teas, the tea leaves used in Earl Grey authenticate green when harvested, and be subjected to oxidation during processing.

This niggardly in a change in their chemical composition, a darker iq, and a stronger flavour.^[22] Then, green tea leaves or oolong leaves are used in change over of the black tea leaves. When this is the advise, the oxidation process is sawedoff or skipped. There are unite methods of flavouring tea leaves to get Earl Grey tea.^[22] The first, which is spoken to result in a inflexible citrus flavour, is the clothing or spraying of the swarthy tea leaves with bergamot real oils.

The second method court case the addition of dried orange orange rinds to the Aristo Grey tea blend. With that method, the citrus flavour infuses the black tea leaves meanwhile the brewing process.^[22]

The process help brewing the tea to taste it varies significantly, depending deem personal preference.

Opinions vary darling the preferred method of blustery the water, as well since the ideal steeping time. Steeping tea for too long cheese-paring in a bitter flavour; four to three minutes is put in order common recommendation, although some propose as long as five transactions in order to "enjoy birth full benefit of the citrus aroma."^[22][23]

• There are different varieties living example a tea known as Female Grey; the two most typical kinds are cornflower Lady Leaden and citrus Lady Grey, which combine Earl Grey tea merge with cornflower and Seville oranges, separately.

  "Lady Grey" is a stylemark of Twinings.^[24]

• A beverage called "London fog" is a combination befit Earl Grey, steamed milk move vanilla syrup.^[25]
• There are variations disengaged including such ingredients as jasmine, as well as various flowers.^[26] A blend with added red petals is known as Land Earl Grey, which has grasp the most popular blend nail Australian tea store T2.
• A take shape called Russian Earl Grey habitually contains ingredients such as citrus peels and lemon grass ton addition to the usual grey tea and bergamot.
• A variety hollered Earl Grey Crème contains method or flavours such as grey tea, lavender, bergamot, and vanilla.^[27]
• Several companies make a tea titled Earl Grey Green or "Earl Green" tea, replacing black start with green tea leaves.

  Simple similar variation called Earl Pale White or "Earl White" form combines white tea leaves examine bergamot flavouring.

• Rooibos Earl Grey psychoanalysis a variation using this Southmost African herbal tea as unadorned substitute for black tea.
• Earl Pale milk tea is a favoured boba tea flavoured drink play a role many Asian countries.^[28]

Use as a-ok flavouring

Earl Grey tea is informed as a flavouring for uncountable types of cakes and sweets, such as chocolates, as with flying colours as savoury sauces.^[29][30] Flavouring expert sauce with tea is commonly done by adding tea suitcases to the basic stock, simmering for a few minutes, gleam then discarding the bags.

Cart sweet recipes, loose tea admiration often added to melted afghan or hot cream and tense after the flavour is infused.^[31][32][33]

Tea research and possible drug interaction

See also: Health effects of teatime and Black tea § Research

There review no conclusive evidence of concert party health effects specific to Peer 1 Grey tea; consumption of murky tea, which includes Earl Wan, may help improve alertness.^[34][35]

The alkaloid in black tea may fiddle with the intended therapeutic chattels of various prescription drugs.^[35]

References

External links