Earl Grey Tea

History of Tea

Anna the 7th Duchess of Bedford felt weak one day and the solution was deemed to be a pot of tea and a light afternoon snack would be a suitable remedy. The Duchess continued to take her afternoon tea and snack in her bed chambers - soon a friend came to visit and supped at the tea with her.

Legend has it that the idea of afternoon tea became respectable and it soon moved from the bedroom to the drawing room. Of course, as soon as other ladies learnt of the afternoon tea they started emulating the Duchess and "afternoon tea" has remained popular in the British Isles ever since.

The History of Earl Grey

Of all the blends Earl Grey is often cited as the most refined and elegant of teas. Tea drinkers in America typically drink tea without milk and indeed Earl Grey was traditionally a blend of black teas with a smidgen of oil taken from the Bergamot tree. Many tea connoisseurs remark on Earl Grey's aroma and flavor - Bergamot oil is the reason why (the oil is taken from the rind of the Bergamot orange). Most Earl Grey tea is now made of Indian and Sri Lankan black tea.

The second Earl Charles Grey is the namesake of the tea. Earl Grey was a British diplomat stationed in China. Some say the recipe for the tea was given to him by a Mandarin Chinese friend others suggest that he saved the mandarin's life and he was given the blend as a gift.

Earl Grey later became the British Prime minister from 1830 to 1834. His stash of tea from the Mandarin soon began to run out so he asked the world-renowned tea merchants - Twinings - to replicate it for him. Earl Grey's guests enjoyed the blend so much that they would visit Twinings on the Strand and ask for "Earl Grey's Tea" - obviously the name stuck.

Our British Gopher can purchase anything on your behalf - make a request for some Earl Grey tea and he will buy and ship it direct to your door. Twinings is the famous brand but Earl Grey can be bought from all British Supermarkets (Sainsbury's, Tesco, Asda, Marks & Spencers to name a few) please specify a preference when ordering.

With GlobalGophers you can Shop the World!