Earl Grey tea pairings "Milk has a tendency to do strange things to black tea," he says. "It dulls the flavor a bit. It's not as crisp and sharp. Lemon is the way to go."
Earl Grey tea doesn't need milk to be enjoyed. Sipping Earl Grey tea straight offers a stronger more assertive black tea experience. Adding a bit of milk creates a creamy, more mellow tea.
However, beyond that level of snobbery, there are plenty of teas that are enjoyable with a splash of milk and in general, bold, astringent black teas work best with milk. When it comes to lemon, then green tea is the way to go.
Milk and Lemon
Likewise, lemon should not be added to milk or cream in tea, as its acidity causes curdling. However, non-dairy milks such as oat milk can be an excellent option for teas with high acidity or those served with lemon.
In both the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, tea-drinking blends and preferences vary. Although typically served with milk, it is also common to drink certain varieties black or with lemon. Sugar is a popular addition to any variety.
To prepare and drink your own cup of Earl Grey, you'll have to steep the tea leaves in hot water for 3-5 minutes. From there, you can add different things like lemon or sugar to the tea to enhance its flavor. For a special treat, you can steam milk and add vanilla to create an Earl Grey latte.
While a moderate intake of bergamot tea is safe for most people, excessive intake may lead to muscle cramps, cause caffeine jitters, or reduce iron absorption.
Earl Grey tea has a citrusy, subtly sweet flavor thanks to the presence of bergamot essential oil. Bergamot is a small citrus fruit, similar to lemons and limes, that grow in the Mediterranean.
Black tea is the most popular type of tea in England and it is almost always enjoyed with a splash of milk and a teaspoon or two of sugar. However, it was not originally designed to be taken this way.
If you do prefer black tea, though, which is healthier: plain black tea, or Earl Grey? The answer is Earl Grey, which has the added benefit of bergamot oil, the source of bergamottin, a phytonutrient that beat out two dozen other phytonutrients last year in a test of human stomach lining protection.
According to research, having three cups of Earl Grey Tea in one day can help reduce cholesterol levels in the blood. This health benefit eventually helps prevent cardiovascular diseases that could have taken root otherwise.
Earl Grey tea pairings
Americans typically drink their Earl Grey with milk and sugar, but Chatterton prefers it the British way — with lemon and sugar. "Milk has a tendency to do strange things to black tea," he says. "It dulls the flavor a bit.
Keep it traditional with tea sandwiches, scones, and clotted cream. Popular tea sandwiches include cucumber, egg salad with cress, smoked salmon and cream cheese, and ham with mustard.
Coffee can also be dehydrating for the body whereas Earl Grey works to keep you hydrated thanks to its high potassium content and its ability to balance water content in the body. Although too much Earl Grey can counteract this due to the bergapten in the bergamot oil being a potassium channel blocker.
The distinctive flavor of Earl Grey comes from bergamot oil. Bergamot is a kind of orange, and Twinings recently jazzed up the 180-year-old recipe with some extra citrus flavor.
How much antioxidants are there in Earl Grey or green tea? Although both both black and green tea are healthy, green tea has much more EGCG and L-theanine than black tea. EGCG is the most important catechin in tea, often linked to weight loss[1], preventing cancer and boosting immune system.
When you drink Earl Grey tea, bergamot helps the calories in your body to be used and burned more efficiently (2). Drinking Earl Grey tea on a regular basis is a great way to complement and enhance weight loss goals, alongside a healthy diet and lifestyle changes, crash diets, or other fad diets.
Green Tea. Green tea is often touted as the healthiest tea. It is chock full of polyphenols and antioxidants that help to boost brain and heart health. Green tea is considered one of the least processed true teas as it does not undergo oxidation.
Best for Overall Health: Green Tea
When it comes to tea, green tea gets the gold. “Green tea is the champ when it comes to offering health benefits,” says Czerwony. “It's the Swiss Army knife of teas.
It helps to calm you down
Grabbing a cup of hot tea before bed is definitely a great way to relax and have a good night's sleep. However, Earl Grey in particular is great at helping you calm down as well as help to fight off anxiety and depression.
Given its delicacy, the porcelain would often crack due to the high water temperature. Therefore, people started adding milk to cool down the cup. Another popular theory is that milk was used to balance the natural bitterness of tea, giving it a smoother, more delicate flavour.