Earl Grey tea is a tea blend which has been flavoured with oil of bergamot. The rind's fragrant oil is added to black tea to give Earl Grey its unique taste.
We loved bergamot oil even before we knew what it was. That's because we grew up drinking Earl Grey tea in the morning and bergamot happens to be the oil used to create the unique taste and scent.
The prime flavoring in Earl Grey tea is bergamot, a type of citrus fruit with similarities to the Meyer lemon, Chatterton says. "The flavor profile comes across very floral, with a distinct lemony citrus and a little bit of grapefruit," he adds.
Earl Grey Tea is a black tea with a floral-like orange scent thanks to the presence of Oil of Bergamot. It smells just like a mug of hot tea in the morning.
The combination of the bold black tea with the floral and fruity aroma of bergamot creates a unique and irresistible taste that is both refreshing and soothing to the senses. Earl Grey tea also has a history of helping provide people with a calming effect on the mind, helping to relieve stress and anxiety.
Flavored Blend
This Sri Lankan tea blend flavored with bergamot oil and garnished with beautiful and edible blue cornflower petals, produces a bold, sweet, and flowery cup with heavy notes of citrus.
The unique makeup of immune boosting ingredients blended into Earl Grey make it a fighting fit choice for the body. Ever ready to reduce oxidative stress (cell damage) in the body, both black and green tea are rich in antioxidants so whichever base your brew uses is sure to serve you well.
Earl Grey tea is rich in caffeine but doesn't have as much caffeine as other caffeinated drinks, like coffee or our energy teas. The black tea leaves used in Earl Grey are also a rich source of polyphenols and amino acids, which have numerous health benefits.
I do appreciate that, unlike most tea bags I have tried in the past, Twinings uses natural Bergamot flavour instead of artificial. Perhaps artificial or stronger brews are what makes Earl Grey teas taste like fruit loops to me.
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.
A blend of fine black China teas, and the natural oil of bergamot, a pear-shaped citrus fruit. It is this same oil with its distinctive aroma that is at the heart of Demeter's Earl Grey Tea cologne.
Traditionally, Earl Grey tea is served with a slice of lemon and sugar to taste. According to YouGov, a massive 85% of British Earl Grey and English breakfast tea drinkers enjoy their tea with milk. In the US, they like to add milk and sugar to their Earl Grey tea.
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 covers a lot of territory.”
Earl Grey is most widely defined as a black tea that has been flavored with the oil of bergamot.
Bergamot is generally safe, but excessive amounts may have adverse health effects. Children, older adults, and pregnant or lactating people should be cautious about taking bergamot supplements or avoid them altogether.
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.
Tea for Sleep: Rooibos Earl Grey
It serves as an excellent tea for easing into sleep.
Earl Grey tea contains a powerful antioxidant called catechin, which helps protect you from oral infections–especially around the teeth–and fights tooth decay. It also includes fluoride that works to strengthen the enamel on your teeth.
The bergamot found in Earl Grey tea is said to have a calming effect. A warm cup of tea is great for soothing any stressed nerves, but Earl Grey is specifically good for this! Alongside the bergamot, a small amount of caffeine is present in the tea. However, it is not enough to create a caffeine crash later in the day.
The anti-inflammatory properties of this tea, help soothe the system and relieve constipation and acid reflux. Drinking Earl Grey Tea promotes the production of good cholesterol (HDL) and triglycerides while lowering and inhibiting the production of bad cholesterol LDL.
Traditionally, a slice of lemon is often served alongside a cup of Earl Grey tea. We have a variety of these teas available here that I will add links to below! The addition of lemon not only includes all of the previous health benefits, but also enhances the natural floral notes of Earl Grey!
Earl grey milk tea tastes like black tea but has added citrusy flavour from the bergamot orange. This beverage has rich, malty flavours and subtle, floral undertones. Together they perfectly balance out. Even though it resembles the classic black milk teas, it is lighter and more refreshing.
But few people know that the tea is named after Charles, the 2nd Earl Grey and British Prime Minister from 1830 to 1834. The original recipe for this beloved blend simply calls for black tea with the addition of oil of bergamot, squeezed from tiny lemons grown in the Mediterranean region.
In general, black and pu-erh teas have the highest amount of caffeine, followed by oolong teas, green teas, white teas, and purple teas. However, because the caffeine content of a brewed cup of tea depends on many different factors, even teas within the same broad categories may have different caffeine levels.