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Earl Grey Tea UK, every Earl Grey we stock, classic to rooibos.
Earl Grey is black tea (usually Ceylon or Assam) flavoured with bergamot oil. The name was probably attached to the blend in the 1830s when Charles Grey (then Prime Minister) supposedly received a tea and bergamot gift from a Chinese mandarin. The story is half true at best, but the recipe stuck and Earl Grey is now Britain's second most drunk tea after English Breakfast. Bergamot quality varies massively, supermarket Earl Grey often uses synthetic bergamot oil, which tastes flat and one dimensional. The proper stuff (Twinings' premium tier, Williamson, Whittard, Dragonfly) uses real Calabrian bergamot. We stock both and do not pretend the cheap version tastes the same as the expensive one.
Classic Earl Grey
Twinings, Williamson, Whittard, black tea with bergamot
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Earl Grey variations
Earl Grey Rooibos, Lavender Earl Grey, Smoky Earl Grey
Premium loose leaf Earl Grey
Whittard, Williamson, Dragonfly, full leaf with real bergamot oil
Common questions
What is the best Earl Grey tea?
For everyday cups, Twinings Earl Grey (the standard yellow box one) is the supermarket benchmark and is perfectly good. For a noticeable step up, Twinings Lady Grey, Whittard's Earl Grey, or Williamson's Earl Grey use better quality bergamot oil. For something different, Dragonfly Earl Grey Rooibos swaps the black tea base for caffeine free rooibos.
Should you put milk in Earl Grey?
Both work. Black is the traditional way and lets the bergamot stand out. Milk softens the bergamot and gives a more conventional cuppa. We do not have a hard opinion either way; we drink it both ways depending on the time of day.
What is Lady Grey?
A Twinings trademark, Earl Grey with added orange and lemon peel. Lighter than standard Earl Grey, more citrus forward, less bergamot dominant. Good with milk if you find regular Earl Grey too perfumed.
Is Earl Grey strong on caffeine?
About 40-55mg per 200ml cup, similar to other black teas. The bergamot oil contains no caffeine itself; the caffeine comes from the underlying black tea base.
What does bergamot taste like?
Citrus floral. Closest to a small bitter orange (which is what bergamot is) but with a perfume like top note. Real Calabrian bergamot oil is complex and rounded; cheap synthetic bergamot oil tastes flat and slightly chemical.
Recommended brands for this category
Twinings
Britain's oldest tea house, Earl Grey's original home, royal warrant since 1837.
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36 teas in stockRelated pages
English Breakfast hub
