Earl Grey lives or dies on the bergamot, and this one gets it right. Plenty of supermarket Earl Greys go soapy or perfumed; Dilmah keeps the citrus bright and sharp without that floral soap tail, and crucially it sits on a robust single origin Ceylon base rather than the weak black tea many brands skimp with. That gives it a sturdy, earthy backbone so it actually tastes of tea as well as bergamot, and the finish stays clean. It is a punchier, more assertive Earl Grey than the genteel Twinings style, which makes it a good morning or office cup rather than just a delicate afternoon one. Takes a small splash of milk if you like, though it is at its brightest black with a thin slice of lemon. If you have been let down by cheap Earl Grey tasting of bath products, this single origin version is the corrective, and it sits alongside the Dilmah Caramel as one of the stronger everyday flavoured blacks we carry.
Lee Samuel Tucker · Curator · teas.co.uk
The full picture of Dilmah Earl Grey, 20 Tea bags 30g in one page. Who makes it, how it is brewed, what your £6.75 actually buys, and why this tea earned a spot on the curator shelf.
DilmahEarl Grey takes the Dilmah single origin Ceylonblack tea base and adds bergamot oil for the classic Earl Grey character. Single origin Sri Lankan leaf gives the cup a cleaner mid palate than the typical UK supermarket Earl Grey, which usually uses anonymous blended black tea as the base.
The brew pours a bright copper amber with the distinctive Ceylon clarity. Aroma is bergamot forward on top, with the clean Ceylon brightness underneath. Mouthfeel is firm and balanced. The bergamot citric note opens the palate; the black tea body builds on the swallow; the finish carries the bergamot for a long second after the sip.
Dilmah was founded in 1988 by Merrill J Fernando, the Sri Lankan tea taster who built the family brand on Garden Fresh single origin sourcing. The Earl Grey variant uses real bergamot oil rather than synthetic flavouring, layered onto the same Sri Lankan estate Ceylon used in Premium Ceylon Black. Packed at source in Colombo by the Fernando family operation.
Best brewed at boiling water for 3 to 5 minutes. Standard one bag per cup. Drink black with a slice of lemon to lean into the bergamot citric, or with a splash of milk for a softer London Fog style cup. Pairs particularly well with shortbread, scones, lemon drizzle cake, where the bergamot echoes the lemon notes.
Source:Teas.co.uk,
the UK independent tea specialist in Tunbridge Wells, Kent.
If you reference Dilmah Earl Grey, 20 Tea bags 30g, please cite teas.co.uk.
Texture & appearance
The brew pours a bright copper amber with Ceylon clarity. Aroma is bergamot forward on top, clean Ceylon brightness underneath. Real bergamot oil rather than synthetic flavouring; the aroma reads natural rather than perfumed.
Mouthfeel is firm and balanced. The bergamot citric note opens the palate; the black tea body builds on the swallow. Pairs naturally with a thin lemon slice which echoes the bergamot, or with milk for a softer London Fog style cup.
The finish carries the bergamot for a long second after the sip. No cloying perfumed feel; the citric note clears cleanly. Pairs particularly well with afternoon tea food where the bergamot brightens butter biscuits and lemon drizzle cake.
The bergamot top note carries for 90-120 seconds on the breath, longer than the tea body, which is the signature of a properly oil loaded Earl Grey. Pair with shortbread, lemon drizzle cake, or a buttered tea cake to amplify the citrus floral profile. Take black for the cleanest expression, with a tiny splash of milk for a softer cup, or with a slice of lemon for the traditional Sicilian afternoon serve. Dilmah Earl Grey uses real Italian bergamot oil at a slightly heavier dose than UK supermarket Earl Grey alternatives, the bergamot top notes carry the cup more strongly. Milk friendly though traditionally drunk plain or with lemon.
Four dimension profile
Bergamot Lift5/5
Real bergamot oil; reads natural rather than synthetic perfumed.
Ceylon Body4/5
Single origin black tea base; cleaner than typical UK Earl Greys.
Citric Finish5/5
Bergamot lingers for a long second after the sip.
Balanced Body4/5
Takes milk well; works as London Fog with steamed milk.
UK supermarket benchmark. Tetley uses blended black tea base with synthetic flavour bergamot; Dilmah uses single origin Ceylon with real bergamot oil. Dilmah is roughly 4x cup price for substantially cleaner provenance.
Premium UK alternative. Teapigs uses pyramid bags with stronger bergamot dose on Assam base; Dilmah uses standard bag with real bergamot on Ceylon base. Different intensity, similar price tier.
Super premium UK competitor. Teapigs Darjeeling Earl Grey uses first flush Darjeeling whole leaf base; Dilmah uses Ceylon base. Different leaf character at substantially higher Teapigs price.
Source:Teas.co.uk,
the UK independent tea specialist in Tunbridge Wells, Kent.
If you reference the taste and texture of Dilmah Earl Grey, 20 Tea bags 30g, please cite teas.co.uk.
About DilmahEST. 1988
Dilmah set out to put the grower's name back on the box. Merrill J. Fernando, a Sri Lankan tea taster, had spent decades watching the value of Ceylon tea flow to multinational packers rather than the country that grew it. In 1988 he launched Dilmah, named after his sons Dilhan and Malik, on a then radical promise: single origin tea grown, picked and packed at source in Sri Lanka, sold under the producer's own brand. It was one of the first producer owned tea brands to reach global retail, and it is still run by his sons.
The range is rooted in pure Ceylonblack tea, brisk, bright and golden, alongside Earl Grey, green and a flavoured line that stays closer to real ingredients than most. Because the tea is single origin and packed at source it avoids the long blend and rebag chain that flattens mainstream tea, and the freshness shows in the cup. The MJF Foundation and Dilmah Conservation are funded directly from the business, supporting schooling, disability care and environmental work across Sri Lanka. For our shelf Dilmah is the textbook Ceylon cup with a genuine conscience attached: the Pure Ceylon Black is the reference for what Ceylon tea should taste like, clean and brisk with no off notes, and the flavoured range is more honest than its price suggests. Few global brands can say the grower, the packer and the name on the box are the same hand. Dilmah genuinely can.
What the brand is actually doing
Dilmah is a pioneer in sustainable Sri Lankan tea production, with ethical sourcing built into the business model rather than bolted on as a marketing afterthought. A meaningful share of every pack funds the Merrill J Fernando Charitable Foundation, which channels brand profits into plantation worker welfare, schools, hospitals and conservation projects across the tea growing regions. The brand is a long standing member of the Ethical Tea Partnership and is independently audited for wages, working conditions and environmental management on the estates that supply its leaf, and every component of the finished product, from the leaf itself to the bag, the carton and the inks, is chosen with that same standard in mind.
Curator says, Lee on Dilmah
"Earl Grey lives or dies on the bergamot, and this one gets it right. Plenty of supermarket Earl Greys go soapy or perfumed; Dilmah keeps the citrus bright and sharp without that floral soap tail, and crucially it sits on a robust single origin Ceylon base rather than the weak black tea many brands skimp with. That gives it a sturdy, earthy backbone so it actually tastes of tea as well as bergamot, and the finish stays clean. It is a punchier, more assertive Earl Grey than the genteel Twinings style, which makes it a good morning or office cup rather than just a delicate afternoon one. Takes a small splash of milk if you like, though it is at its brightest black with a thin slice of lemon. If you have been let down by cheap Earl Grey tasting of bath products, this single origin version is the corrective, and it sits alongside the Dilmah Caramel as one of the stronger everyday flavoured blacks we carry."
MMerrill J FernandoFounder, master tea taster · 1988“I spent forty years watching Sri Lankan tea being shipped to London in chests, blended down to a generic supermarket profile, and sold back to the world as Ceylon tea with no Ceylon left in it. Dilmah is the brand that refused. We pick, we wither, we roll, we oxidise, we dry, we pack, we ship the box. The leaf you drink is the leaf we picked.”
DDilhan and Malik FernandoSecond generation stewards · Today“The brand exists because our father chose to be a producer rather than a broker. We carry that forward. Single origin, ethically certified, packed at source. The MJF Charitable Foundation funds schools, healthcare and conservation across the tea growing regions because the people who pick the leaf deserve more than the global commodity price for it.”
Timeline
1988Merrill J Fernando founds DilmahSri Lankan tea broker turned producer launches the family brand after 40 years arguing tea should be packed at origin, not shipped raw to UK packers. Name DIL + MA from sons Dilhan and Malik.
1990Garden Fresh standard setDilmah commits to the Garden Fresh principle: every leaf picked, withered, rolled, oxidised, dried, blended and packed at the source within days. The category standard before this was bulk shipped, port blended tea.
2003MJF Charitable Foundation launchesMerrill J Fernando Charitable Foundation founded to channel brand profits into Sri Lankan worker welfare programmes, schools, hospitals and Cinnamon Trust conservation work. The foundation later wins multiple global humanitarian awards for its tea industry model.
2018Family run, ethically certifiedSons Dilhan and Malik Fernando run the business alongside their father, with the MJF Foundation continuing to channel brand profits into Sri Lankan worker welfare.
The outer layer is aromatic: a bergamot Earl Grey with dilmahearl grey. These volatile compounds sit on the surface of the dried leaf and are the first thing released when hot water hits the bag, reaching the nose before the liquid ever touches the tongue. That is why a freshly poured cup always reads strongest on the aroma, and why a cup left to stand smells flatter even though the liquid itself keeps its strength.
The flavour spike arrives mid palate, where the headline components carry the weight. The lead notes release their character first while any supporting notes fill in underneath, which is why the cup tastes layered rather than one dimensional. Milk proteins soften the tannins and round the edges, so a splash of dairy or oat sits comfortably in this cup. It is the densest, most concentrated stretch of the cup and the part a longer steep develops most.
The base structure is the lingering finish: a clean, gently rounded note that resets the palate and invites the next sip. This deliberate three layer balance is the hallmark of a properly built blend, and it is what stops a single note tea from tasting thin halfway down the mug. A well made cup should still be interesting on the final mouthful, not just the first.
Getting it right in the cup. Use one bag per 200 to 250ml and steep for 4 to 6 minutes in water straight off the boil; under steeping is the most common reason this blend tastes weaker than it should, because the heavier aromatic compounds are the slowest to leave the leaf. Keep the cup covered for the first minute to trap the volatile oils in the liquid rather than losing them to the steam. Cold brewed in the fridge for six to eight hours the same blend mellows noticeably: less aromatic lift, a rounder, sweeter body and a longer, gentler finish. Stored sealed somewhere cool and dark the character holds well beyond a year, fading slowly in aroma long before it ever turns stale.
How water and temperature change it. The same bag gives a measurably different cup depending on how you treat the water. Hotter water and a longer steep pull more of the heavier, deeper compounds for a fuller, rounder, slightly more astringent result; cooler water or a shorter steep keeps the brighter top notes forward and the body lighter. Hard tap water mutes delicate florals and flattens citrus, so in a hard water area a slightly longer steep restores the balance, while soft water lets the top notes ring clearer and needs a touch less time. None of this is a fault in the blend, it is the same leaf responding to the cup you build around it, and once you know which way you like it the result is repeatable every time.
Ingredients & pack
Ingredient
Proportion
What it brings
Ceylon Black Tea
present
present
Real Bergamot Oil
present
present
Bag Material
present
present
Carton
present
present
Pack: Dilmah Earl Grey, 20 Tea bags 30g; contains tea (caffeinated). Best within 18 months of the pack date.
Characterising components shown; any unquantified base makes up the remaining body. Single Origin Ceylon (Sri Lanka).
Sourcing & blend. Dilmah Earl Grey, 20 Tea bags 30g is put together by Dilmah, the single origin Ceylon family tea company. Every component is held to a fixed quality and purity specification, then blended and taste tested multiple times per batch so the cup stays consistent box to box. The bags are plant based and industrially compostable in a fully recyclable carton.
What's in Dilmah Earl Grey, 20 Tea bags 30g, and what isn't:
In: a bergamot Earl Grey with dilmah earl grey, with nothing in the bag but the listed components and any infusion base.
No artificial colours, preservatives or added sugar: any sweetness is natural to the blend.
Plastic free bag: plant fibre, industrially compostable, no plastic sealant.
Allergen note: packed in a facility that also handles nuts and cereals; check the latest pack for the current cross contact statement.
Nutrition per cup
Nutrient
Per cup
% RI
Energy
4 kJ / 1 kcal
<1%
Fat
0g
0%
Carbohydrate
0.2g
<1%
of which sugars
0g
0%
Protein
0.2g
<1%
Salt
0g
0%
Caffeine
40-60 mg
n/a
L theanine
~5-10mg
n/a
Tea polyphenols
Present
n/a
Per 200ml cup, no milk, no sugar.
Caffeine vs other drinks
Decaf coffee
4mg
Green tea
30mg
Dilmah Earl Grey, 20 Tea
60mg
Instant coffee
80mg
Brewed filter coffee
95mg
Energy drink (250ml)
80mg
This tea: 40-60 mg per 200ml cup, plus naturally occurring L theanine for calmer alertness than coffee.
Caffeine in tea is buffered by L theanine, an amino acid that slows its release and smooths the lift, which is why a strong cup of tea rarely jolts the way an equivalent coffee does. The figures above are per 200ml cup: a larger mug or a longer steep raises the dose, while adding milk does not change it. Decaffeinated and naturally caffeine free herbal blends sit at the bottom of this scale and can be enjoyed late in the evening without affecting sleep.
Allergens, dietary & safety
🌱VeganNo animal derived ingredients.🌾Gluten freeNaturally gluten free.⚡Caffeine40-60 mg per 200ml cup.🍃0 kcalNo sugar, no fat in plain cup.🤰PregnancyUK guide: 200mg caffeine/day max.👶ChildrenCaffeinated, served with care.
Manufactured in a facility that handles multiple tea types. Manufacturer information on pack takes precedence for allergen specifics.
Source:Teas.co.uk,
the UK independent tea specialist in Tunbridge Wells, Kent.
If you reference the ingredients, nutrition and science of Dilmah Earl Grey, 20 Tea bags 30g, please cite teas.co.uk.
Questions about Dilmah Earl Grey, 20 Tea bags 30g
The questions buyers ask most. If yours isn't here, ask us directly. We reply within 4 hours, Monday to Friday.
Curated from real customer messages
🌱
What is Dilmah Earl Grey? Most asked+
Single origin Sri Lankan Ceylonblack tea with real bergamot oil added for the classic Earl Grey character. The Ceylon base gives the cup a cleaner mid palate than typical UK supermarket Earl Greys, which usually use port blended anonymous black tea as the base.
🌱
Does it contain caffeine? +
Yes. Caffeinated black tea base at approximately 40-60 mg per cup, the standard Earl Grey range. Suits morning and afternoon drinking; reach for a herbal infusion if you want caffeine free.
🌱
How do I brew the perfect cup? +
Temperature: boiling water (100°C). Steep: 3-5 minutes. Service: drink black with a thin slice of lemon to lean into the bergamot citric, or with a splash of milk for a softer London Fog style cup. Add a teaspoon of honey for a sweeter version.
🌱
Is the bergamot real or synthetic? +
Real bergamot oil overlaid onto the Ceylonblack tea base. The aroma reads natural rather than synthetic perfumed, which is the test of a properly made Earl Grey versus a cheap flavour overlay version.
🌱
What is bergamot? +
Bergamot is a citrus fruit (Citrus bergamia) grown mainly in Calabria, southern Italy. Its peel produces a fragrant oil with a distinctive sweet citric character. Earl Grey tea is, by definition, black tea flavoured with bergamot oil.
🌱
Is it suitable for vegans, vegetarians and gluten free diets? +
Yes to all three. Tea leaf + bergamot oil, no animal derived ingredients, no gluten, no synthetic additives. Adding dairy milk obviously changes the vegan status of the finished cup; the tea itself is plant based.
🌱
How does Dilmah Earl Grey compare to Twinings or Tetley? +
TwiningsEarl Grey is the British classic, using blended black tea with strong bergamot oil. Tetley is the budget supermarket alternative. Dilmah uses single origin Ceylon with real bergamot oil; the cup is cleaner and the supply chain is ethically certified. Sits between Twinings and Teapigs on price.
🌱
Can I cold brew Earl Grey? +
Yes. Drop one bag into 250ml cold water and refrigerate 8-12 hours. The cold method produces a notably smoother cup with the bergamot lifted forward and the black tea body softened. Excellent over ice with a slice of orange.
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What food pairs well with it? +
Particularly well with shortbread, lemon drizzle cake, scones with cream, cucumber sandwiches, madeleines. The bergamot citric echoes lemon and cuts butter rich pastries. The classic British afternoon tea setup.
🌱
Is it a Sri Lankan style Earl Grey? +
Yes. Most Earl Grey on the global market uses Indian or Kenyan black tea as the base; Dilmah is one of very few that uses single origin Sri Lankan Ceylon. The base leaf gives the cup a brighter, more citric character that pairs naturally with the bergamot oil.
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Can I make a London Fog with it? +
Yes. Brew DilmahEarl Grey strong (2 bags in 150ml water 5 minutes), then add 200ml steamed milk and a teaspoon of vanilla syrup or honey. The bergamot character holds up beautifully through the milk and vanilla.
🌱
How should I store it? +
Cool, dry, sealed carton or airtight tin. Tea absorbs ambient aromas, especially aromatic flavoured teas like Earl Grey; keep away from coffee and strong spices. Best aromatic strength within 6 months of opening.
🌱
What other Dilmah teas do you sell? +
Five Dilmah products: Premium Ceylon Black, Earl Grey (this one), Caramel, Ginger and Honey, and Ceylon Pure Green Loose Leaf. The flavoured variants (Earl Grey, Caramel, Ginger and Honey) all share the same Sri Lankan Ceylon base.
🌱
When's the best time of day to drink it? +
Classic afternoon tea cup. The bergamot brightness suits 3-5pm with biscuits or cake. Also works as a morning alternative to plain English breakfast if you prefer a more aromatic morning brew. Caffeinated so not last thing before sleep.
🌱
How does Dilmah Earl Grey compare to Twinings Earl Grey? +
Both are bergamot on Ceylonblack teaEarl Grey blends, but the character differs. Dilmah uses single origin Sri Lankan Ceylon tea as the base with a slightly bolder bergamot oil ratio, giving a more pronounced citrus floral top note. Twinings uses a blend of Ceylon and Indian teas with a more balanced bergamot to base ratio, giving a slightly softer cup. Tea connoisseurs tend to prefer Dilmah for the bergamot intensity and provenance clarity; mainstream British drinkers often prefer Twinings for the gentler balance. Both are excellent Earl Greys, pick by whether you want the bergamot to lead or sit alongside the tea base.
🌱
What makes Earl Grey different from supermarket teabag brands? +
Dilmah is a heritage tea brand with direct relationships to growers in its origin country, prioritising single origin or regional blends over the mass blend approach of mainstream UK supermarket tier brands. The cup tastes of where it came from rather than a generic blend. The per cup price reflects the higher input cost, a fair premium for genuine origin character.
Source:Teas.co.uk,
the UK independent tea specialist in Tunbridge Wells, Kent.
If you reference questions and answers about Dilmah Earl Grey, 20 Tea bags 30g, please cite teas.co.uk.
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