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Most Earl Grey bags hold small broken leaf that gives everything up at once; this one holds whole leaf with room to open. The result is a black tea you can taste under the bergamot, rather than a scent with a thin cup behind it.
What is in the bag
The published ingredient list is four items long: Ceylon black tea, orange peel, bergamot oil and marigold petals. Bergamot is the citrus that makes any tea an Earl Grey, and the orange peel adds a second citrus note alongside it. The label names none of the 14 major allergens, though it is always worth checking the current pack.
Brew Tea Co's founding rule is rolled whole leaves, no dust, ever, and this blend keeps to it. Whole leaf gives up its bergamot more slowly and evenly than a fine grade, which is why the bag is a roomy folded pyramid: the leaf needs space to move. Fifteen bags come in a 45g box, so each one holds about three grams of leaf.
Three minutes, and no squeezing
Use water straight off the boil and give it three minutes, four at the very most. Bergamot sours faster than the tea itself grows bitter, so the long steep that suits a breakfast blend works against you here. When time is up, lift the bag straight out without pressing it; the final squeeze releases the roughest edge of the bergamot along with the most tannin.
Milk is a matter of taste, but the classic advice to leave it out has a reason behind it. Milk proteins latch on to the aromatic compounds that carry the bergamot, which dulls the scent, whereas a slice of lemon brightens it. If you like milk regardless, cut the brew to about two and a half minutes and add just a splash.
An afternoon cup, and what to eat with it
Brew Tea Co describes this blend as light, fragrant and citrussy, and it is at its best mid-afternoon. It is a caffeinated black tea, so it is better earlier in the day than last thing at night. A box of fifteen is too small to be a family's everyday tea, which makes it a second Earl Grey for the cups you sit down with, or a present for someone who would never buy it for themselves.
Food should echo the citrus or stay out of its way. Lemon drizzle and shortbread are natural partners, and plain oat biscuits let the bergamot lead. Next to the other Brew Tea Co blend we stock, the English Breakfast is the malty morning mug built for milk; Earl Grey Proper is the lighter, scented cup and better black.
The packs we stock
- Brew Tea Co Earl Grey Proper, 15 Tea Bags 45g (barcode 5060331430179)
What the label says
The published ingredient list for Brew Tea Co Earl Grey Proper, 15 Tea Bags 45g names none of the 14 major allergens. Earl Grey Proper may be reformulated at any time, so read the allergen advice on the UK pack that is current when you buy.
Ingredients, as published: Ceylon Black Tea, Orange Peel, Bergamot Oil, Marigold Petals.
Ingredient and nutrition information for this product, as published on the manufacturer's label. On any question about this Earl Grey, the packet you hold has the last say.
What to eat with it
- Border Lemon Drizzle Melts Organic Biscuits, 150g: the citrus in the biscuit picks up the bergamot and orange peel in the cup.
- Nairn's Gluten Free Oaties Biscuits, 160g: a plain oat biscuit that keeps quiet and lets the bergamot do the talking.
- Nairn's Gluten Free Oat & Ginger Biscuit Breaks, 160g: oat and ginger against citrus is a pairing that works best with the tea taken black.
Elsewhere in the Brew Tea Co range
The full range is on the Brew Tea Co brand page.
FAQ
How long should you brew Earl Grey Proper? Three minutes with water just off the boil, four at the most. Leave it longer and the bergamot turns bitter.
Should you put milk in Earl Grey? You can, but milk dulls the bergamot. Try a slice of lemon, or shorten the brew to two and a half minutes and add only a splash.
What does Proper mean on the box? It refers to the leaf: whole leaf rather than the small broken grades found in most tea bags, in a bag with space for the leaf to unfurl.
Does Earl Grey Proper contain caffeine? Yes. It is a caffeinated black tea, so it suits the earlier part of the day.
Who is Brew Tea Co? An independent British tea company that Aideen and Phil started in Liverpool in 2012; its Tea HQ is now in Manchester.
Curator's note: Three minutes, a slice of lemon and a lemon drizzle biscuit on the saucer. That is an afternoon sorted. Lee, teas.co.uk, Tunbridge Wells.
In short: Brew Tea Co Earl Grey Proper: whole-leaf Earl Grey in a bag
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Brand | Brew Tea Co |
| Packs we stock | 15 Tea Bags 45g |
| Category | Earl Grey & Similar |
| Allergens (as published) | As published, this Earl Grey's ingredient list contains nothing from the 14 major allergens. |
| Caffeine | caffeinated |
| Brew | Three minutes off the boil, four at most |
| Milk | Better with lemon; a splash at most |
| Best with | Lemon drizzle, shortbread or oat biscuits |
More from the tea wiki
- How to Make Tea Properly: The Eight Step Method
- Caffeine in Tea
- Tea Pairing Principles: Reason, Don't Memorise
- Earl Grey: Taste, Brands & the Bergamot Test
- Lemon and Ginger Tea: The UK's Working Remedy Cup
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