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LoginInternational Tea Day: All About The Iconic Earl Grey Tea Blend And How It Got Its Name
19/05/202619/05/2026
Earl Grey tea sounds like it's something out of the trunk of a snooty English tea alchemist, fond of making her own tea blend. While that might not be far from the truth, Earl Grey tea has connections to British aristocracy, in particular Charles Grey, the 2nd Earl Grey and British Prime Minister (between 1830 and 1834). Tea connoisseurs know what makes this black tea blend special, and why it is sought after, especially by the British, for their ritual evening teas.
So, what exactly is in an Earl Grey tea pack? It is a flavoured black tea, which is defined by the bergamot orange oil added to the tea blend. The bergamot (Citrus bergamia) is a small, fragrant citrus fruit found primarily in the Calabria region of southern Italy and parts of southern France. Its rind yields an essential oil with a floral, slightly bitter, and intense aroma that transforms an otherwise mildly pungent black tea into something unmistakable.
Earl Grey existed before an official tea time even existed in England. It took another half a decade for tea-time to come into being with the 7th Duchess of Bedford, Anna Maria Russell, requesting tea and snacks between dinner and lunch. So, the 2nd Earl Grey might have had a hand in popularising tea among the elite circles. This connection is precisely what makes its International Tea Day story so captivating.
The tea is widely attributed to Charles Grey, the 2nd Earl Grey, who served as Britain's Prime Minister from 1830 to 1834 under the liberal Whig party. He might have been an aristocrat, but lazy he was not – Grey was behind major parliamentary reforms and was instrumental in passing the Reform Act of 1832, which significantly widened voting rights in Britain. He was also behind the abolition of slavery across the British Empire.
But whether Charles Grey actually had anything to do with the Earl Grey tea recipe is debatable. Two prominent London tea houses claim to be behind the blend. For convenience, they will be referred to as tea house A and tea house B in this article. Tea house B maintains the version that Lord Grey personally gave the recipe to their founding partner around 1830. Tea house A, for their part, claim that Lady Grey brought them the recipe. Neither claim is backed by documented evidence and remains unproven to date.
To complicate matters further, the earliest known published advertisement for Earl Grey tea dates only to the 1880s in London, well after the second Earl Grey died in 1845. Before that, advertisements referenced only ‘Grey's Tea’ or ‘Grey's Mixture’, one of which was attributed to a tea merchant named William Grey in 1852, not the Earl. Some speculators say that the aristocratic title was added later to elevate the tea's social stature to justify a higher price.
Besides the two British tea houses fighting for their stake in the tea, there are several origin stories about how the tea came to Britain. So, this International Tea Day, grab a cuppa and read on, although no one version can be fully verified:
The most popular story is this one, which says that one of Lord Grey's men rescued the son of a Chinese mandarin from drowning, and, as an act of gratitude, the mandarin gifted the Earl a recipe for bergamot-scented black tea. Whilst it's a charming story, it leans towards being a lofty tale as Charles Grey never visited China, and bergamot is a European fruit, not a Chinese one.
Researchers at the East India Company archive have proposed a more credible story of the origin of the bergamont-flavoured black tea. Sir Joseph Banks, a botanist at Kew Gardens, reportedly instructed George Staunton, a member of an East India Company mission to China in 1793, to observe Chinese tea cultivation methods. Staunton noted tea and bitter orange trees growing together. Back in England, Banks used bergamot oil as a substitute for the unavailable Chinese neroli oil, effectively creating the blend. He then named it after his influential friend Charles Grey for marketing purposes.
A more believable theory suggests that a cargo of black tea and bergamot oil being transported together in a ship was caught in a storm. The oil bottles shattered and soaked into the tea leaves. Rather than discard the cargo, merchants dried and sold the bergamot-infused tea, which was popular among the locals.
A practical (if less romantic) explanation comes from the Grey family and one of the descendants of the tea house A (yes, another theory), that bergamot was added to mask the high lime scale content in the hard water of Northumberland (where Grey lived) and in London, to make the tea more palatable when brewed in that region.
Earl Grey tea is among the many flavoured tea blends in the world. It derives its distinct flavour from the bergamot oil that is extracted from the rind of the bergamot citrus. To call it an orange would be a stretch, as the fruit is a hybrid of the bitter orange (it is quite sour) and lemon. When added to the tannic black tea, it yields a citrusy, floral tea blend.
On the nose, expect a perfumed, almost cologne-like citrus aroma that is sweet but has a bitter edge. On the palate, the typical black tea forms the body of the tea with a slight astringency, while the bergamot softens and elevates the tea, which has an uplifting and slightly fruity finish.
Tasting notes include:
Floral and citrus-forward aroma
A gentle bitterness from the bergamot's skin
Underlying earthiness from the black tea base
A refreshing and slightly sweet aftertaste
Occasional smoky notes when Lapsang Souchong is added
The flavour adapts depending on how it's prepared. Served as a liquor tea, Earl Grey is refreshing and aromatic. Add milk, and the bergamot softens to a creamy, slightly muted citrus note, which is the classic British preparation. Add honey, and you draw out the floral notes hiding in this tea blend. Then there’s an iced tea preparation, where the tea is served over ice with lemon, which has a refreshing and citrusy taste.
Charles Grey would have brewed his tea well before the invention of the tea bag, which is why loose leaf preparation is still widely considered the gold standard for Earl Grey.
Use filtered or low-mineral water where possible.
Heat water to 90-95°C; do not put the tea leaves in boiling water, because it can hamper the potency of the bergamot oils.
Steep for 3-4 minutes for the standard cup; longer for a stronger cup.
Serve in the typical British style, with some whole milk and some sugar.
If you wish for a lemon version, skip the milk entirely, steep the tea as usual, and squeeze some lemon juice into it.
Brew a double-strength Earl Grey in a small amount of water
Steam or froth whole milk with some vanilla syrup
Pour the tea concentrate into the milk, not the other way around
Optionally add a sprinkle of dried Earl Grey leaves on top
International Tea Day is observed on May 21 each year, established by the United Nations to celebrate tea's cultural significance and the livelihoods of millions of tea growers and workers globally. Earl Grey occupies a unique place in this celebration, which has a chequered history and has also entered popular culture as a symbol of refinement and considered taste.
A: Earl Grey tea is special because black tea is flavoured with bergamot citrus oil, giving it a distinctive floral, smoky, refreshing aroma and taste associated with classic British tea traditions.
