Earl Grey, Every Way!

What is Earl Grey Tea? 

Earl grey is made with black tea, most commonly, Assam or Ceylon. It can also be made with a blend of leaves for a more specific taste. The leaves will then be flavoured with bergamot. 

Bergamot is a citrus fruit found in Italy and across the Mediterranean. 

The leaves are not flavoured directly with the fruit, rather an essential oil is made from the bergamot fruit, and this is used to flavour the leaves. It used to be that the peel from the fruit that would be used but this is no longer common practice when it comes to creating that particular earl grey flavour. 

Earl grey tea is best when brewed as a loose leaf. The flavour is far superior to that of any Earl Grey variant that will come in a tea bag. We have a post about why it makes sense to move away from teabags, you can read it here.

What's the best way to drink Earl Grey?

Earl Grey can be enjoyed in more than 1 way, in fact, we encourage you to experiment with it a little and see what you like. To get you started here are a few of the more common ways to brew up and enjoy a mug of Earl Grey. 

Remember, always use filtered water, if possible, for brewing up your loose leaf tea. We have a more in-depth post on brewing the perfect mug of tea here if you need it. 

As it comes 

Brewed with boiling water, around 3-5g per cup depending on how strong you want the flavour and steeped for around 3 minutes. This is everything Earl Grey is meant to be, nothing else just the flavour of the tea and the bergamot coming through.

 

A little sweeter

Brew your Earl Grey as you would if you planned to drink it as it comes, only this time slip a slice of lemon in there and a little sugar. Sit back, sip and let your tastebuds enjoy it. The lemon works really well with the flavour of the tea and the sugar gives you that little sweet hit to balance out the citrus. 

If you are avoiding sugar, then the perfect alternative is honey. We love Earl Grey with honey and lemon. I mean come on, everyone knows honey and lemon go together. Adding Earl Grey to that mix takes it to another level altogether. 

Russian Earl Grey 

So, we covered Earl Grey with lemon but what about the other fruits available? This is where the Russian Earl Grey comes in. You are going to need some orange peel and a little orange flavouring for this one. 

Brew up your Earl Grey and add some orange peel while it's steeping. Once it's done add a little orange flavouring and if you're feeling a little fancy a slice of orange too. It's a taste sensation!

London Fog

Do you love a latte? We do, and even more so when it's made with tea. This is one we think everyone should try at least once. We don’t think you will be able to keep it to one though. 

You are going to need some frothed milk and vanilla extract for this one. Brew up your Earl Grey, mix in the frothed milk and add some of your preferred sweeteners. Once you’re happy with the Earl Grey latte it's time to take it to the next level and create that London Fog. 

Take some vanilla extract and add to taste. There you have it London Fog, we bet you can’t wait for your next one. 

You can use any form of vanilla you have. If you have vanilla syrup, then you can use this, and you don’t need to add the sweetener either. 

Our Favourite Earl Grey? 

We love to drink Earl Grey, as it comes. The flavour is wonderful, yes, we agree adding a little sweetener or some milk can bring something new to your experience but for us, nothing beats the taste of Berty’s Brews Earl Grey. 

We love it so much that we went the extra mile and put together a blend of leaves from India, China and Sri Lanka to provide a perfect base for the highest quality bergamot oil made with bergamot sourced from Calabria, Italy. Believe us when we say, it’s something you need to try.