Earl Grey (Earl Gray) Tea - Origins Of The Combination

Like every timeless classic, the origins of Earl Grey tea (sometimes wrongly spelled as Earl Gray tea) are shrouded in mystery. The combination was named for the Second Earl Grey, who was a British Prime Minister in the year 1830's.

Depending on some tales, the blend was presented to him by a Chinese Mandarin whose son had been saved from drowning by one of Lord Grey's men. Other records have the tea coming like a gift presented to one of Lord Grey's envoys, while he was traveling in China, with orders to provide it to his Lord on his return to England.

Another account holds that the initial formula was given to George Charlton by Earl Grey himself. Mr. Charlton was an associate in Jackson & Co., and Jackson of Piccadilly claims that the recipe has been around in constant formation since, and it has never left their hands.

To include an additional twist to the misconception of how the tea came to be, the Grey family themselves states that the blend was developed by a Chinese Mandarin for them, especially to suit the water at Howick Hall in Northumberland (the Grey Family Seat). Bergamot was selected in particular to assist offset the high lime content in the local water supply in that region, and the blend first acquired popularity as Lady Grey used it for amusing in London, and was eventually asked if it can be sold to a broader market.

So as to support this, a firm called Twinings was provided the formula, and marketed it from that level on as 'Earl Grey tea.' (note that although many internet sites, and even a reasonable number of printed materials list it as 'Earl Gray Tea' there isn't any brand name having that particular spelling. This is actually a function of slight differences amongst the Queen's English and American English).

Whichever of these tales is eventually accurate (and it's possible that these contain certain vital truths), something that may be fairly stated is that Earl Grey tea, by whichever spelling, is probably the most widely known of the English teas, at least on the international stage. There happen to be numerous referrals to it in books, movies, and TV series through the years, and its distinctive taste makes it hard to forget!

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