Palace Earl Grey

a classical full bodied, sophisticated black tea,  from a secret recipe of the finest black Chinese leaves and pressed Bergamot citrus fruits. These two luxury ingredients are blended together for a bold, delicious, classically aromatic flavour.

One of our most popular and exclusive blends, a both staple at home and in fine dining establishments.

 
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Bergamot Citrus Fruits About Earl Grey

Earl Grey teas have been familiar to tea connoisseurs in the UK since around the 1830s, but the history of this famous tea is a little fragmented and uncertain.

Earl Grey teas, or at least the flavouring of back tea with citrus oils, originated in China prior to the 19th Century. It is believed that the flavourings were added in order to mask the taste of lower-quality tea leaves so that they could be sold at a higher price. The first Western records of this practice come from around 1790 and involved the use of orange and neroli oils as flavourings.

As the flavouring of teas with oil became more popular in Chinese production, the same principles were eventually applied to flavouring higher-quality tea leaves and these were then exported to Western Europe as a brand new product.

At around the same time in the UK, some London tea vendors were found to be scenting black teas with bergamot oils from Italy, which at the time was very frowned upon and resulted in a number of lawsuits!

Eventually (by at least the 1850s), the flavouring of teas was widely accepted and Chinese black teas were regularly flavoured with bergamot in by companies in the UK. These bergamot-tea blends were referred to as either "Grey's Tea" or "Earl Grey" depending on where and by whim it was produced.

The names "Earl Grey" is somewhat controversial with a number of companies and individuals claiming to be the originators of the blend. The common legend states that the recipe for Earl Grey was presented to Charles Grey, Prime Minister of Great Britain and the 2nd Earl Grey by a grateful Mandarin after his son was saved from drowning by Grey (or one of his men) and it was consequently named after him. However, most scholars now believe this story to be false.

Others say that Earl Grey commissioned the blend from China in order to offset the taste of sediment in the natural waters of Northumberland. Apparently Lady Grey then popularised the blend in London and approved it for general sale.

Many companies have their own, closely-guarded recipe for Earl Grey, and Tea Palace's no different! We use high-quality Chinese black tea leaves and natural, pressed bergamot oil blended to our own unique recipe - so you can be sure of a cup of Earl Grey unlike any other  

Preparation Instructions

Place one teaspoon per cup into an infuser, filter or teapot. Add freshly boiled water and infuse for 4 minutes. Serve immediately or remove leaves to prevent spoiling. May be enjoyed with milk or lemon to taste. Ingredients

Black Tea, Oil of Bergamot Allergy advice

May contain traces of nuts Sizes Explained

Sample Caddy