Earl Grey: The Man, The Myth, The Mys-TEA-ry

How is the man behind Earl Grey Tea actually connected to it? IS he connected?

According to Keating and Long, Earl Grey Tea is the most popular flavoured tea in the world. It is named after the famed British Prime Minister, Earl Charles Grey, who was Prime Minister from 1830 to 1834. It is a very strong black tea with essence of orange bergamot. Delicious! It is MY favourite tea and has been for YEARS. 

But did Earl Grey really lend his name to the product? Did he invent the tea? Did he even know about it? These are things I've been curious about and decided to research. It turns out there are several theories floating about. 

My favourite books, The True History of Tea, How to Make Tea: The Science Behind the Leaf and The Tea Book: All Things Tea, had very shockingly nothing to say about the history of the tea. So I had to go to the Interweb. Something I am reluctant to do. 

Tea Forte Inc has a great article on their website entitled "The Mysterious History of Earl Grey Tea". They outline the traditional lore. The main story is that he was gifted the delicate blend and was delighted to share it, even with Queen Victoria! Another story goes further, saying he was gifted the blend by a Chinese official because he saved the official's son while in China. There are a few problems with this story, however. One is that there are no records of Grey ever having visited China. Another is that bergamot oranges are native to Italy, and there are no records of them being grown in China at the time!

So how did bergamot meet with black tea?

There ARE historic accounts of adulterated tea being primed with bergamot essence to hide its poorer quality. This occurred around in the early 1800s. (See article on adulteration HERE.)There is no doubt the Earl would NOT lend his name to such a product. 

World Tea News reports on their website, under the article "A Brief History of Earl Grey", that possibly black tea and bergamot oranges were being shipped together and the orange essence absorbed into the tea. Possibly the Earl liked this and lent his name to the new product? But again - how would oranges from Italy and tea from China be on the same shipment?

It goes further to state that a Chinese friend of the Earl came up with the concoction to offset the mineral taste of the Earl's water. 

In 2012 the Oxford English Dictionary began an official investigation into the connection between Earl Charles Grey and the tea. They found nothing to suggest the existence of the tea until after his death! They say it is "rather unlikely" he championed or recommended the tea. In fact, there is speculation that William Grey, a merchant in the mid 19th century, advertised his own blend and called it 'Earl Grey'. 

Youtube has some fun theories. Slaruerue states that Earl Grey's maid couldn't blend his tea how he wanted it so he had to go into the kitchen and do it himself. Dave McClelland of "WHAT THE HECK?" postulates my favourite theory: that horses carrying loads of black tea and bergamot oranges slipped on the cobblestones in Newcastle on a rainy day. So did the Earl. He landed in the gutter, amidst the spilled produce and tea, and discovered a delightful mixture of tea, bergamot...and horse droppings. Thus making his favourite new tea!

What is YOUR favourite theory?? DID the Earl Grey invent the famous tea? Did he even TASTE the famous tea? 

My FAVOURITE Earl Grey tea, the one I am OBSESSED with, is Cream of Earl Grey Tea by DAVIDsTEA. It has all the delicious of bergamot and a lovely black tea but a smooth creaminess sans the horse manure. Oh my. 

You can order it HERE.

Happy Steeping!

SOURCES:

How To Make Tea: The Science Behind The Leaf (Keating and Long)
Tea Forte Inc "The Mysterious History Of Earl Grey Tea"
World Tea News "A Brief History of Earl Grey"
slaruerue
Dave McClelland