Twinings: The Earl Grey

To begin my tea tasting and reviewing I'm starting with one of my absolute favourite teas, the quintessentially British Earl Grey.

Twinings, have a very special and individual blend of Earl Grey, a black tea containing Bergamot & Lemon. All of Twinings blends are unique, but this particular one is one of their most popular. I can completely see why.

History

Earl Grey tea is named after Prime Minister Charles Grey; but no one is really sure where Earl Grey tea really came from.
One theory is that after visiting China, Lord Grey was given a blend of tea with bergamot oil. Bergamot orange is a fruit from a citrus tree which is mainly grown in Italy and flowers in the winter.
Legend says, that one of Lord Grey's men saved a Chinese mandarin's son from drowning; this mandarin later gave Lord Grey the gift of bergamot scented tea. Although, no one is sure how true this is, as apparently Lord Grey never actually visited China.

To quote the Twinings website:
"It all started with Richard Twining in 1831 when Prime Minister Charles Grey asked him to replicate a tea he'd been given. With one sip he loved it so much he put his name on it!! We love this story so much and are so proud of our ever growing range of Earl Grey."

However, Jackson's of Piccadilly claim that the recipe has never left their hands as Lord Grey gave the recipe to George Charlton, a partner at Robert Jackson & Co, and has been in production in China ever since.

Once I watched a documentary which contained an interview with the Grey family. They claim that the blend was developed by a Chinese mandarin specifically for Lord Grey, and made to suit the water at Howick Hall where he lived in Northumberland where there was a lot of lime in the water; and that's why bergamot was used - to try and counteract the taste. Then, Lady Grey had the tea served when she entertained in London, the tea was very popular and many people wanted to buy it from the Grey family for their own use, which is when Twinings began to market the tea.

So who knows which story is true, but personally I think that since Earl Charles Grey's signature is printed on every packet and box of Twinings Earl Grey tea, and this was said to be his favourite blend - I may be inclined to believe the Grey family's story.

Having tried other brands of Earl Grey, this has always been my favourite. Personally I like my teas with real flavour, so stronger than some people. Earl Grey can be a very subtle and weak tasting; however with this particular blend I tend to leave the teabag in the water for 4 minutes. This really lets out the flavour and you get a wonderful flowery and delicate taste and scent.
This tea isn't weak or watery at all, and I really enjoy it. Although there is a very floral backdrop to it, there is the traditional tea flavour that I'm used to. I like it both with or without milk - although most people's preference is with milk.

If you dislike floral tastes and blends in your tea I wouldn't recommend this, as that it's main flavour. But if you don't know, or are trying to branch out into a different type of tea then this would be a great place to start.

You can buy a single teabag sachet off the Twinings website here for £0.25.
Alternatively you can buy a box of 20 for £1.49 in most supermarkets.

© Photography taken by and copyright to Elizabeth Mawson and 'Tea is Always a Good Idea'.