Earl Grey

Earl Grey is black tea scented with oil of bergamot, the fragrant rind oil of a small, inedible Mediterranean citrus, which gives the cup its instantly recognisable perfumed, floral-citrus lift over a brisk black-tea base. It is not a botanical variety or a place but a flavouring: any black tea — usually a blend of Chinese, Ceylon or Indian leaf — scented with bergamot becomes Earl Grey, and the result brews to the same deep amber as ordinary black tea but smells of orange-blossom, lemon peel and a cool, slightly bitter cologne-like citrus. It takes its name from Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, the British prime minister of the early 1830s, though exactly how his name became attached to it is a matter of disputed legend. It is one of the most popular flavoured teas in the world, drunk plain, with a slice of lemon, or with milk, and is the base of variations such as Lady Grey (with added orange and lemon peel) and the steamed-milk café drink known as the London Fog.