Organic Earl Grey Black Tea
This organic, Fair Trade Certified version of the classic Earl Grey does not disappoint. It has a correct balance of flavoring which results in a piquant and refreshing true Earl Grey organic black tea taste. Made fashionable by the Prime Minister of England Earl Grey (1830-1834), Earl Grey tea is traditionally a blend of organic Chinese tea flavored with the oil from the Asian citrus fruit, bergamot. Now, some of the best bergamot in the world hails from Italy, where the botanical was transplanted generations ago. For our organic Earl Grey Black Tea we blend the oil from an Italian grown bergamot with a bolder organic black tea from India for an Earl Grey lover's delight!
Ingredients: organic and Fair Trade Certified Indian black tea and organic bergamot flavor
What are Flavored Teas?
Our delicious flavored teas use the same top-quality organic tea that we offer in our unflavored varieties, but are blended with pieces of real fruit, spices, flowers, and 100% natural flavors. When blending our teas, our goal is to create a cup that balances the taste of the tea with the flavors of the additional ingredients so that neither one overpowers. All of the natural flavors we use are either extracts taken directly from the botanical ingredient, or extracted using 100% GMO-free grain alcohol as a solvent. You can rest assured that none of the flavors used in our blends are synthetically or artificially derived, and do not use artificial preservatives.
Steeping Instructions
At Arbor Teas, we believe tea should be brewed to suit your personal taste. We’re happy to make recommendations to get you started, but don’t hesitate to experiment! When brewing your tea, your main considerations are tea quantity, water temperature, and steeping time. We recommend black teas to be steeped for 3 to 5 minutes in water heated to a full, rolling boil. For the best flavor, use fresh water whenever possible, and avoid overboiling. Try not to steep your tea longer than necessary, as you’ll extract undesirable bitterness from the leaves. If you want a stronger brew, don’t steep longer, just use more tea. And don’t forget to re-steep your tea leaves to get the most out of your leaf!
Looking for more info? Check out our How-To Guides and Eco-Brewing Tips!
Staff Perspectives
Lea
"I love making London Fogs out of our earl grey!"
Sarah
"I was never a fan of Earl Grey... I kept trying it and trying it in hopes I would like it and see why it was so popular. That is, until I met this one! This is truly the best Earl Grey I have ever tasted. Now I like to treat myself to a cookie and mug of Earl Grey."
Aubrey
"This organic tea always impresses me by its equally bold bergamot and black tea flavors!"
Health Benefits
Like all true tea, black tea offers many potential health benefits. Research has found that tea (Camellia sinensis) can have many positive effects on human health, including improved cardiovascular function, cancer risk reduction, improved immune function, improved oral health, and help with weight management. Tea is also full of polyphenols, which are a class of antioxidant that help your body maintain homeostasis and balance your stress levels. Black tea specifically has been found to regulate blood sugar in diabetics better than other types of tea, according to a study done by the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
For more information about the health benefits of black tea and other types of tea, and for direct sources of the above information, check out our Tea Health Benefits page!
Please note: the information above is for educational purposes only and has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Earl Grey Recipes
Earl Grey Tea: Fact and Fiction
Traditional Earl Grey is a blend of black tea flavored with the essence of Bergamot rind, though the name may also be used to refer to any tea—black or otherwise—that uses bergamot as a flavoring. Bergamots are small tart oranges native to southern Vietnam that are a cross between the sweet lemon and the sour orange, C. aurantium. The essential oils from their rinds are what give Earl Grey its characteristic flavor. This famous tea is named for an English prime minister, Lord Charles Grey the second, from the 1830s who first popularized its consumption. There is a popular legend that the Earl received the tea as a gift from a grateful Mandarin after one of his men saved the Mandarin (or his son, depending on which version of the story you hear) from drowning. Charming though it is, the story has no basis in fact, because the Earl never traveled to China during his life. Beyond that, no records indicate that the Bergamot was even cultivated in China at that time, so this tea would have been a very unusual gift! Nevertheless, the current Earl Grey, Lord Charles Grey the sixth, maintains that at the very least his ancestor was given the tea as a gift from a Chinese envoy.
For even more information about this and other traditions, visit our Tea Traditions page!
