By Julie
Contrary to popular belief, Earl Grey is not a kind of tea at all. It’s actually plain black tea, infused with the citrus flavor of bergamot (similar to orange blossoms). The term “Earl Grey” is also applied to green and white teas containing this same flavor.
The tea is named after the 2nd Earl Grey, British Prime Minister in the 1830s, who, it is said, received as a gift tea flavored with bergamot oil. As the legend goes, the tea was a thank you present from a Chinese mandarin whose son was rescued by one of Grey’s men.
