the Magical Blend of Earl Grey

I am glad I was not  born before tea
-William Gladstone-

Earl Grey is one of my favourite  Black tea. I called it magical tea because of its unique bitter sour taste that comes from bergamot, essential oil that comes from mandarin orange mixed with Ceylon  black tea .

There is a story behind the creation of Earl Grey

Charles Grey

In the 1830s there lived and Earl named Lord Charles Grey. He was the second Earl of his line and served as Prime Minister to King William IV. This was an era when the British Empire held great sway in the South Pacific and many of the Earls men were stationed in China. The legend goes that the Earl’s men saved a young Chinese boy from drowning and that the grateful mandarin father presented the famous tea blend as an expression of his gratitude. Even today Earl Grey goes by the nickname “Old Sticky” in England in homage to the famous Lord Charles Grey who was known for his foul odor.

According to the Grey family, the tea was specially blended by a Chinese mandarin for Lord Grey, to suit the water at Howick Hall, the family seat in Northumberland, using bergamot in particular to offset the preponderance of lime in the local water. Lady Grey (Charles Grey's wife) used it to entertain in London as a political hostess, and it proved so popular that she was asked if it could be sold to others, which is how Twinings came to market it as a brand.

Source: http://earl-grey-tea.org/history-of-earl-grey-tea
             http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earl_Grey_tea

 Another feminine version of Earl Grey  called Lady Grey
it is the fruity earl grey tea with orange peels, lavender petals  and rose petals