"Tea, Earl Grey, hot"

Of all of the flavored black teas, Earl Grey tea is probably the most well known and the easiest to find.  It also carries a certain geek cred because it was the favorite drink of Capt. Jean-Luc Picard.

The tea is generally thought to be named after Charles, 2nd Earl Grey, Prime Minister of England (b. 1764, d. 1845), but this claim is increasingly disputed. (http://www.foodsofengland.co.uk/earlgreytea.htm ; http://www.tea.co.uk/news-article/a-grey-area:-all-about-earl-grey)   Twinings advertises that is has been making Earl Grey tea since the 1830s. (http://www.twiningsusashop.com/earl-grey.html).  However, Jacksons of Picadilly, another British tea institution, also claims to be the maker of the original Earl Grey blend.  (http://www.twiningsusashop.com/earl-grey.html).

Earl Grey tea is black tea flavored with oil of bergamot.  Oil of bergamot is extracted from the bergamot orange, a citrus fruit. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bergamot_orange; http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/61711/bergamot-orange) .  Bergamot oil combined with black tea produces a flavorful, aromatic brew that is well-known to any serious tea-drinker.   Applied with too heavy a hand it becomes unbearably perfume-y.

Twinings (http://www.twiningsusashop.com/earl-grey.html) is likely the best-known maker of Earl Grey tea imported to the U.S., and can be counted on to produce a solid, flavorful cuppa.  It's got all the right floral and citrus notes without letting the bergamot overwhelm the taste of the tea.  Twinings tried to reformulate its classic blend in 2011, but like New Coke, that attempt was met with tea-drinker outrage, and the original blend was brought back.  (http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/andrewmcfbrown/100102578/earl-grey-tea-is-back-twinings-gives-in-to-outraged-tea-drinkers/)

I've sampled a number of other companies' Earl Greys as well:

Mighty Leaf (http://www.mightyleaf.com/Best-Sellers/Organic-Earl-Grey-Black-Tea-Pouches/#Organic-Earl-Grey--15-pouches-cello-wrap) seems to go heavier on the bergamot oil than Twinings does, but stays on the acceptable side of the balance between tea and flavoring.

Republic of Tea (http://www.republicoftea.com/earl-greyer-black-tea/p/V00583/) produces a nicely balanced blend that is fair competition for Twinings.

Harney & Sons (https://www.harney.com/harney-teas/black-tea-aab3238922bcc25a6f606eb525ffdc56/flavored-black-teas.html) makes two different blends of Earl Grey -- the Imperial and the Supreme.  I'm quite fond of the Imperial, which is the "standard" Earl Grey.  The Supreme is billed as using a higher quality tea, and I look forward to trying it.

My current Earl Grey of choice is from Taylors of Harrogate (http://www.taylorsofharrogate.co.uk/subcattea.asp?catid=119), which carries some of my current favorite black teas.  The quality of the black tea is more than a match for the bergamot in this one, creating a subtle mix of flavors that can soothe even the worst afternoon.

I've got a sample pouch of Adagio's Earl Grey Moonlight blend waiting to be opened.  I'll report on this one separately.

For me, Bigelow's and Stash's Earl Grey blends are the definition of imbalanced, over-perfumed teas.  They use too heavy a hand with the bergamot, and the result is somewhat like drinking straight bergamot oil that has been passed over a tea leaf a few times.

For those who want a less perfumed tea, in the 1990s Twinings developed "Lady Grey tea," a blend using less bergamot oil but adding lemon and orange peel oils.   (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Grey_(tea)).  Other companies also make "Lady Grey" or "Mrs. Earl Grey" or otherwise modified Earl Grey teas using reduced levels of bergamot and additional flavors such as lavender or other citrus fruits.  For me it's a mood thing.  Some days, there is simply nothing quite as soothing and satisfying as a steaming cup of Earl Grey.  Lady Grey is a lighter, brisker taste, more for everyday drinking than savoring.