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Loosely History: The Earl Grey

One of our best-selling teas is The Earl, a classic Earl Grey tea that's been taken to a whoooooole other level. While it's a new(er) addition to the Loosely collection, the tea has been a popular blend since about the 1830s, when it first appeared in Europe. 

When we were doing our research in order to add an Earl Grey to our line and selecting the ingredients to amp our blend, we noticed that there was quite a famous backstory to Earl Grey tea. It involved exciting elements like Emperors, aristocrats and travels to foreign lands... but it isn't true!

The most popular legend states that Charles, the second Earl Grey (and British Prime Minister) received the historic recipe from the Emperor of China during a diplomatic expedition to the region. Earl Grey was said to have received a very old recipe for the blend from the Emperor himself, who had handpicked the bergamot flowers from his gardens. When Earl Grey ran out of the tea, he commissioned Twinings, the revered English tea company to reproduce it.

While this story is the stuff legends are made of, it's quickly debunked when realizing that the Earl Grey never travelled to China. In reality, the Earl was a fan of just adding a few drops of bergamot essence to his tea to suit his personal taste - for whatever reason and at whatever origin - and the trend caught on, eventually becoming one of the most celebrated tea blends in history. I personally seem to think there was likely a little truth in the story of the Emperor that has been exaggerated over the years. Perhaps the Chinese Emperor sent some tea in that blend as a diplomatic gift to the Earl? We'll likely never know. But what we do know is that it's a delicious blend that's here to stay.

Our blend is made with using High Elevation Pure Ceylon Black Tea, grown on the beautiful island nation of Sri Lanka, formerly known as Ceylon. We chose high-elevation Ceylon because the region produces tea with a delicate, floral fragrance and light, brisk flavour. We have, of course, added bergamot flowers to our blend, as well as orange peels. 

The reason we selected The Earl to add to our lineup is for our blend's delicious flavour... but also its wellness benefits. The ingredients in the tea help improve heart health, lower cholesterol levels, support healthy weight management and reduce inflammation.