Twinings Earl Grey

Let's start with a classic.

I would start with English Breakfast, but I currently do not have any in loose leaf form. Which is quite an achievement considering the fact that there are 10 different black loose leaf teas in my kitchen cupboards at the moment.

So it is going to have to be another classic: Earl Grey.

I have been meaning to do this post for about a week, which means that I have consumed several cups with the intention of writing about them, but this is the first time I have actually managed to remember to do so.

The tea is a blend of black tea with bergamot flavouring, and was first created for Earl Grey, who was a British Prime Minister in the 1800s.

I had to do a little investigation in regards to bergamot, and have discovered that it is a citrus fruit, with a similar size and shape to an orange but more like a lemon in terms of it's colour. As well as being used in tea. bergamot is used as a top note in many perfumes. Wikipedia also informs me that one of the chemicals in bergamot can block potassium channels and cause muscle cramps (the original source of this information is the Lancet, a highly regarded medical journal). If you drink 4 litres of Earl Grey tea a day that is. That would be twice the recommended daily fluid intake.However other chemicals in bergamot may reduce cholesterol levels, reduce skin inflammation, and reduce anxiety.

Anyway, I digress.

The bergamot lends the tea a citrus air, but it is not a sour flavour. It's light and not at all chemically. I like my tea with milk, but I know lots of people would object. It's just a matter of personal taste.

Interestingly, whilst my loose leaf lists the ingredients as "black tea, bergamot", the tea bags also include lemon. I never really had a taste for Earl Grey before becoming a loose leaf devotee, so it would be interesting to do a comparison and see if I do now like the teabags.

Anyway, I must finish off my cup before it goes cold.  Then I will put the kettle on for cup number 2...