Earl Grey is one of the most recognized teas in the world, and also one of the most misunderstood. Ask most people what makes it Earl Grey and they'll say "that citrus smell" — which is right, but only part of it. The citrus comes from bergamot, a specific fruit grown in a specific part of the world, and the way it interacts with black tea is what makes this blend so distinctive and so enduring. Here's what Earl Grey actually is, where it comes from, and what separates a good version from a forgettable one.
The Origin of Earl Grey Tea
The tea takes its name from Charles Grey, the second Earl Grey, who served as British Prime Minister in the 1830s. The popular story is that he received a gift of tea blended with bergamot oil — accounts vary on who gave it and why — and it became popular enough that tea merchants began producing it commercially. Whether the legend is entirely accurate is debated, but the name stuck, and Earl Grey became one of the defining blends of British tea culture.
What matters more than the origin story is what the blend actually is: black tea — most traditionally a Chinese or Ceylon base — scented with the oil extracted from the rind of the bergamot orange. That's the foundation every Earl Grey version builds on, whether it's a grocery store tea bag or a small-batch loose leaf blend.
What Is Bergamot, and Where Does It Come From?
Bergamot is a citrus fruit — a hybrid, most likely of lemon and bitter orange — grown primarily in the Calabria region of southern Italy. The climate there, with its specific combination of Mediterranean sun and sea air, produces fruit with an essential oil unlike any other citrus variety. It's bright and aromatic, with a floral edge that doesn't read as straightforwardly lemon or orange. That's what makes it work so well in tea: it adds citrus without simply tasting like citrus.
The oil is cold-pressed from the rind and used to scent the tea leaves. Quality matters here. Natural bergamot oil and synthetic bergamot flavoring produce noticeably different results in the cup — natural oil has more depth and a cleaner finish, while artificial versions tend to taste sharp or perfumed.
The Black Tea Base: Why It Matters
Earl Grey is built on black tea, and the quality of that base determines how good the final cup can be. Black tea is fully oxidized — the leaves are processed in a way that turns them dark and develops a robust, full-bodied flavor. That body is what allows Earl Grey to be enjoyed straight, with milk, or over ice without the bergamot and any additional botanicals getting lost.
Lighter tea bases — green tea, white tea — can carry bergamot, and those blends exist. But traditional Earl Grey is black tea, and for good reason: the boldness holds up. When you add milk or steep it strong for a London Fog, you still taste what you're supposed to taste.
Black tea contains naturally occurring caffeine — roughly half the amount found in a comparable serving of coffee, depending on the leaf and steep time. It also contains naturally occurring tannins, which contribute to that slight astringency that makes black tea pair so well with dairy and sweeteners.
Loose Leaf vs. Tea Bags
Most commercial Earl Grey is sold in tea bags, and most of those tea bags are filled with what the industry calls "fannings" or "dust" — the small broken pieces left over from processing whole leaves. They steep quickly and produce a strong, consistent cup, but you lose the subtlety. Bergamot and any floral additions like lavender show up one-dimensionally in a bag made from leaf fragments.
Loose leaf tea uses whole or large-cut leaves that unfurl as they steep. The result is a more complete extraction — more aromatic, smoother, with a finish that lingers rather than just fading. If you've only ever had Earl Grey in bags, loose leaf is a different experience, not just a different format.
Raven Earl Grey Tea: Our Version of This Classic
We make our Earl Grey blend — Raven — in small batches at our Owings Mills, Maryland facility. Three ingredients: organic black tea, organic lavender, natural bergamot oil. That's it. No artificial flavors, no dyes, nothing added for color or shelf appeal.
The black tea base is full-bodied enough to drink straight or stand up to steamed milk. The bergamot is natural oil — the kind that has depth in the cup rather than reading sharp or perfumed. And the lavender is where Raven differs from a standard Earl Grey: we add organic lavender as a finishing note, not a primary flavor. You don't taste it upfront. It shows up at the end of the sip and rounds out the bergamot in a way that makes the blend feel cohesive rather than loud.
The name is a nod to Maryland's most famous literary figure — foggy mornings, misty evenings, the kind of atmosphere this tea suits. It's been our best-selling tea since we introduced it, and the reason isn't complicated: it's Earl Grey made with ingredients that are actually good, in a format (loose leaf) that lets those ingredients do what they're supposed to do.
Each 2.6 oz jar yields approximately 20 cups. Dye free and vegan.
You can find Raven Earl Grey Tea here.
How to Brew Earl Grey Tea
The most common mistake with black tea is using water that's too hot. A full boil (212°F) will make the tannins in black tea turn bitter. The right temperature for Earl Grey is 180 to 185°F — just below boiling, when small bubbles are starting to form but before a rolling boil begins. If you don't have a thermometer, bring water to a boil and let it sit for 60 to 90 seconds.
Use one teaspoon of loose leaf tea per 8 oz of water. Steep 3 to 5 minutes depending on preference — 3 minutes gives you something bright and lighter, 5 minutes gives you more body and depth. Remove the leaves when steeping is done; leaving them in will continue extracting and the tea will turn astringent.
From there, Earl Grey is one of the more versatile teas to work with. Drink it straight. Add a splash of milk or oat milk — the black tea base holds up well and the bergamot still comes through. Brew it strong (double the tea, same water volume) and pour over ice with a lemon slice for something bright and sharp. Or build a London Fog: strong-brewed Raven, steamed oat milk, a drop of vanilla, and a spoonful of honey.
Earl Grey also works in the kitchen. It's a natural in baked goods — scones, shortbread, cakes — and the bergamot plays well with lemon and honey. We use Raven as the base for a cocktail and as a pairing for lavender-forward baked goods. If you want to see how it works in a recipe context, the Earl Grey cocktail is a good starting point, and the lavender honey lemon cake pairs naturally with a hot cup of Raven. For something you can build the gathering around, our Earl Grey cake with honey is the loaf this tea was made to accompany.
Earl Grey Tea FAQs
What is special about Earl Grey tea?
Earl Grey is distinct because of bergamot oil — the essential oil pressed from the rind of the bergamot orange, grown primarily in southern Italy. It gives the tea a citrus aroma that's more floral and complex than lemon or orange, and it's unlike any other flavored tea. Combined with a full-bodied black tea base, it produces a cup that's recognizable and versatile in a way most single-origin teas aren't.
Do you put milk in Earl Grey tea?
You can, and many people do. The black tea base in a traditional Earl Grey is robust enough to hold up to dairy — you'll still taste the bergamot through milk or cream. Oat milk works particularly well if you want something plant-based. The London Fog — Earl Grey brewed strong, steamed milk, vanilla, and a touch of honey — is one of the more popular preparations. That said, Earl Grey is also excellent straight, and some people find milk softens the bergamot more than they want.
Is Earl Grey tea high in caffeine?
Earl Grey contains a moderate amount of naturally occurring caffeine from the black tea base — roughly half what you'd find in a comparable serving of coffee. The actual amount varies depending on the tea leaf quality, how much you use, water temperature, and steep time. Steeping longer or using more tea will extract more caffeine. If you're sensitive to caffeine, a shorter steep at the lower end of the temperature range will reduce extraction.
What is the difference between Earl Grey and regular black tea?
Regular black tea is unflavored — just the tea leaf. Earl Grey is black tea scented with bergamot oil, which adds the citrus and floral character the blend is known for. Some versions add other botanicals on top of that — lavender, cornflower petals, additional citrus peel. Our Raven blend adds organic lavender as a finishing note.
What is loose leaf Earl Grey tea?
Loose leaf Earl Grey uses whole or large-cut leaves steeped in a strainer or infuser, rather than ground-up leaf fragments packed into a bag. The leaves have room to unfurl during steeping, which produces a more complete extraction — more aromatic, smoother finish, and better expression of the bergamot and any added botanicals. It requires a tea strainer or infuser but the difference in the cup is noticeable, especially with a flavored blend where you want the individual ingredients to come through.
What does bergamot taste like?
Bergamot has a citrus flavor that's harder to pin down than lemon or orange. It's bright, but it also has a floral, slightly resinous quality that makes it more complex. In Earl Grey, it reads as a kind of refined citrus — not sour, not sweet, and distinctly different from anything else in the citrus family. When it's balanced correctly against a strong black tea base, it adds a layer of brightness without making the tea taste like a citrus drink.
How should I store loose leaf Earl Grey tea?
Keep it in a sealed container — glass with a tight lid works well — away from direct light, heat, and anything with a strong smell. Tea absorbs odors from its surroundings, so storing it next to coffee or spices will affect the flavor. The bergamot oil and any botanical additions like lavender are particularly volatile and fade faster with improper storage. Stored correctly, a quality loose leaf Earl Grey will hold its flavor for many months.
