Earl Grey – Green Tea

There are at least two legends around the world describing how tea came to be imbued with bergamot. One says it was a completely accidental encounter. Once, when a ship carrying black tea from China to England was rocked by the waves, a bottle of precious bergamot oil tipped over onto the tea bags. And because both commodities were rare on the old continent, the trader did not throw away the tea, but rather tasted it. He was pleasantly surprised. The second story describes Lord Charles Grey, the British Prime Minister and Earl. He had been given a recipe for bergamot-flavored black tea as a gift from his Chinese trading partners.

Anyway, the tea, which has been known to the English since the 19th century and to the Chinese probably much longer, remains popular today. No wonder, then, that the original recipe involving black tea and bergamot essential oil inspired tea drinkers to experiment. One very successful composition is the combination of bergamot and high-quality Chinese sencha.

Chinese sencha comes from the Huang Shan region, located in Anhui province. It is a landscape with numerous lakes, covered with forests. The climate is predominantly subtropical and is characterized by erratic weather. In terms of agricultural production, most farmers grow wheat, sweet potatoes and rice. Tea gardens are mainly located in the southern region of the province, at higher altitudes. Chinese tea bushes have been cultivated there for hundreds of years, and the province has been trading tea since the 7th century.

Before green sencha was combined with bergamot essential oil, workers had to pluck enough green tea leaves, let them wilt and then steam them several times. Finally, the still damp leaves were folded into their final shape so that they could then go to the dryers and sorters. The result is a tea with a delicate flavor and beautiful appearance. Then it was just a step away from Earl Grey green tea: a light spritz of bergamot carrier oil was all that was needed.