Mixers

Earl Grey Tea

Earl Grey is black tea flavoured with oil of bergamot, a citrus grown mainly in Calabria, though many blends now use bergamot flavouring instead of the oil. In drinks it is steeped briefly in gin or brewed, often cold, for punch, where the bergamot meets the citrus. It is probably named after Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, Prime Minister in the 1830s, but the link is uncertain.

Quick Facts

Legal categoryFood

OriginNamed after the 2nd Earl Grey; bergamot mainly from Calabria, Italy

Flavour Strengthlight medium

Our keeping timeLoose leaf: best within a year of opening.

Storage

Airtight, dark and dry: tea keeps its scent only as long as its seal.

Allergens

None of the 14 listed allergens.

The ingredient

About Earl Grey Tea

Flavour Profile

Primary Flavours

BergamotBlack teaCitrus floral

Tasting Notes

Black tea with bergamot’s perfumed citrus; tannic on the finish.

Black tea and bergamot

Earl Grey is black tea flavoured with bergamot, the oil pressed from the rind of the bergamot orange. Calabria produces about 90% of the world’s bergamot oil, and many blends now use bergamot flavouring instead. The name probably refers to Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, Prime Minister in the 1830s; bergamot tea predates the first “Earl Grey” advertisements of the 1880s, and the story connecting him to it is unproven.

Earl Grey against the other teas used in drinks

Earl Grey

Flavour: Black tea and bergamot
Caffeine (NHS, a cup): About 75mg
Use in drinks: Gin infusion; tea punch
Method: Infuse one to two hours; cold brew six to eight

Plain black tea

Flavour: Tannin, malt
Caffeine (NHS, a cup): About 75mg
Use in drinks: Punch, iced tea
Method: Brew light, cool fast

Green tea

Flavour: Lighter, grassy
Caffeine (NHS, a cup): About 75mg
Use in drinks: Delicate punches
Method: Short brew, cooled

Tea	Flavour	Caffeine (NHS, a cup)	Use in drinks	Method
Earl Grey	Black tea and bergamot	About 75mg	Gin infusion; tea punch	Infuse one to two hours; cold brew six to eight
Plain black tea	Tannin, malt	About 75mg	Punch, iced tea	Brew light, cool fast
Green tea	Lighter, grassy	About 75mg	Delicate punches	Short brew, cooled

Short infusions keep the bergamot

In spirit, tea gives up its fragrance quickly and its tannin slowly. One tablespoon of loose leaf per 250ml of gin, for one to two hours at room temperature, takes the bergamot before the bitterness arrives. Strain through a fine sieve and a coffee filter. A citrus-led gin suits it, since bergamot is a citrus oil itself.

Cold brew suits a punch

For a bowl, steep three teabags in 250ml of cold water in the fridge for six to eight hours. The tea arrives cold, so it does not melt the ice block, and the slow cold steep keeps it smoother than a hot brew. Plain black tea for punch, brewed weak, has its own page: weak black tea.

Keep it sealed and dry

Loose leaf keeps its scent for about a year after opening, in an airtight caddy away from light, heat and damp. The bergamot fades before the tea does. Each cup carries caffeine, about 75mg by the NHS figure for black tea.

Using it

Using Earl Grey Tea

Usage

Steeped in gin at one tablespoon of loose leaf per 250ml for one to two hours at room temperature, then strained fine. Cold-brewed for punch, three teabags in 250ml of cold water in the fridge for six to eight hours. Brewed hot, it must be cooled fully before it meets ice.

Pro Tip

Make a gin infusion in the bottle you will pour from, and taste at one hour. If the bergamot is already clear, strain then: the second hour adds tannin, not fragrance.

Top Tips

Time a gin infusion with a clock. Past two hours the tannin starts to dominate the bergamot.
Strain through a fine sieve and then a coffee filter. Leaf left in the bottle keeps extracting.
Cold-brew it for a punch. Steeping in the fridge gives the bergamot with less bitterness.
Use loose leaf for infusing spirit; finely cut bag tea extracts tannin faster.

Possible Substitutions

Weak Black Tea: Plain black tea with a strip of expressed orange peel: citrus oil, no bergamot

Production Method

Black tea scented with oil pressed from the rind of the bergamot orange, or with bergamot flavouring. Calabria produces about 90% of the world’s bergamot oil.

Go further

More to explore

Common Questions

What is Earl Grey tea?

A black tea flavoured with bergamot, the fragrant oil from the rind of a citrus grown mainly in Calabria, southern Italy. Many modern blends use bergamot flavouring rather than the oil itself. The name is usually linked to Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, though how it attached is unclear.

How do you infuse gin with Earl Grey?

Add one tablespoon of loose Earl Grey to 250ml of gin and leave it at room temperature for one to two hours, tasting at one. Strain through a fine sieve and then a coffee filter. Longer steeping pulls tannin and turns the infusion bitter.

How do you cold-brew Earl Grey for a punch?

Steep three teabags in 250ml of cold water in the fridge for six to eight hours, then lift them out; that gives about 200ml. Cold steeping draws the bergamot with less bitterness than a hot brew, and the tea goes into the bowl already chilled.

How much caffeine is in Earl Grey?

About as much as other black tea: 75mg a cup by the NHS figure, which covers black and green tea alike, against 100mg for instant coffee. The pregnancy ceiling it sets is 200mg a day. A gin infusion carries much less per drink.

Can I use teabags instead of loose leaf?

For brewing and cold brew, yes. For a gin infusion, loose leaf is easier to control: bag tea is cut fine to brew fast, so it releases tannin sooner, and a one-hour infusion can turn harsh. If you use bags, check after 30 minutes.

Why was Earl Grey named after a Prime Minister?

Probably because of Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, Prime Minister in the 1830s, but the link is uncertain. Bergamot-scented tea is recorded from the 1820s, “Grey’s tea” from 1852 and “Earl Grey” advertisements from the 1880s. The popular stories of how he came by it are unproven.

How long does Earl Grey keep?

Loose leaf is freshest within a year of opening, kept airtight, dark and dry. The bergamot is what fades first, so an old caddy makes a plainer tea. A gin infusion keeps like the gin once it is strained clear of leaf.

Make something

Made with Earl Grey Tea

Featured In These Cocktails

Earl Grey MarTEAni Tropical Punch

Often Used With

Honey

Guide by Jerry Can Spirits · Updated 11 October 2026

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