Earl Grey Tea is the most popular tea blend in the western world. Its distinctive flavor is derived from the addition of oil of bergamot, a highly aromatic oil made from the rind of the fruit of the Citrus bergamia, a citrus fruit typical of Southeast Asia and grown commercially in Italy. The tea is named after the second Earl Grey, who was the British Prime Minister in the early 1830s. He reputedly received tea flavored with bergamot oil as a diplomatic gift.

The flavor of an Earl Grey tea depends on the quality and quantity of the oil used and the quality of the tea leaves. Our Earl Grey tea has a nice even flavor, good aroma, and is made from fine quality bergamot and China black teas. Use one teaspoon per cup and steep 3-5 minutes in freshly boiled water.

Our new Green Earl Grey is gunpowder green tea with oil of Bergamot, the classic Earl Grey flavor. We much prefer this blend to our old one. Slightly sweet and quite smooth. Good hot or for iced tea. Use 1 tsp per cup and steep 1.5-2 minutes in near boiling water.

Rose and Lavender Earl Grey Tea is like having an English garden in your cup! Years ago we had a tea similar to this, but our supplier vanished. We finally decided to re-create this lovely blend ourselves. Our Earl Grey tea blends the familiar taste of earl grey with the flowery essence of both roses and lavender. A truly delightful flavor! Use one teaspoon per cup, steep in freshly boiled water for 3-5 minutes, and enjoy.

Tea has been consumed in Russia for centuries. The drink was first introduced to the country during the Tsarist era in 1618. The Chinese ambassador to Moscow at the time presented Tsar Michael Fedorovich with several chests of tea as a gift. Although the Tsar accepted the gift with legendary Russian grace, the tea was not very well received at first. The Tsar and the people of his court were accustomed to drinking warm fruit and herbal beverages, therefore finding the new beverage slightly bitter. According to Russian folklore, it was one of Tsar Michael's chefs who came up with the idea of adding fruit and spice to the tea in order to enhance its flavor. Various blends were experimented with using combinations of ginger, salt, orange peel, rice, onions, and various herbs and spices. The most popular of these blends, however, were the more heavily sweetened versions based on citrus fruit. As years wore on, tea consumed in this fashion spread throughout Russia, and samovars, a unique and traditional Russian teapot, became ubiquitous throughout the continent. To this day, Russians are among the highest per capita tea drinkers in the world and enjoy the drink at all times of the day.

Our Russian Earl Grey was created in honor of Tsar Michael and in keeping with the Russian tradition, orange peel and lemongrass were added to the tart character of bergamot (the citrus fruit used to flavor all Earl Greys) creating an unquestionable citrus flavor! Enhanced with cornflower petals. Add a splash of milk to really bring out the citrus overtones of the blend - or add some sugar to sweeten it up Russian style! Use one teaspoon per cup and steep 3 minutes in freshly boiled water.