The Ultimate Guide to Making Earl Grey Tea

What is Earl Grey Tea?

Earl Grey Tea is a type of tea made from black tea leaves that are flavored with bergamot, a type of citrus fruit native to southern Italy. If you use essential oil, perfumes or scented toiletries you may already be familiar with the light, citrusy scent of bergamot.

Bergamot adds a mild citrus flavor to black tea as well as adding to the healthy flavonoids already present in black tea.

Bergamot was originally added to tea to enhance the flavor of lower-quality teas.

Two different methods are used to produce Earl Grey tea: 

One method is to spray the black tea leaves with essential oils from the rind of bergamot oranges. The bergamot oil coats the tea leaves giving the tea a mild citrus flavor when it is steeped.

The second method is to combine the tea leaves with the dried bergamot peel itself. The dried peel infuses the tea with bergamot flavor.

Earl Grey tea is said to be named for Charles Grey, 2nd Earl of Grey and British Prime Minister in the 1830’s. There is some controversy over the origin of the tea but nonetheless Earl Grey is a very popular tea in both England and North America.

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What You Need To Make the Perfect Cup of Earl Grey Tea

To make Earl Grey tea you will need the following:

Loose leaf Earl Grey tea or Earl Grey tea bags

Cold water

A kettle, preferably one with temperature controls like this one

A teapot with an infuser or a tea mug with an infuser

Tea cup (if using a teapot)

Sweetener of choice if desired

Lemon (optional)

How to Brew Earl Grey Tea 

Here are the steps to make a perfect cup of Earl Grey tea:

1. Heat water to 208°F (98°C) which is just below the boiling point. A temperature controlled kettle would be ideal for this.

2. Warm up the teapot by adding some of the hot water to it and giving it a swirl. Then dump this water out.

3. Place loose leaf Earl Grey in a teapot. Use one teaspoon of tea leaves per cup. 

4.  Pour hot water over tea leaves and allow to steep for 3 minutes. 

5. Pour the hot tea from the pot into your cup. If your pot doesn’t have an infuser, use a tea strainer when pouring into the cup.

6. Add sugar or honey and milk of choice if desired. A squeeze of fresh lemon is also nice in this tea but don’t use the lemon if you are adding milk as the lemon will cause the milk to curdle!

For more information on brewing tea read this post on How to Properly Brew a Perfect Pot of Tea.

How Do You Make Earl Grey Tea in a Cup?

If you don’t have a teapot or don’t want to fuss with a whole pot of tea you can certainly make just one cup of Earl Grey for a nice, relaxing afternoon break for yourself. 

Loose Leaf Tea: If you are using loose leaf tea you will need a cup with an infuser. Put the tea in the infuser and pour the hot water over it. Cover the cup (most cups come with a cover) and let it steep for 3 minutes. Remove the infuser with the tea leaves and sweeten the tea if desired.

Tea Bag: Earl Grey tea bags are easily found at supermarkets, Amazon or specialty stores. Place the tea bag in the cup and pour the hot water slowly over the tea bag. Allow it to sit and steep for 4-5 minutes, dunking it occasionally to distribute the flavor. Remove the tea bag and enjoy your cup of tea. 

Note: Some people leave the tea bag in the tea while they drink it but allowing your tea to steep longer than necessary will cause the tea to become bitter. If you want stronger tea use two tea bags or more loose-leaf tea and only steep for the recommended time.

Should You Put Milk in Earl Grey Tea?

Earl Grey tea is traditionally served with a little sugar and a squeeze of lemon but adding milk to the tea is the most common way to serve it in North America. 

In fact, there is a very popular drink among tea drinkers called London Fog that uses Earl Grey tea, steamed milk, pure vanilla extract and sugar. 

Variations of Earl Grey Tea

There are many variations of Earl Grey Tea. Here are a few you can try.

Earl Grey Green Tea

Tea made with green tea leaves instead of the usual ceylon tea leaves for an added boost in antioxidants.

London Fog

A very popular and delicious drink combining Earl Grey tea, warm, frothy milk, (whole milk is the easiest milk to froth) vanilla and brown sugar. You can also use vanilla syrup in place of the vanilla and brown sugar. 

French Earl Grey

Earl Grey tea leaves mixed with dried rose petals.

Russian Earl Grey

Earl Grey tea mixed with citrus peels and lemon grass.

Earl Grey White Tea

White tea leaves are used instead of black tea.

Rooibos Earl Grey or Red Earl Grey

This variation replaces the black tea with rooibos tea leaves.

Lady Grey

Earl Grey tea leaves mixed with lemon and orange peels.

Adding Extras! How To Customize Your Earl Grey Tea

There are many different ways to customize your tea and make it more enjoyable. Adding lemon verbena leaves or lavender can be a great addition to the taste of your tea.

Choosing different sweeteners to enhance the taste is another great way to customize your tea. Try adding maple syrup, simple syrup or vanilla syrup to give that little bit of sweetness. 

Any type of milk can be used. Make vegan Earl Grey by using plant based milk such as oat milk or vanilla almond milk instead of dairy.

Don’t forget to include a sweet treat to enjoy with your afternoon tea. My Lemon Coconut Loaf Cake would be a perfect accompaniment to a cup of Earl Grey.

Cold Brewed Earl Grey

Earl Grey can be served hot or iced depending on the weather or preference of the drinker.

Iced tea is delicious on a hot day. 

To make cold brewed Earl Grey:

1. Add Earl Grey tea leaves or tea bags to a glass pitcher or special cold brew jug.
2. Place in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight.
3. Strain the tea or remove the tea bags and pour into a cup or glass
4. Add ice and a sweetener if desired. It is best to sweeten cold tea with a liquid sweetener such as a simple syrup since sugar does not easily dissolve in cold tea.

You might also enjoy Earl Grey Lavender Iced Tea. A soothing and delicious drink on a hot day!