A Life Saver's Princely Reward.The recipe for this tea was given to 19th century British Prime Minister Earl Grey of Hoswick Hall by a Chinese manadarin, reportedly in gratitude after the earl saved his life. The recipe's biggest secret is to get just the right doseage of bergamot oil, which is a rather intense, tangy scent derived from the bergamot orange (which in turn is a cross between the pear lemon and the sour orange; the latter is native to South Vietnam, and its oil was probably the recipe's original ingredient): using too much bergamot oil can easily obscure the black tea's natural flavor.
But with Twinings, Taylors, Tazo and Whittard you don't go wrong: with Twinings, because the original Earl Grey turned to none other than that company's founder Thomas Twining for a match to the quickly dwindling supply he had received from his Chinese friend, and the original recipe is still faithfully adhered to today; and Tazo, Taylors' and Whittard's blends, similarly, have a distinct bergamot note that nevertheless leaves ample room for the black tea's aroma to unfold underneath.
Like Twinings, Tazo and Taylors exclusively use Chinese black teas; Whittard's Earl Grey is a blend of Chinese and Indian teas, thus also maintaining a stronger sense of the original recipe than the blends of other companies, which use Indian and Sri Lankan teas instead.
Unless you insist on having all your tea with cream or milk, I recommend having this one without any kind of milk products: not only does the original recipe not call for such an addition; in my mind it just plain ruins the blend's particular flavor. (But that's just me, of course.)
Russia's "Other" National Beverage.The Russian tea tradition began with the powerful Romanov dynasty – although not with Mikhail Feodorovich Romanov (1596 – 1645), the dynasty's founder and first czar, but strictly speaking with his ambassador to the court of the Mogul emperor of North India, who was offered tea as a gift to his master ... and declined, concluding that Czar Mikhail would have no use for it anyway. Thus, only after Russia and China had signed a border agreement in 1689 (the treaty of Nerchinsk), which reduced all trade between the two countries to a single trading post essentially in the middle of nowhere, tea was introduced into Russia along with cotton, silk and other Chinese merchandise, and soon acquired substantial popularity. After 1700, over 600 camel loads or 350,000 pounds of tea annually made their way from that remote trading post to St. Petersburg, taking almost a year to cover the distance of 4000 miles. Although due to the hardships involved in its importation tea was originally too expensive for ordinary Russians to afford, Czarina Elizabeth initiated a regular private tea caravan, and by the time of the death of Catherine the Great in 1796 – roughly a century after the treaty of Nerchinsk – Russian tea consumption had increased tenfold, rivaling vodka in status as the empire's national drink; and Russian culture had been enriched by the invention of the samovar, a nomad firepot specifically adapted to heat tea.
Unlike the brick tea bought for Siberia, the Caravan Tea (loose leaf tea) imported for the Russian aristocracy further continued to grow in popularity during the first half of the 19th century; by 1830, caravans included as many as 10,000 camels. Traditionally, Caravan Tea is a blend of Chinese (and these days, frequently also Indian and/or Ceylonese) teas with a warm aroma and a note of Assam-style maltiness. Depending on the blend, often it also has a certain smokey flavor derived from the inclusion of Lapsang Souchong.
Delicate Floral Pearls in Bloom.A Ming Dynasty (AD 1368 – 1644) creation believed to lower cholesterol and promote longevity, jasmine tea consists of Chinese green tea leaves – usually green teas from Fujian province, which is also home to the semi-fermented Oolong and smoky Lapsang Souchong – scented with jasmine flowers. Traditionally, the flowers are harvested during the day and stored in a cool place until nightfall, when they develop their full fragrance. They are then layered over the tea leaves, which have previously been steamed or heated to prevent their oxidation.
The tea's quality is determined both by the quality of the green tea used as its base and by the effectiveness of the scenting process. The highest-priced jasmine teas are based on what is known as jasmine pearls: small leaves from the tip of the tea branchlet that are picked, steamed, laid out flat while still limp, covered with a single jasmine petal, lightly steamed again to regain softness, and then rolled by hand into small pearls. Thereafter, the tea is sometimes wrapped in silk mesh and dried by fire to set the form. Brewed, it has a delicate, silvery color and a rich fragrance reminiscent of a flower garden in bloom.
The Quintessential Breakfast Tea.Calling this blend "English" Breakfast is a bit of a misnomer, because it was a Scotsman – a 19th century Edinburgh tea master named Drysdale – who first marketed his particular blend under the name "breakfast tea." It proved so popular, however, that it was soon copied by tea houses all over Britain, many of which then added the word "English," which has been part of its name ever since.
English Breakfast can contain black teas from a variety of origins, among them India, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Malawi and China. Stronger than most other teas, the blend is made to match the traditionally heavy English breakfast, which to this day often includes pork, sausages and eggs, and for this reason English Breakfast tea also maintains its flavor very well with the addition of cream or milk.
It is certainly less refined than Darjeeling or even Earl Grey, but hard to beat as an everyday "work horse," and as good or better an early morning pick-me-up as any kind of coffee.
The Emerald Island's Favorite Blend.Did you know that the Irish – not the English – are per capita the world's highest consumers of tea? No wonder, then, that there is a breakfast blend named for them; although Irish Breakfast is actually strong enough to be a great pick-me-up throughout the day.
Traditionally, it consists primarily of teas from Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and Assam. Irish Breakfast has an intricately full-bodied, malty, floral aroma and goes particularly well with milk (or cream, but real milk is preferable).
Tradition and Tea Cakes.Contrary to popular belief, for a long time tea was not traditionally consumed at a particular time of day in Britain. Although it had been available for quite a while, it was King Charles II (1660 – 1685) who first made it popular as an all-day beverage. Roughly two centuries later, Anna, the seventh Duchess of Bedford (1783 – 1857), one of Queen Victoria's ladies-in-waiting, one afternoon had her servants bring her tea and little cakes to conquer the "sinking feeling" she tended to experience every day around this time – and afternoon tea was born when she not only repeated the exercise on a daily basis herself because she liked it so much but also began to serve afternoon tea to friends and fellow courtiers, who soon took to it as well.
Afternoon teas are usually milder than the varieties drunk at breakfast, and not infrequently they also contain traces of other aromas (without going all the way to a perfumed blend such as Earl Grey). Whittard's variety is based primarily on Chinese teas, with just a trace of bergamot, jasmin and rose petals for a fine and ever so slightly exotic taste that goes well with delicate little cakes and finger foods. It's an excellent refreshment between lunch and dinner – just as originally intended by the Duchess of Bedford!
India's Original Spiced Milk Tea.In many languages around the world, "chai" simply means "tea." In India, however, the word denotes a specialty that to tea lovers even in the West is fast becoming what cappuccino already is to coffee lovers: spiced milk tea.
Chai comes in a variety of recipes that differ from region to region, although traditionally it consists of a blend of black tea, rich milk, various spices and a sweetner. The spices most commonly used are cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and pepper. Precisely those are contained in Peet's Masala Chai as well – Whittard's variety leaves out the pepper and adds citrus and citrus oil instead, making for a more fruity, thoroughly refreshing aroma; and Tazo's very peppery Chai adds rooibos, vanilla, star anise and chicory to the traditional recipe.
You should always have this tea with real sugar, even if you have all your regular tea without any kind of sweetener, because only sugar will bring out the full flavor of the spices. And if you like your store-bought Chai, maybe you'll one day try brewing chai from fresh black tea and spices, too! Namaste ...
The Brew That Launched a Company.With its recipe of black tea, orange grind and holiday spices (primarily cinnamon), the Bigelow company's flagship was created by Mrs. Bigelow on the basis of an old colonial recipe over half a century ago. The blend soon became so popular among her friends that their "constant comments" of approval eventually prompted Ruth and husband David Bigelow to found their own tea company. Since then, "Constant Comment" has long become a true classic ... and if you love tea, it is indeed the perfect refreshment; whether or not it's Christmas time. (E.g., it also makes for great iced tea in summer; particularly if you add a bit of lemon.)
If you're making more than a single cup of tea, and unless you like your tea very weak, you may want to rethink the company's measuring directions – based on the the "one bag per cup" ratio, you'll likely need two or more bags for an entire pot (depending on size), even when steeping an extra minute or two.
Themis-Athena's tea guides: Part 1 (The Basics), Part 2 (Individual Teas) and Part 3 (Scented & Herbal Teas)
Themis-Athena's introduction to tea history and grades, and presentation of select teas from India and Sri Lanka, China, Japan, and Africa and South America.
Themis-Athena's select annotated tea list and bibliography of tea books and accessories
Themis-Athena's guide to European cooking
Copyright 2001-2007: Themis-Athena, all rights reserved.
