Lady Gray tea is a lighter and more delicate version of Earl Gray tea, named after Mary Elizabeth Grey. It includes bergamot oil, lemon, and orange zest, and is of high quality. It can be enjoyed as an afternoon tea, with or without milk and sugar, and can also be used to make iced tea.
Lady Gray tea, currently produced only by Twinings, a 300-year-old tea company, differs slightly from Earl Gray tea. It is often misidentified as the name of Lady Jane Grey, but was actually named for Mary Elizabeth Grey, the wife of the second Earl Grey. Both family members had tea named after them in the early 19th century from the Twinings Company. Both teas include bergamot oil, but Lady Gray includes other citrus flavors and is usually lighter in flavor.
Many people are familiar with Earl Gray tea, which is typically a blend of black tea and bergamot oil. Bergamot is a citrus fruit that is a cross between a lemon and an orange. Depending on the brand, the bergamot flavor in Earl Gray tea can be very strong or very mild.
The main difference between Lady Gray and Earl Gray tea is that Twinings blends bergamot oil more lightly with lemon and orange zest. Those who find the flavor of bergamot pleasant but overpowering in Earl Gray tea can truly appreciate the more delicate and lighter flavors of Lady Grey. It is often thought of as an afternoon tea due to its milder flavour.
Another plus of this tea is its quality. When bergamot oil is used heavily, tea aficionados are quick to point out, it can mask the flavor of inferior tea leaves. With the lightest application, the tea used should be of good quality, or it could taste bitter, oily or rancid. Luckily, because Lady Gray Tea is a Twinings Company proprietary blend, the quality of the leaves is high.
Not all tea drinkers, particularly in the United States, are familiar with this particular type of tea, but it is increasingly being marketed, especially in the form of tea bags. Tea drinkers who prefer to use tea leaves should be able to find loose leaf tea at online stores, if it’s not available in local stores. Traditionally, the tea could be used as a light morning or afternoon tea. Some drink it with milk and sugar, while others prefer it straight or with a small amount of sweetener. The light flavors of the tea can be overpowered if a large amount of milk is added. A small amount of sugar, or an accompanying wedge of lemon, tends to accentuate the flavors nicely.
Lady Gray can also be used to make iced tea. Because of its pleasant citrus flavors, many people find it especially refreshing during warm months, and it has an inherent sweet flavor that tends not to require a lot of sugar. Since it’s black tea, it does contain caffeine, although twins form a decaffeinated form.
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