Breakfast Earl Grey Loose Leaf Black Tea

🍵 The Blend — A robust marriage of full-bodied black teas from China and Ceylon, scented with natural bergamot oil for a bolder, more invigorating take on the classic Earl Grey

🍵 The Colour — A deep, rich amber in the cup — stronger and more burnished than a traditional Earl Grey, with a lively bergamot aroma that rises from the first pour

🍵 The Character — Malty and full with a bright citrus lift; the bergamot brings fragrance without lightness, giving this loose leaf Earl Grey tea the backbone of a proper breakfast cup

🍵 The Occasion — Made for mornings — best with a splash of whole milk, a slice of lemon, or left to cool and poured over ice in warmer months

Breakfast Earl Grey loose leaf black tea takes one of Britain's most storied blends and gives it the strength to stand up to the morning. Where a classic Earl Grey is designed to be delicate — light-bodied, best drunk without milk — this version is built differently. The base is a carefully chosen combination of black teas from China and Ceylon, selected for their depth and malt, and then scented with bergamot oil to bring that unmistakable citrus character. The result is a cup that is genuinely full-bodied, aromatic, and bright — an Earl Grey with the constitution of a breakfast tea.

Earl Grey itself has a history as layered as the blend. Named after Charles Grey, the 2nd Earl Grey and British Prime Minister of the 1830s, the tea that bears his name has been wrapped in legend almost from the start. One long-told story holds that a Chinese mandarin gifted a specially scented tea to the Earl in gratitude for a diplomatic kindness; another credits the bergamot with its practical ability to balance the lime-heavy water on the Grey family's Northumberland estate. Whatever the truth, the pairing of bold black tea and bergamot oil proved enduring. Both Twinings and Jacksons of Piccadilly have laid claim to being its original blenders, and by the early twentieth century it was a fixture in tea shops across Britain.

The bergamot in this blend comes from the oil pressed from the rind of the bergamot orange — a small, fragrant citrus fruit grown predominantly in Calabria in southern Italy, which contributes the vast majority of the world's bergamot supply. It is too sour to eat but its essential oil is remarkable: floral, citrusy, and with a faint spicy edge that lifts black tea in a way nothing else quite replicates. Here it is applied generously enough to be present in every sip, but with enough restraint to let the underlying teas speak.

Drink it with milk for a hearty, classic morning cup. Add a slice of lemon if you prefer it brighter and cleaner. Or brew it strong, let it cool, and pour it over ice — it holds up well and makes an excellent iced tea in warmer weather.

Since 2008, High Teas London has been one of the country's leading independent tea specialists. With a collection of over 350 teas and infusions — one of the largest in the country — we have spent nearly two decades sourcing blends that genuinely reward the cup, from single-estate rarities to well-loved classics done properly.

Ingredients: Black tea (China, Ceylon), natural bergamot flavouring.

Brewing Note: Use one heaped teaspoon per cup and water just off the boil — around 95 to 100°C. Steep for 3 to 4 minutes for a balanced, aromatic cup, or push to 5 minutes if you prefer your Earl Grey on the stronger side. This blend takes milk well; if you are adding it, a short 3-minute steep keeps the bergamot fresh and forward. For iced Earl Grey, brew it double strength and pour straight over ice — the bergamot holds beautifully cold and the Chinese teas give it enough body to stand up to dilution.