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Earl Grey tea is a tea blend with a distinctive citrus flavour and aroma derived from the addition of oil extracted from the rind of the bergamot orange, a fragrant citrus fruit. Traditionally, the term "Earl Grey" has applied only to black teas that contain oil of bergamot as a flavouring. ==History== Bergamot orange (''Citrus bergamia'') is a small citrus tree which blossoms during the winter and is grown commercially in Calabria, Italy.〔(【引用サイトリンク】 work = Germplasm Resources Information Network )〕 It is likely a hybrid of ''Citrus limetta'' and ''Citrus aurantium''.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=RFLP Analysis of the Origin of Citrus Bergamia, Citrus Jambhiri, and Citrus Limonia )〕 Tea flavoured with bergamot to imitate the more expensive types of Chinese tea has been known in England at least since the 1820s. In 1837 there is a record of court proceedings against Brocksop & Co. who were found to have supplied tea "artificially scented, and, drugged with bergamot in this country." A 'Grey's Tea' is known from the 1850s, but the first known published references to an 'Earl Grey' tea are advertisements by Charlton & Co. of Jermyn Street in London in the 1880s.〔(【引用サイトリンク】 url=http://www.foodsofengland.co.uk/earlgreytea.htm )〕 The Earl Grey blend, or "Earl Grey's Mixture", is assumed to be named after Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, British Prime Minister in the 1830s and author of the Reform Bill of 1832. He reputedly received a gift, probably a diplomatic perquisite, of tea flavoured with bergamot oil.〔Kramer, Ione. ''All the Tea in China''. China Books, 1990. ISBN 0-8351-2194-1. Pages 180-181.〕 According to one legend, a grateful Chinese mandarin whose son was rescued from drowning by one of Lord Grey's men first presented the blend to the Earl in 1803. The tale appears to be apocryphal, as Lord Grey never set foot in China and the use of bergamot oil to scent tea was then unknown in China. However, this tale is subsequently told (and slightly corrected) as on the Twinings website, as "having been presented by an envoy on his return from China". Jacksons of Piccadilly claim they originated Earl Grey's Tea, Lord Grey having given the recipe to Robert Jackson & Co. partner George Charlton in 1830. According to Jacksons, the original recipe has been in constant production and has never left their hands. Theirs has been based on Chinese black tea since the beginning. According to the Grey family, the tea was specially blended by a Chinese mandarin for Lord Grey, to suit the water at Howick Hall, the family seat in Northumberland, using bergamot in particular to offset the preponderance of lime in the local water. Lady Grey used it to entertain in London as a political hostess, and it proved so popular that she was asked if it could be sold to others, which is how Twinings came to market it as a brand. "Earl Grey" (as applied to tea) is not a registered trademark,〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Review: Twinings Earl Grey tea )〕 and numerous tea companies produce their own versions of Earl Grey tea, using a wide variety of tea leaves and additives. "Lady Grey", on the other hand, is a trademark of Twinings.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Justicia trademark database )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Earl Grey tea」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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