Earl Grey tea was named after Charles Grey, the second earl in his line. He was Prime Minister to King William IV in the early 19th century. The legend is that the Earl was given the recipe by a Chinese mandarin with whom he was friends, and whose life he had saved. Earl Grey is a blend of Indian and Ceylon teas. The tea gets its unusual flavor from oil of BERGAMOT. Bergamot is a small acidic orange. The latest research indicates that the Bergamot orange is a cross between the sweet or pear lemon (Citrus Limetta) and the Seville or sour orange (Citrus Aurantium). The sour orange is native to southern Vietnam, hence the Chinese connection. I have never tasted it my self.

One of my favorites! A very classical, easy to find tea blend. "Earl Grey tea is a tea blend with a distinctive 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" was applied only to black tea; however, today the term is also applied to green teas, including white tea and oolong, and tissanes, such as rooibos, that contain oil of bergamot." "The Earl Grey blend is named after the 2nd Earl Grey, British Prime Minister in the 1830s, who reputedly received a gift, probably a diplomatic perquisite, of tea flavoured with bergamot oil. The legend usually involves a grateful Chinese mandarin whose son was rescued from drowning by one of Lord Grey's men, although this blend of tea was first made from fermented black Indian and Ceylon teas. As green tea is much more popular in China than black tea, it seems somewhat unlikely that they would have had a recipe for what we now call Earl Grey to bestow on visitors, though over the years many other varieties of tea have been used. In addition, Lord Grey never set foot in China. Another version of the legend has the son of an Indian raja being rescued from a tiger by one of Grey's servants. Jacksons of Piccadilly claim that it was they who 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 China tea since the beginning." "Fictional characters who prefer Earl Grey tea include Jean-Luc Picard of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Bruce Wayne in the comic book series Batman, Dr. Eleanor Ann "Ellie" Arroway in Contact, James Bond, Frasier Crane of Frasier, Artemis Fowl of the Eoin Colfer books, Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard of NCIS, Piglet, Sir Leigh Teabing from The Da Vinci Code, Trent from Kim Harrison's Dead Witch Walking. Mario Santos, from Los Simuladores, always drinks Earl Grey tea." Source and further information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earl_Grey_tea