Today as my son was working on scones for the 4-H fair he wanted to add Earl Grey tea to his menu. (Thank you dear son.) I hurried down the rabbit trail looking up who was the Earl? What is in Earl Grey tea? What makes Earl Grey called it's name? I really was full of wonder.
And what did I find? CONNECTIONS! I keep an essential oil next to my bed. It's my favorite scent and I use it all sorts of times. I wear it to bed. I put it on in the morning. I often use it to cover up other smells of the farm life....sigh. It's the essential oil called Bergamont.
Did you know Earl Grey tea has bergamont in it? I didn't until today!
Listen to this!
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.
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) on the Twinings website, as "having been presented by an envoy on his return from China".
Okay Wiki. I'll play. I'd love to think that Charles Grey rescued someone and then found bergamont oil in China.
But where is bergamont from? Looks like Italy and Greece. So perhaps Lord Grey was visiting the Santa Maria Novella church and saw the Fresco while drinking his own blend of tea? Hmmm.
Okay now I'm really dreaming! And then I looked up what Bergamont essential oil is supposed to be used for (because I probably bought it initally for some important reason!)
Did you know it can help with depression? It can decrease stress levels when they are high. It purifies and cleanses the skin. It really is a wonder!
So that's it. I just have to drink Earl Grey tea. Especially on high tension days. With my scones.
Do you wonder about tea?