The Earl Grey Experiment
3 May 2013
It’s no secret that I love Earl Grey. It seriously brightens my every afternoon, and the ritual of putting on the kettle and measuring out the leaves makes me feel like I am doing a tiny nice thing for myself. I always always appreciate it. I have known for a long time that the citrus aroma of Earl Grey comes from bergamot, or specifically, from the super concentrated oil of bergamot. But imagine my glee when I found bergamots in stock at Berkeley Bowl last month! I could make my own Earl Grey! And I even found this super handy little guide to the process.
Here is my bergamot, ready to be peeled.
And here are its beauteous peels, filling my kitchen with a peppery citrus scent and waiting to be dried.
I just left them out in the kitchen for a day or so, and they were ready to go.
I broke them into small pieces and added to them to some very neutral black tea. That’s all!
I brewed some this afternoon as a test drive, and…it needs more bergamot! I should have bought three or four of them, but alas, hindsight is 20/20. I am sure the oil is more concentrated than the peels, so I’ll add some more next time. Or I’ll use my secret weapon: I juiced the bergamot, so I can always add that secret sauce. For now, I am grateful that I can leave it to the professionals, since I definitely haven’t mastered this art, but this was still a really fun project!

May 03, 2013 @ 05:40:42
I bet if you tweak the recipe it will be perfect. I’ve never seen that fruit before, interesting!
May 06, 2013 @ 21:21:49
I had never seen it before either! It was sort of like the Turkish delight in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe for me when I was little–a mysterious substance! I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw it in the store. If I ever do see the oil of bergamot for sale, I would certainly get it too. Think what lovely tea cakes I could bake! π
May 03, 2013 @ 16:37:29
I really need to get back to drinking tea. Want to come here and make me some? π
May 06, 2013 @ 21:24:00
Yes! Mos def! π Sorry I missed you on Skype this morning–I was sleeping in like the queen of laziness (mostly because I’ve been staying up late reading Dostoevsky for my book club…I feel like I’m in college again!)