Product Overview
EARL GREY GREEN
(Green Tea with natural flavors)
ARTISANAL NOTES:Small Batch Blended and Packed in Canada. HACCP Certified.
INGREDIENTS FROM:Sri Lanka
REGION(S):Uva
SHIPPING PORT(S):Colombo
ANTIOXIDANT LEVEL:High
CAFFEINE LEVEL:Low
GRADE: Pekoe Gunpowder
GROWING ALTITUDE(S):4000 - 5900 feet above sea level
MANUFACTURE TYPE(S):Orthodox (Traditional leafy)
CUP CHARACTERISTICS:The all-natural bergamot oil with excellent Ceylon green tea gives a lively and sprightly Earl Grey
INFUSION:Pale yellow green.
INGREDIENTS:Green tea, Cornflower petals, and Natural flavors.
INFORMATION:
While Earl Grey black tea is the namesake of Charles, the 2nd Earl of Grey, it is a little known fact that Earl Grey green tea is named after Sir Albert Henry George, the 4th Earl of Grey who lived between 1851 and 1917. Sir Albert Henry George, (we'll call him Sir Al for short) served as Canada's Governor General, (the Queen of England's Canadian representative) from 1904 to 1911. It was during his tenure in this position that the tea that bears his name was first brewed.
The incident occurred when Sir Al made a visit to Newfoundland, which was then still part of England. The people of Newfoundland, as everyone knows, are great drinkers of tea, consuming more cups per capita than any other province or state in North America. Upon the arrival of the noble Sir Al, a magnificent tea party was planned on the front lawn of the Newfoundland parliament. The food was ordered a month in advance. The tables were set up days in advance.
Everything was going off without a hitch until 2 days before the party when the government's storage shed was struck by lightning. The fire started by the strike burnt their entire stock of Earl Grey tea.
Here's where it got interesting. A scrappy young lad named Angus Mcafee recalled that he had seen a few fresh barrels of bergamot down on his grandfather's dock in the harbor just in from the West Indies. He also knew that his other grandfather, who dabbled in the tea trade, had just received a shipment of green gunpowder tea from Ceylon. He put two and two together and spent the next 48 hours blending the tea and the bergamot together in an old barrel. The result was served at the garden party to great fanfare. Sir Al was delighted with the innovation and recommended that young Angus ship over to England to be knighted by the Queen herself. (No one is sure if Angus ever became Sir Angus - the records have been lost.)
And what did Sir Al like so much about the tea?
The answer is in the way the sweet bergamot blends with the slightly smoky profile of this green gunpowder tea. Raise a cup today and give a toast to Sir Al and young Angus.
Cheers!
HOT TEA BREWING METHOD:
Traditional method (see note below): When preparing by the cup, this tea can be used repeatedly - about 3 times. The secret is to use water that is about 180F/82C. Place 1 slightly heaping teaspoon in your cup let the tea steep for about 3 minutes and then begin enjoying a cup of enchantment - do not remove the leaves from the cup. Adding milk and sugar is not recommended.
Once the water level is low - add more water, and so on and so on - until the flavor of the tea is exhausted.
Look at the pattern of the leaves in the brew, not only do they foretell your fortune but you can see the bud and shoots presenting themselves, looking like they are about to be plucked.
Modern Method:
Bring filtered or freshly drawn cold water to a rolling boil. Place 1 slightly heaping teaspoon of loose tea for each 7-9oz/200-260ml of fluid volume in the teapot. Pour the boiling water into the teapot. Cover and let steep for 3-7 minutes according to taste (the longer the steeping time the stronger the tea). Adding milk or sugar is not recommended.
Note: Traditionally, the recommendation has been that green tea be brewed at 180F/82C. Regretfully, modern society makes it necessary to consider that water may not be free of harmful bacteria and other impurities. Therefore you need to boil water to kill bacteria. If you wish to use traditional brewing temperatures bring the water to a boil and allow it to cool to the desired brewing temperature - it's the food safe thing to do!
ICED TEA BREWING METHOD (Pitcher):
(to make 1 liter/quart): Place 6 slightly heaping teaspoons of loose tea into a teapot or heat resistant pitcher. Using filtered or freshly drawn cold water, boil and pour 1¼ cups/315ml over the tea. Steep for 5 minutes. Quarter fill a serving pitcher with cold water. Pour the tea into your serving pitcher straining the tea. Add ice and top-up the pitcher with cold water.
A rule of thumb when preparing fresh brewed iced tea is to increase the strength of hot tea since it will be poured over ice and diluted with cold water.
(Note: Some luxury quality teas may turn cloudy when poured over ice. This is a sign of luxury quality and nothing to worry about!)
ICED TEA-BREWING METHOD (Individual Serving):
Place 1 slightly heaping teaspoon of loose tea into a teapot for each serving required. Using filtered or freshly drawn cold water, boil and pour 6-7oz/170-200ml per serving over the tea. Cover and let steep for 5 minutes. Add hot tea to a 12oz/375ml acrylic glass filled with ice, straining the tea or removing the bags. Not all of the tea will fit, allowing for approximately an additional ½ serving.
A rule of thumb when preparing fresh brewed iced tea is to increase the strength of hot tea since it will be poured over ice and diluted.
(Note: Some luxury quality teas may turn cloudy when poured over ice. This is a sign of luxury quality and nothing to worry about!)
RECOMMENDATION:We recommend the use of our '1 Cup of Perfect Tea' measuring spoon for best results.
ANTIOXIDANT BENEFIT:
More antioxidants are extracted from tea (L. Camellia Sinesis), or rooibos (Asphalatus Linearis), the longer it is brewed and the more tea or rooibos that is used, the greater the antioxidant benefit.
FOOD SAFETY ADVISORY:
While green tea is traditionally brewed using 180F/82C water, we strongly recommend using filtered or freshly drawn cold water brought to a rolling boil when brewing all types of tea. Today's water has been known to carry viruses, parasites and bacteria. Boiling the water will kill these elements and reduce the potential incidence of water-borne illnesses.
IDEAL BREWING TEMPERATURE:100C/212F.
MINIMUM BREWING TEMPERATURE: 90C/194F.
