How to Brew Earl Grey Tea

What You Need

Brewing a good cup of Earl Grey is not complicated, but it does require paying attention to a few details. I have been importing and selling black tea for over fifteen years, and the same mistakes come up again and again: water too hot, too much leaf, steeping too long.

Here is what you need: a kettle, a teapot or large mug, loose-leaf Earl Grey, and a timer. That is it. No special equipment required.

For leaf quantity, use one teaspoon — roughly 2 to 3 grams — per 200 ml of water. This ratio gives you a well-balanced cup. If you prefer a stronger brew, add more leaf rather than steeping longer. More leaf at the same time extracts more flavor without the bitterness that comes from over-steeping.

Step by Step

Start by boiling fresh water. Stale, re-boiled water has less dissolved oxygen and produces a flat-tasting cup. Use fresh water every time.

While the kettle heats, warm your brewing vessel. Pour in a splash of hot water, swirl it around, and discard. This keeps the brewing temperature stable instead of dropping the moment you add water to a cold pot.

Let the kettle cool for about 30 seconds after it reaches a boil. You want the water temperature around 95 degrees Celsius — hot enough to extract the tea properly, but not so hot that it pulls harsh tannins immediately.

Add your tea leaves to the warmed vessel and pour the water directly over them. Start your timer. For our Earl Grey, I recommend three and a half minutes as a starting point.

When the timer goes off, remove the leaves. If you are using an infuser, lift it out. If brewing freely in the pot, pour through a strainer into your cup. Do not leave the leaves sitting in the water — they will keep extracting and the cup will turn bitter.

Common Mistakes

The biggest one is ignoring steeping time. People pour the water, walk away, and come back five or ten minutes later. By then the tea is over-extracted and astringent. Set a timer every single time.

The second mistake is water quality. Tap water with heavy chlorine or mineral content interferes with the bergamot and tea flavors. If your tap water tastes off on its own, it will taste off in your tea. Use filtered water if needed.

Third: using boiling water straight from the kettle. A full rolling boil is 100 degrees, which is fine for a short steep but punishing for anything longer than three minutes. Let it cool slightly.

• Use fresh water, not re-boiled
• Pre-warm your vessel
• One teaspoon per 200 ml
• 95 degrees, 3-4 minutes
• Remove leaves when the timer goes off

Good Earl Grey does not need milk or sugar to taste right. If the tea is brewed properly, the bergamot and the black tea base speak for themselves. That said, a splash of milk rounds off the tannins nicely if that is your preference.