Earl Grey – Black tea, 10 bags

Earl Grey by A.C. Perch's Thehandel in a small box

Earl Grey from Perch's Thehandel is a Chinese black tea with bergamot flavoring, offered here in a box of ten bags. The underlying lychee aroma takes the sharpness off the citrus top note, keeping the infusion smooth and well-rounded even without milk.

Earl Grey is the bergamot tea from the Copenhagen tea house Perch's Thehandel, based on a mild Keemun from China. Ten individually wrapped pyramid bags come in a flat box that fits into any coat pocket and makes for a perfect little gift without any extra effort.

Citrus scent over a soft leaf

The fragrance rises bright and oily, much like the scent of a freshly scored citrus peel, with the berry-like sweetness of lychee underneath. In the cup, the tea is clear and amber-colored, and the first sip turns out milder than the bold reputation of a breakfast tea might suggest.

The Keemun holds back, allowing the aroma to take center stage rather than countering it with tannins. This is precisely what makes this tea a pleasant companion for a second or third cup in the morning, when a tart Assam would have long been too much. It pairs well with milk, while sugar makes it unnecessarily sweet.

The Keemun comes from the south of Anhui province, where the leaf withers slowly after harvest, developing a quiet note of malt and cocoa. This base supports the citrus note without masking it, and it explains why the infusion remains soft even if you accidentally leave it in the pot for a minute too long.

A gift that is always well received

Use water at 100 degrees Celsius and a steeping time of five minutes; afterwards, remove the bag to keep the tea elegant. It naturally finds its place on the breakfast table alongside butter cookies, a slice of light marble cake, or a spoonful of orange marmalade on toast.

Ten bags is just the right amount to give as a gift without obligating someone to a large stockpile. The small box works well next to a cup in a box, as a greeting in a package, or as an accompaniment to a cake. Those who decide to drink the tea every morning can reach for the box of twenty-five bags, and it is available loose as French Earl Grey in a tin. Both are available on the shelf with loose-leaf and bagged teas.

Bergamot from the Calabrian coast

Bergamot is the citrus fruit that grows almost exclusively on the Ionian coast of Calabria and whose pulp is so sour that no one wants to eat it. It is the peel that is needed: that is where the essential oil resides, giving every Earl Grey in the world its scent. Harvesting takes place between November and March, and the peels are pressed on the same day, as the oil would otherwise lose its freshness.

Because this oil is volatile, bergamot tea stored in the open loses its character within weeks. For this reason, Perch's Thehandel packs each bag individually in an airtight wrapper made of cellulose and wood fibers, which looks like plastic but is nonetheless compostable. You can find more from Copenhagen in the Perch's Thehandel collection.

The lychee, in turn, is a fruit with a rough red skin and white, floral flesh that has been at home in southern China for centuries. Its aroma provides a sweetness that tastes more of rose and grape than of citrus, and this nuance is exactly what distinguishes the Copenhagen classic from its English counterparts.