Earl Grey steep time and temperature

By exactee · Updated 2026-10-13

Brew Earl Grey with water just off the boil (95–100 °C (203–212 °F)), about 2.5 g of loose tea or one bag per 250 ml, for 3–4 minutes. Go to 3 minutes if you drink it black or with lemon, and 4 minutes if you add milk. Longer steeps make the black tea base harsh and the bergamot perfumey.

What Earl Grey is

Earl Grey is black tea scented with oil of bergamot, a fragrant citrus fruit grown mainly in Calabria in southern Italy. The base is usually a Chinese or Ceylon black tea, sometimes Darjeeling or a blend. Because the base is black tea, it brews like black tea, but the citrus oil adds a second thing to watch: the aroma is volatile and can turn soapy or bitter if the tea is overdone.

The name is generally linked to Charles Grey, the 2nd Earl Grey and British prime minister in the 1830s, though the story of how the blend came to carry his name is more legend than documented history.

Brewing parameters

Step by step

1. Warm the pot or mug with a splash of hot water and pour it out.
2. Weigh about 1 g per 100 ml (for a 300 ml mug, 3 g). The calculator does the maths.
3. Pour on freshly boiled water.
4. Steep 3–4 minutes, then strain or lift out the bag without squeezing.
5. Add milk, lemon or nothing.

Milk, lemon or neither?

All three are traditional. Black Earl Grey shows the bergamot most clearly. A slice of lemon underlines the citrus, but don’t combine lemon with milk: the acid can curdle it. Milk softens the tannins and turns Earl Grey into something rounder; brew a little stronger so the tea isn’t lost. Honey or sugar are a matter of taste.

Why does my Earl Grey taste bitter or soapy?

• Over-steeped: after about 5 minutes the black base becomes tannic and the bergamot loses its freshness.
• Too much tea: heavily scented blends can taste perfumey if over-dosed. Use a little less leaf rather than a shorter time.
• Old tea: bergamot oil fades and oxidises; store Earl Grey airtight, away from other teas (it scents them too).

More causes in why tea turns bitter.

Earl Grey variations

• Earl Grey on green tea: brew like green tea at 75–80 °C (167–176 °F) for 2 minutes.
• Lady Grey: a trademarked Twinings blend with extra citrus; brew like regular Earl Grey.
• Earl Grey with cornflowers or rose petals: the petals are decorative; same parameters.
• Rooibos “Earl Grey”: caffeine-free, steep 5–7 minutes in boiling water like other herbal teas.

London Fog (Earl Grey latte)

Brew a strong Earl Grey with 3 g of tea in 120 ml water for 4 minutes. Strain, add a little vanilla syrup or sugar, and top up with about 150 ml of steamed milk. Oat milk works well.

Iced and cold brew Earl Grey

Earl Grey is one of the best teas for cold brewing: 8 g per litre in the fridge for 8–10 hours gives a clear, citrusy tea with almost no bitterness. See cold brew tea. For quick iced tea, brew double strength hot and pour over ice; see iced tea ratio.

Caffeine

Earl Grey has as much caffeine as the black tea it is made from, so it is not an evening tea for caffeine-sensitive people. The bergamot doesn’t change that.

Buying Earl Grey

Two things decide the cup: the quality of the black tea base and the flavouring. A good Earl Grey smells of fresh citrus peel rather than of scented candles. Ingredient lists that name bergamot oil are more informative than a bare “flavouring”. Loose leaf is easier to dose than bags and can take a second steep. Buy small amounts: bergamot fades over time even in a sealed tin, and six months after opening many Earl Greys already taste noticeably flatter.