10.12.2011

Vegan MoFo - Day 12

Day 12 - Earl Grey Tea

If my partner Matt weren't so busy playing Witcher 2, I'd ask him to write this post. Afterall, his favorite tea just happens to be today's MoFo feature!

Earl Grey tea with a splash of frothed soymilk
Before I divulge the wondrous experience that is a cup of Earl Grey, let me be the first to complement the creator of the mug you see pictured. Anne Marie’s Pottery shop on Etsy make some of the most well crafted tableware I’ve seen. For Matt’s birthday, I purchased a mug she made especially for left-handed men fashioning moustaches. It’s amazing and I kind of wish I had a thick ‘stache just so I could experience this mug honestly. At any rate, Earl Grey tea is especially enjoyable out of mugs…

Bit o’ History: Earl Grey tea is brought together by combining black tea with the oil of bergamot, a citrus fruit. It’s a very popular blend found in any half-decent cafĂ©* and is the most common type of tea in the US and England. It’s named after Charles I Grey, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. In 1806, Charles I was given the title of Earl Grey, but died only a year later. His son Charles II (the 2nd Earl Grey) is actually the one who went on to have a tea named after him! Many theorists believe Earl Grey II received the tea as a gift from the Chinese – the actual inventors of the tea.

When browsing the shops for Earl Grey tea, I try to look for brands that use Chinese black tea leaves over Indian black tea. Narien and Lupicia are great quality tea merchants that have online stores if your local grocer doesn't carry them.

Cheers!

*Let’s not confuse good tea with the shavings found in most grocery stores these days.

3 comments:

  1. I adore Earl Grey, it is my every day tea of choice and that mug is brilliant! I love to cook with it too. I've made Earl Grey and choc chip biscotti before and there is a shortbread recipe I make a lot that's really easy and makes a good present.
    http://cakeliberationfrontrecipes.blogspot.com/2010/10/earl-grey-shortbread.html

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  2. earl grey is one of my favorites - english breakfast is one of them as well......the mug is awesome beyond belief and i totally saw yours and bought one for my moustached brother. yay!

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  3. Wow, I'm so honored to have you feature one of my Mustache Mugs.
    Thanks so Much!!!!!

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