Earl Grey vs Lady Grey: Differences and Similarities
Both Earl Grey and Lady Grey fall into the category of flavoured teas. While Earl Grey tea is only flavoured with bergamot oil, Lady Grey contains additional orange and lemon peel.
While Earl Grey has a tradition that goes back hundreds of years, Lady Grey is a relatively new invention that was designed for the Nordic market, but surprisingly became popular worldwide.
Earl Grey vs Lady Grey: Differences
Here are the main differences between the two teas.
Earl Grey tea:
Strong taste
Contains only bergamot flavour
Not trademarked
Different varieties made by different brands
Likely originated in 19th century
Lady Grey tea:
Lighter bergamot flavour
Contains orange and lemon peel as well
Trademarked by Twinings
No varieties of this tea
Originated in early 1990s
Earl Grey vs Lady Grey: Similarities
Both Earl Grey and Lady Grey teas are:
Bergamot-flavoured
True teas
Types of black tea
Contain caffeine
What is Earl Grey tea?
Earl Grey is a classic blend made from black tea flavoured with bergamot essential oil. Bergamot orange is a small citrus fruit, that mainly grows in the Mediterranean. It is not to be confused with the herbs also known as bergamot.
Earl Grey is considered a classic blend for breakfast and afternoon tea. It probably originated somewhere in the 19th century. It is an ongoing debate whether the tea was named after Charles Grey, the 2nd Earl Grey, or his son Henry, the 3rd Earl Grey.
Either way, after its introduction the blend quickly gained popularity in the United Kingdom and beyond. The tea is not trademarked and different brands produce their own version of it.
What does Earl Grey tea taste like?
Earl Grey is a strong black tea with a strong citrusy bergamot flavour. For some people this tea is too strong, and that’s why Lady Grey was developed.
What is Lady Grey tea?
Lady Grey was developed in the early 1990s by Twinings. The tea was invented for the Nordic market, where people found the flavour of traditional Earl Grey tea too strong.
Both teas are based on the same black tea blend. To make the flavour less strong, Lady Grey contains less bergamot than Earl Grey. To give Lady Grey a fruitier aroma, lemon and orange peel were added as well.
What does Lady Grey tea taste like?
Lady Grey tea tastes very similar to Earl Grey, but is lighter and fruitier. The bergamot flavour in Lady Grey is less pronounced and replaced by fruity orange and lemon peel.
Other types of Earl Grey tea
Unlike Lady Grey, Earl Grey tea is not trademarked and brands are free to sell their own version of the tea. In addition, tea producers have experimented a lot with the classic recipe and produced many other varieties based on Earl Grey. What all of these teas have in common is the addition of bergamot.
Other types of Earl Grey tea include:
Classic Earl Grey blends:
The Staunton Earl Grey
Russian Earl Grey
French Earl Grey
Contemporary Earl Grey blends:
Earl Grey Crème
Smoky Earl Grey
Plummy Earl Grey
Double Bergamot
Aged Earl Grey
Caffeine-free Earl Grey:
Decaf Earl Grey
Earl Grey Rooibos
Earl Grey Honeybush
Lady Grey is also considered a “classic" Earl Grey blend.
Besides the many classic and contemporary blends, caffeine-free versions of Earl Grey are also available. The classic “Decaf” tea is likely the most popular among them. But other caffeine-free versions based on herbal tea instead of true tea, such as rooibos and honeybush, are also available.