Velvet Earl Grey is a classic Earl Grey made the way it should be. We start with whole-leaf black tea from Nuwara Eliya, Dimbula and Uva, the three high-grown tea districts of Sri Lanka, where the bushes grow between 4,000 and 8,500 feet above sea level. Tea grown that high develops slowly in the cool mountain air, which gives Ceylon its floral bouquet, gentle briskness and bright, coppery cup.
We scent it with natural bergamot, the Calabrian citrus that gives Earl Grey its signature aroma, and finish it with blue cornflower petals. The blend takes its name from Charles Grey, the 2nd Earl Grey, Britain’s Prime Minister from 1830 to 1834. We use natural flavour only. Artificial flavouring is often used to cover up lower-grade tea, and a leaf this good doesn’t need hiding.
And it works as well as it tastes.
Black tea’s theaflavins are among the most researched antioxidants in tea. In a randomized trial, people who drank three cups of black tea a day for six months had lower blood pressure.[1] In a study at University College London, black tea drinkers had lower cortisol after a stressful task and recovered faster.[2] Its natural pairing of caffeine and L-theanine sharpens focus and attention.[3] And bergamot’s aroma is calming in its own right: inhaling it lowered the stress hormone cortisol in a study of 41 women.[4]
The name says the intent. Velvet is for the way it feels: smooth when you drink it straight, soft and silky the moment milk goes in. Choose loose leaf for the full ritual in your infuser mug, or pyramid tea bags when the morning is moving fast. The same whole leaves go into your cup either way.
Brew it for the afternoon slump, the slow Sunday morning, or the café-style treat you’d otherwise pay $6 for. Because your everyday cup deserves to be a great one.
