Which country is associated with the tea blend Earl Grey?

Which country is associated with the tea blend Earl Grey? The answer is the United Kingdom.

Earl Grey is strongly linked with Britain because the blend is traditionally associated with Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, who served as British prime minister in the 1830s. However, the exact origin story is disputed. Legends say a Chinese diplomat gave Grey the recipe, while other accounts connect its development to British tea merchants.

The defining ingredient is bergamot oil, extracted from the peel of the bergamot orange. The tea is usually made with black tea, though green- and oolong-based versions also exist. Bergamot itself is especially associated with Calabria in southern Italy, which produces most of the world's bergamot oil.

A common mix-up is treating Earl Grey as a tea grown in Britain. It is a flavored blend, and its leaves may come from China, India, Sri Lanka, or elsewhere. The name signals its British cultural association, not the botanical origin of the tea leaves.