Is Earl Grey Tea Healthy: Health Benefits of Earl Grey Tea

Sipping a nice cup of Earl Grey tea can be quite a pleasant experience.  The hot liquid coursing through your body helps warm you up and brings along a sense of peace and relaxation.  Earl Grey tea is also caffeinated to help keep you alert and ready to tackle whatever comes your way during the day.  But, is Earl Grey tea healthy, or is it just enjoyable to drink?  Below we’ve outlined some of the health benefits of Earl Grey tea to help you learn more about this wonderful drink that not only tastes good but can help improve your health and overall well-being.

What is Earl Grey Tea

Earl Grey tea, which may also be called Bergamot tea, is made from black tea leaves and fruit from the Citrus bergamia tree.  It is a type of flavored tea that originated in Southeast Asia, despite its British nickname.

However, Earl Grey is not only popular in Southeast Asia or Britain.  It is a widely recognized and popular tea; in fact it is one of the most popular teas.

Earl Grey tea was first created by Chinese tea masters who were seeking new ways to make exotic and flavored teas.  It is believed that one of these Chinese tea masters concocted the first Earl Grey tea in the 1803s to be a gift for the second Earl of Grey, Charles Grey, who was also the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.  His wife, Lady Grey, was so impressed with the tea and used it whenever entertaining.  Because of her love for the tea, she had English tea merchants recreate the blend, and it was officially named Earl Grey tea.

What’s in Earl Grey Tea?

Earl Grey tea typically is made using black tea leaves, though occasionally oolong tea leaves or green tea leaves may be used instead.

A Bergamot orange rind is dried and combined with the tea leaves to create Earl Grey Tea.  Sometimes, the Bergamot oil is extracted from the rind and added to make different blends of Earl Grey tea.

If you’ve tried a few different brands of Earl Grey tea, you may notice that each one offers a slightly different taste.  That is because the exact process of making it can vary.

Sometimes, the leaves are sprayed with extracts from the Bergamot orange, while other times the rind may be blended with the tea leaves.  Spraying the leaves will create a stronger flavor than blending the rind with the leaves.

Earl Grey Tea Uses

One way you can use Earl Grey tea, in addition to drinking it, or course, is to use it as a flavoring when cooking or baking.  Earl Grey can add a nice touch when making chocolates, cakes, or more savory sauces.

If you want to incorporate the flavor of Earl Grey tea into a sweeter recipe, such as a cake, combine the loose tea with melted butter or hot cream.  Then, once the flavor has been infused, strain the tea leaves out.

To infuse an Earl Grey flavor into a sauce or savory recipe, boil a few tea bags with the stock.  After a few minutes, remove the tea bags and the flavor will be in the base for your recipe.

Is Earl Grey Tea Good for You?

Yes, Earl Grey Tea is good for you.

On top of its deliciously unique flavor, Earl Grey tea also offers numerous uses and can offer a variety of health benefits.  These can include preventing cancer and heart disease, aiding digestion, fending off anxiety or depression, promoting weight loss, increasing energy,  and relieving stress.

We’ll take a deeper look at these health benefits of Earl Grey tea in the following sections.

Is Earl Grey tea bad for you?

Earl Grey tea in moderation is fine, but if you drink too much, you may experience some side effects.

These can include blurred vision, muscle cramps, or jitters.  Too much Earl Grey tea may also release too many tannins into your body which can have a negative impact on your body’s ability to absorb iron.

So, if you have been wondering, “Why does Earl Grey tea make me sick,” it may mean that you are drinking too much each day and need to cut back on your consumption.

Is Earl Grey Tea Healthy?

Yes, Earl Grey tea is healthy and can deliver a number of health benefits.

Earl Grey tea has also been shown to aid in weight loss.  To learn more about Earl Grey health benefits and using Earl Grey tea for weight loss, read through the next few sections.

Health Benefits of Earl Grey Tea

Earl Grey Tea Properties

Earl Grey tea’s properties allow it to offer many health benefits.  These can include aiding digestion, having a calming effect to reduce depression or anxiety, increasing energy levels with its caffeine, presenting cancer, relieving stress, fighting colds, and increasing hydration.

Earl Grey Tea Benefits Cholesterol

In addition to the benefits shared above, Earl Grey tea has also been linked to lowering cholesterol.  A study from Preventative Medicine in 2012 showed that individuals who drank three cups of black tea, like Earl Grey tea, experienced a decrease of the triglyceride levels in the blood after just three months.  These same individuals also increased their HDL, or good cholesterol, number in the same time.

Lower cholesterol levels decrease an individual’s risk of suffering from heart disease.  This is a very compelling benefit and a reason to give Earl Grey tea a try to see what it can do for you.

Earl Grey Dental

You may also enjoy dental benefits when you add Earl Grey tea to your routine.  Earl Grey tea can help protect against tooth decay and cavities.  This is because of the natural fluoride found in Earl Grey tea.  Additionally, Earl Grey tea is high in the antioxidant catechin.  Catechin works to fight oral infections, improving the overall health of your mouth, gums, and teeth.  Ask your dentist if they have more information about how Earl Grey tea can improve your oral health.

Does Earl Grey Tea Contain Caffeine?

“Is there caffeine in Earl Grey tea” is a common question.  The answer is that yes, Earl Grey tea does have caffeine.

However, compared to some energy drinks that may contain too much caffeine, the caffeine in Earl Grey tea is at a safe level that can help boost your energy levels without giving you jitters or other side effects that you may experience with other caffeinated beverages.  Earl Grey tea also isn’t dehydrating, like coffee and other beverages, which is also important for your overall health.

If you’re looking for a more exact answer to the question “how much caffeine in Earl Grey tea,” the answer is typically between about 30 mg and 60 mg per cup.  However, this amount can vary depending on the specific blend or brand you choose.

Does Earl Grey Tea Make You Sleepy?

No, with the caffeine in Earl Grey tea, it shouldn’t make you sleepy.

However, it could have a calming and relaxing effect.  Earl Grey’s bergamot can be very soothing and can help with de-stressing and helping individuals to calm down.

We should note that there are some people who have reported to experience sleepiness thanks to caffeine, so if you’re one of them, this tea might actually help you sleep.

Earl Grey Tea Weight Loss

Another benefit of drinking Earl Grey tea is that it can help individuals lose weight.  The citrus extract in Earl Grey tea is credited with helping to break down calories to turn them into food for muscles or to release the calories through the body’s metabolic process.  Adding lemon to Earl Grey tea, rather than sugar or cream, may help enhance these benefits and keep your calorie consumption to a minimum to further aid in losing weight.

How to Drink Earl Grey Tea

The first step to truly enjoying Earl Grey is to brew it properly.  The steps for preparing Earl Grey tea include starting with high quality water, using the right amount of tea, learning proper steeping techniques, and adding any desired flavorings.

Whether you’re preparing Earl Grey black tea, Earl Grey lavender tea, or Earl Grey green tea, it is essential to start with high-quality water.  Using either filtered, spring, or pure water will allow you to achieve the best flavor possible.  You should also make sure to brew your tea at the proper temperature, which is between 200 and 212 degrees Fahrenheit for black Earl Grey teas and between 150 and 180 degrees Fahrenheit.

When brewing Earl Grey tea, consider how strong you want the flavor to be.  Earl Grey tea should steep for between 2 and 4 minutes, but the right amount of time for each person will vary based on taste preferences.  Finally, decide if you want to add milk, honey, or lemon to your Earl Grey tea.  Once your tea is prepared, sip and enjoy the delicious results of your work.

Sip Away!

Just as strawberries are good for your skin, Earl Grey tea has some amazing health benefits.  It also has a pleasant taste, and drinking it can be quite relaxing.  Consider adding Earl Grey tea to your routine to experience all it has to offer.

Interested in more tea? Check out the health benefits of brown rice green tea.