Every tea drinker knows Earl Grey tea, the world’s favorite flavored tea. But few people know that the tea is named after Charles, the 2nd Earl Grey and British Prime Minister from 1830 to 1834. The original recipe for this beloved blend simply calls for black tea with the addition of oil of bergamot, squeezed from tiny lemons grown in the Mediterranean region. The stories about the origin of the blend are many and varied. Some say the recipe was given in thanks to a British diplomat when he saved the life of Mandarin – or perhaps the Mandarin’s son – while in China on a mission for the Prime Minister. Some say it was Earl Grey himself who was traveling in China and saved the Mandarin. Neither story has ever been substantiated.

Source: Boston Tea Party