3dimages said

Looking for a remembered Earl Grey from late 1940's

When I was a child back in the late 1940’s, my mother had a large, purple tin of loose Earl Grey which, when opened, filled the kitchen with its exquisite non-perfumed oil of Bergamot fragrance. The brewed tea reflected this fragrance in its flavor, which was very strong but not strong enough to completely overpower the basic tea flavor. I have a sweet tooth, and my recollection is that adding sugar brought out the Bergamot flavor. I have not yet found a present day Earl Grey that comes close to having the yummy, powerful fragrance and flavor of that 1940’s brand. The tin claimed some credit for being a teamaker for, or a favorite of, a British Queen and carried a royal coat of arms on the package, as I recall. Does anyone have an idea as to what brand this might have been and whether it is still being made?

8 Replies
Lala said

Just throwing out a wild guess, maybe Fortnum and Mason. I don’t recall any purple tin but I know they make a claim of making tea for the royal palace.

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Lala said

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Confetti said

Ridgeway’s, I’ll bet – purple tin, coat of arms on the back.
Like this? http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ridgways-Earl-Grey-Tea-Tin-/221241960522?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item33830c684a

3dimages said

Wow — this certainly looks like it! If they’re still in business, I’ll try to find out if they still make a good Earl Grey tea! Thanks, Confetti, this is as close as I’ve gotten for a long while!

yyz said

I think you should probably be able find it. I have only seen the bagged tea, but it has been pretty widely available pretty well everywhere I’ve stayed long enough to shop in the UK and Ireland. Just doing a quick search here is a link to their site.
http://www.ridgwaystea.co.uk/index.html
This is the e-store the site directed me to for those living in the US and Canada.
http://greatbritishteas.com/
I hope it smells and tastes as you remember.

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Confetti said

Let me know if it’s lovely! Your memory made me smile.

3dimages said

Will Do! I just ordered some on line, but it’s tea bags only. I’ll let everyone know how it compares with my memory!

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forsythia said

I bookmarked the site and will probably order some Earl Grey too. Thanks for introducing this 3dimages.

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