bergamot

On Thu, 20 Jan 2005 18:05:39 -0600, snipped-for-privacy@webtv.net (Tom Koeppl) cast caution to the wind and posted:

Here is a quote from

"Oil of bergamot is extracted from the peel of the bergamot orange (Citrus bergamia or Citrus aurantium bergamia), a small pear shaped sour orange which is cultivated today mostly in southern Italy."

As for very hot water ruining the taste, I have not experienced that myself but I will do some experimentation with lower temps. I have traditionally always use boiling water with what I thought were good results.

Here are some history links.

This site has information, reviews, and ratings of most of the commercially available blends.

Its a great place to start organizing an Earl Grey Taste Test. I am partial towards the Eastern Shore brand myself.

Mike Petro snipped-for-privacy@pu-erh.net

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Oil of bergamot

Peel of the bergamot, a citrus fruit.

Because it tastes good and smells wonderful?

I don't see how as I've had various Earl Greys (Bigelow's, Twinings, Upton's decaf, original, extra, and rooibos) all made with boiling water. I believe you're referring to Renee's post about how her BB seems to overheat her morning Earl Grey and kill the bergamot which would have more to do with retained/sustained heat than it does with simply making a brew using very hot or even boiling water.

Kewl links.

Since I've discovered that I don't cotton to Earl Grey teas with other than a China black or green tea base, I've eliminated sampling those made w/ Ceylon and Assam 'cause I already know that I'd rather pour them down the drain.

"The most famous of all flavored teas is of course Earl Grey, created for the Prime Minister of England in the 1830s and flavored with the pear-shaped orange of Canton, China."

*

Surely they mean the Prime Minister of China? "Geordies Support Chinese Workers"

Nope. Earl Charles Grey, Whig party, Prime Minister of England from

1830 to 1834.

"It was while he was prime minister, that by act of law the East India Company lost its monopoly on China trade which was mostly in tea. Ironic that the name of the prime minister to King William IV is best known around the world for a blend of Indian and Sri Lankans tea delicately scented with the citrus flavour of bergamot. The recipe for "Earl Grey" is said to have been given by a Chinese man to a British soldier during the Opium War (1839-42) in gratitude for saving his live. Another version story has a Chinese mandarin friend of the Earl giving him the recipe."

From:

However, I'd almost be willing to bet that the recipe wasn't a gift given to either the soldier or the Earl himself.

I think it more likely that a competitor of the East India Company imported the tea after EIC lost the monopoly and then named the tea in honor of Earl Grey, the guy who opened the market to them.

But that's just a theory.

Bergamot is perhaps the most common scent in perfumery, it has been said that the majority of perfume blends contain at least some oil of bergamot. The other truism is that when one considers the second most common scent (sandalwood), the vast majority of perfume blends certainly contain one, the other, or both. The classic cologne (that gave the name "eau de cologne" or "kolnisch wasser" to watered-down perfume) is 4711, over 200 years old and made in Cologne (actually Koln, with an umlaut or dieresis, in German).

4711 has been made at Glockengasse 4711 in Cologne since the 1700s by Muelhens. It positively reeks of bergamot, and when I was growing up in a French town in Louisiana in the 1950s, 4711 was much beloved of my various maiden aunts. I remember thinking of it as a rather old fashioned cologne, used by women and by men as well (as an after shave lotion. The blend of bergamot and rosemary was not originated by Muelhens, however; there is definitely an account of a similar product at the court of Marie de Medicis under the name aqua hungarica {Hungarian water}, and much later Napoleon I is said to have been exceedingly partial to bergamot cologne. Supposedly Guerlain's Imperiale was made up by them for Napoleon III. Imperiale is much more refined than 4711, and much more expensive. There are other versions as well, by other manufacturers. Bourbon Orleans Perfumes in New Orleans has been selling their version since 1840 as "Napoleon's secret formulation from his own personal apothecary." This may or may nor be true. You can buy some and make your own judgment.

Salmonella

I use the essential oil in soap making as well. Bergamot, Sandalwood, and Eucalyptus have developed into my most used oils as well as some Lavender for the Ladies. I have dabbled in making cologne but I have never been satisfied with how long my scents lasted through the day.

Mike

On Sun, 23 Jan 2005 18:25:47 -0600, "Salmonella" cast caution to the wind and posted:

I should also add that Caswell-Massey's version of a bergamot cologne--"Number 6"--was used by George Washington, and given by him as a gift to the Marquis de Lafayette. They have the receipts to prove it. Beyond that, my in the 1970s I recall buying a gift set from 4711 for a Christmas present for my wife; it contained a bottle of Cologne and a jar of bergamot marmalade. I combined that with some Earl Grey tea, and I remember putting on the card, "have a bergamesque Christmas." Ellen thought it was very witty at the time. The marmalade was quite bitter, I recall, and thick, though not any thicker and not any more bitter than English Seville orange marmalade. I learned later that "bergamot" is not related to the Italian place-name "Bergamo", nor is it related to the herb also called bergamot. The bitter orange is properly pronounced berg-a-maht, and not berg-a-moh. Apparently, the word "bergamot" is derived from the Turkish "beg armodi". There are people who do eat bergamots, apparently with great relish. The Italian firm called more or less "Bova Essences" has been selling the bergamot oil to perfumers and others for years, and now they seem to be making a liqueur, which I have not had. The Turks and other folks from the Balkans have been making bergamot marmalade it seems. You may find it in groceries in the United States that carry Bulgarian or Turkish preserves, It is usually labeled something like "bitter green orange marmalade." It is as the label says, and I assure you, an acquired taste.

Salmonella

"Mike Petro" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com...