Bergamot is a strange citrus fruit (and not a flower, contrary to what one might think), a little odd and often misunderstood. This little aromatic marvel from Italy, however, hides many treasures!
Hanging from the branches of bergamot trees and hidden among the leaves, bergamots are having a great time!
These strange-looking citrus fruits are not often used in infusions for their health benefits - for this type of use, bergamot essential oil is preferred.
When used in teas or herbal teas, bergamot is above all a pleasure fruit that awakens our senses! Because its delicate and easily identifiable fragrance leaves no one indifferent, and it is its taste that interests us. We will favor the peel and zest of the bergamot for this purpose, because its flesh is bitter and not very pleasant to consume as is.
"What's the difference between bergamot peel and zest ?" asks Yodie. "Easy," replies Grison. "Bergamot peel is the outer, colored part of the citrus fruit, with an intense fragrance. Bergamot peel is the zest AND a small part of the fruit's flesh, the inner white, fiber-rich layer called the albedo or mesocarp. Since albedo generally has a slight bitterness, bergamot peel doesn't taste the same as bergamot peel, which of course interested the brewmasters at the burrow when they developed the "marmot" version of traditional Earl Grey tea ."
An organic black tea made with authentic bergamot: no essential oil, no natural or artificial flavors, the real taste of bergamot!
Funnily enough, Earl Grey tea with bergamot , which is generally associated with the British ( legend has it that it was created by a lord ), is based on a citrus fruit that comes from... the Mediterranean basin. A far cry from the fog of white Albion!
It is indeed under the sun of Calabria, in Italy, that the bergamots selected by Les 2 Marmottes ripen peacefully.
In this Italian region, citrus is king! As the seasons change, bergamot turns green and then yellow. When winter comes and it's perfectly ripe, everyone rolls up their sleeves to pick the sparkling bergamots.
Whole or in zest, their peels will then be dried according to the rules of the art.
Its unique taste, halfway between bitter orange and lemon, has something captivating about it!
In keeping with the great tradition of black tea, we have added bergamot peel to our organic Earl Grey tea : thanks to its naturally fresh, floral and refined fragrance, it easily replaces artificial flavors, essential oils and other extracts!
When it comes to infusions, bergamot thrives alongside its cousins, lemon and orange. They give this herbal tea called Citrus a strong character.
“At Les 2 Marmottes, we make a point of never using flavorings… even for our teas !
Most Earl Greys on the market that you brew contain flavorings, essential oils, or at best, bergamot extracts. In fact, we haven't actually found any without flavorings!
We prefer the true taste of fruit and the subtlety of citrus. On paper, it seems simple, but in reality, finding the perfect bergamot took us several years!
After many unsuccessful tests, we found the rare pearl, an organic bergamot of incredible intensity, which once infused releases a fresh and subtle scent close to mandarin and lemon with a truly unique sweet and floral touch.
Creating herbal teas and herbal teas without any added flavoring is a long-term job, a constant challenge, but each time, we tell ourselves that the result was really worth it!”
Bergamot tea
