Bergamot

Earl Grey

Bergamot oil’s most famous application is in Earl Grey tea — ordinary black tea blended with cold-pressed bergamot rind oil (or synthetic bergamot flavouring in cheaper versions). The origin of the name “Earl Grey” is disputed, but the tea was probably named after Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey (British Prime Minister 1830–34). The combination of black tea tannins with bergamot’s floral, perfumed quality is one of the most distinctive flavour combinations in the tea world.

Calabrian monopoly

Over 90% of the world’s bergamot oil comes from a narrow coastal strip around Reggio Calabria in the toe of Italy — a region of perhaps 1,500 km². The Calabrian microclimate (Mediterranean sunshine, sea breezes, well-drained clay-limestone soils) produces bergamot with the oil profile and quality required by the perfume and flavouring industries. Attempts to grow bergamot elsewhere have produced inferior oil.

Perfumery

Bergamot oil is one of the most widely used citrus oils in fine perfumery — it appears in thousands of fragrances, providing a fresh, floral opening note. It is the principal top note in many classic colognes and is used in aromatherapy for its mood-lifting properties. The oil must be cold-pressed from fresh rind to retain the delicate volatile compounds.

The fruit itself

The bergamot fruit is a round to pear-shaped citrus, similar in size to an orange. The flesh is extremely sour and bitter — not pleasantly edible. The value is entirely in the rind. Bergamot marmalade, made with the whole fruit, is a Calabrian speciality with a uniquely perfumed, slightly medicinal bitterness.