Earl Grey Black Tea

This robust black tea, powerfully flavored with bergamot essential oil (an extremely volatile citrus), is complex to manipulate in cooking. Its dried leaves are saturated with astringent tannins. The common mistake is boiling it, which destroys the bergamot and extracts unbearable tannic bitterness. To flavor a ganache or crème brûlée, the infusion must be done at a controlled temperature (maximum 85°C) for a short time (4 minutes), or cold in a fat to capture the floral citrus terpenes without the tea's astringency.