I like Earl Grey and Lady Grey teas; they are probably my favorite teas after the standard Darjeeling. Earl Grey and Lady Grey are flavored with bergamot, and while I had a vague notion that bergamot was a citrus fruit, I knew nothing about it. So I've been looking things up. There are a number of plants called bergamot; the one used here is indeed a citrus fruit, Citrus bergamia. It is generally thought to have originated as a hybrid of lemon and sour orange, which gives a sense of what it tastes like on its own, and thus is found in fruit or pulp in almost nothing, although I have seen recipes for marmalades, preserves, and candies. The oils, however, are highly prized. Besides Earl Grey, the oil is a standard component of eau de cologne. The fruit is relatively difficult to find -- the overwhelming bulk of true bergamot is grown in a few thousand acres of southern Italy. It will grow elsewhere, but the quality of the oil is universally regarded as inferior -- it's the magic of the soil of Calabria, some mix of limestone and other minerals, that seems to bring out the flavor and aroma that has made the fruit's oil famous. Such local subtleties are not to be underestimated.
In any case, that explains the refreshing character of the scent of Earl Grey, and perhaps also the fact that Lady Grey, despite adding lemon and orange peel, always seems slightly milder.
