There is a certain mystique in Earl Gray. Its distinctive flavor and colorful, mystery-shrouded origins make a good story, and it’s probably the best known of all English teas, and possibly the best known tea, period.

Repeated references to the mix in popular culture (most commonly music, movies, television, and books) have only bolstered the image and made the drink even more popular than ever. You don’t have to look far to find references to the mix, for example:

Probably the best known character on American television for drinking tea regularly is none other than Captain Jean Luc Picard of the USS Enterprise (Star Trek, The Next Generation), but it doesn’t stop there. In an episode of the Star Trek spin-off “Deep Space Nine” there is a reference to “That Companion Earl Gray” and it teaches him a thing or two about tea leaves, so Earl Gray in the Star Trek universe! is well represented!

However, the good captain is not alone. Artimis Fowl (of the novels that bear his name) has a great fondness for the material, as does Sir Leigh Teabing, from the book “The Da Vinci Code.” Then, of course, there’s John Locke from the TV show “Lost” who asks antagonist Benjamin Linus for a cup, and the character Hyacinth Bucket from the British comedy “Keeping up Appearances” drinks the mix in multiple episodes.

And let’s not forget about animation! In the anime series Black Butler, the main character Ciel Phantomhive drinks Earl Gray on numerous occasions, and the drink is incorporated into the story in various ways.

The music also has a number of references, ranging from Weird Al Yankovic’s song “White and Nerdy” to Dada’s track on his 1997 self-titled album “The Ballad of Earl Gray and Chamomile.” You will also find a chapter called “Earl Gray” in “The Book of Guys” by Garrison Keillor, and if you like video games and find yourself sitting in front of a game called “Steamboat Chronicles”, then your default Mech in the game will be the Earl Gray II, and all of this only scratches the surface. How many other drinks can you name that are so well represented?