Crossword Genius

Noble, mature looking tea man (4,4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

earl grey

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'noble' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'mature looking tea man' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'man' could be 'earl' and 'earl' is found within the answer.
The remaining letters 'grey' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for earl grey that I've seen before include "leaves a lot to be desired?" , "Kind of China tea" , "Drunk leaves" , "Tea named after British prime minister" , "Red cell deficiency" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
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