The English breakfast tea is a type of black tea. The fantastic tea is a classic beverage, and tea lovers around the globe appreciate it. As the name implies, the tea complements a full English breakfast.
The tea features caramel color along with bold flavor notes, and it pairs with sugar and milk.
Many English breakfast teas are famous among tea lovers. The best English breakfast tea would depend on your taste as it comes in many types, and every style is unique in its taste.
The tea originally comes from the same plant, but the ingredients and brewing time may vary in different types.
History of the English Breakfast Tea
The English people are enjoying this Black English breakfast tea for over 360 years.
Coffee house played a huge role in bringing this tea to England in the 17th century. However, tea came later than coffee in England. But, the tea merchants promoted it after the trading of this Chinese tea by Dutch people.
Black tea gained popularity among the British people over time due to its fantastic taste.
Moreover, the first recorded mention of the English breakfast tea occurred in the US in 1843.
And the surprising thing is that the mention of breakfast tea in the UK occurred in 1880 in Scotland. In the year, 1892 after tasting the tea, Queen Victoria decided to bring a supply of the tea to London.
After this, the English breakfast tea gained popularity. And people from around the world are drinking it ever since.
Not to mention that this tea has variations called the Irish breakfast tea and Scotland breakfast tea.
Six of the Best English Breakfast Tea
Below is a detailed list of six of the best English breakfast teas:
- Earl Grey Tea
- Assam Tea (India)
- Darjeeling Tea (India)
- Keemun Tea (China)
- Ceylon Tea (Sri Lanka)
- Yunnan Tea (China)
1) Earl Grey Tea
Well, Earl Grey tea is not an English breakfast tea but is quite popular among British people. Moreover, citrusy tea and bergamot oil are an essential part of breakfast in the UK.
Assam tea is best used as a base for the earl grey tea as it gives the tea a premium look. The combination of Assam tea leaves balances with the bergamot oil essential.
For a robust flavor, make sure that you buy high-quality organic earl grey tea.
2) Assam Tea (India)
Assam tea is the leading tea that goes well with the most English breakfast tea blends.
Assam is India’s most famous region that produces the best and smooth aromatic tea. The tropical climate of the area adds bright colors and flavors to this fantastic tea.
3) Darjeeling Tea (India)
The tea is famous as the champagne of tea. It comes from the mountainous region of India called the Darjeeling.
The Darjeeling tea has a fruity and delicate flavor combined with floral notes.
For a balanced flavor, it would be best if you combine the Darjeeling blend with the Ceylon. It will give you a savory taste of black breakfast tea.
At breakfast time, try pairing your cup of Darjeeling tea with a fruity meal.
4) Keemun Tea (China)
Tea experts claim that the Keemun tea from china might be the original English breakfast tea.
The tea grows in the Anhui province of China and has a smooth flavor and dark color. The premium tea has rich notes of dark chocolate that add a smoky flavor to it.
If you go for a high-quality Keemun tea, it might age longer compared to other black tea.
5) Ceylon Tea (Sri Lanka)
After being a British colony, Sri Lanka changed its name from Ceylon. But the name Ceylon is still famous for tea among tea lovers.
For most of the English breakfast tea blend, Ceylon tea is a crucial part. Sri Lanka is an island country, and the flavor of Ceylon varies regionally.
The tea from high regions has a rich black hue and caramel notes. Whereas tea from the low areas has Ceylon leaves with spicy and robust flavor.
The Ceylon tea is best to make a glass of refreshing iced tea as well.
6) Yunnan Tea (China)
The Yunnan has golden tips a delicate tea leaves. The tea got its name from the Yunnan province of China.
Many people prefer the Yunnan tea along with sweat breakfast meal.
The Yunnan tea gives orange colors after the brewing process. You can make it unique with chocolate and honey.
The tea has a fantastic aroma with a delicate taste.
Flavor Profile of the English Breakfast Tea
The English breakfast tea has a more robust flavor as compared to green tea. It has a smooth finish with vegetal notes. Moreover, the tea is a breakfast tea, and tea lovers consider it a bold blend.
People enjoy English breakfast tea with milk, honey, and sugar for enhanced flavor. But, keep in mind that adding milk to the tea will reduce its natural antioxidant properties.
Tea lovers who want to enjoy the tea’s full health benefits should avoid milk in their tea. If you’re going to enjoy the creamy flavor, you can add nut milk.
5 Amazing Health Benefits of English Tea
The class English tea not only offers a sensual taste but also has impressive health benefits.
Here is a list of the five excellent benefits of English tea:
1) Helps with Stress – Best English Tea
Many studies show that black tea reduces the stress hormone from your body as English breakfast tea is a black tea blend, its best for managing stress.
People who face anxiety and stress should add this tea to their diet.
2) Better Heart Health
Drinking English breakfast tea can reduce the risk of heart attacks. The tea also helps to open the blocked arteries and reduces strokes.
The potent black tea blend in the English breakfast tea thus promotes heart health
3) Reduce Cholesterol Level
If taken regularly, the tea can help reduce the harmful cholesterol levels in your body. The tea also aids the excellent cholesterol with its high antioxidant properties.
4) Anti-Cancer Properties
Black tea has compounds that can serve as an agent for cancer treatment.
The antioxidants present in the black tea protects against cellular damage. The tea also helps in reducing the risk of cancer.
5) Good for Weight Loss
The English breakfast tea promotes digestion by promoting the growth of good bacteria.
Not to mention that the tea also push the energy metabolism in the liver. It helps in managing your weight and at last results in weight loss.
Recipe to Make English Breakfast Tea
Below we discussed in detail the ingredients and directions to prepare English tea:
Ingredients
- One tbsp. loose leaf tea
- Water for boiling
- One tsp of Milk and Sugar
Directions
- Boil the water in a saucepan.
- After boiling the water, always add water to the cup with loose leaf tea for better brewing.
- Cover your cup while the tea is brewing
- Leave the tea in the water for at least two minutes.
- After two minutes, strain the tea from the water.
- Add sugar and milk according to your taste.
How the Tea is Made
English tea has authentic tea blends from the camellia synthesis plant, just like green tea and white tea. The blended tea is not a herbal tea because it’s made with tea tips or leaf tea.
The main difference between true teas and black tea is that the brewing process of black tea is longer. The oxidation process of the black tea starts after harvesting when the tea ages.
The extended brewing period of black tea plays a role in its aroma, taste, and health benefits.
The creation process of the English breakfast tea and black tea differs from each other.
The manufacturer of English tea blends the tea for a consistent taste and other essential properties. Moreover, the blends that we discussed earlier are among the most popular English tea blends among tea lovers.
Tea like Irish breakfast tea is quite similar to English tea, but it has a malty flavor because of Assam tea infusion.
Furthermore, you can find your best English breakfast tea flavor by exploring the different tea types. It will help you discover your favorite flavor, and you can also create your taste.
How to Brew English Breakfast Tea
Here we discussed the best way to brew the English breakfast tea at home:
- It would be excellent if you use two to three grams of tea leaves for 180 ml of water
- Place the water in a saucepan for boiling
- Add water to your tea leaves using a strainer after cooling it
- Steep the tea for 3-5 minutes and then separate the leaves from the tea
For a more robust taste, you can increase the steeping time until you find your best preference.
If you want to experience the tea as British people do, add milk, honey, and cream. But, we suggest you go for the original black tea and make it a part of your diet.
To wrap it up!
The English breakfast tea blended with black tea is the best zero calories tea. The tea is an energy booster, and it’ll keep you active throughout your day.
For health benefits, add this tea to your morning breakfast routine. You can also explore the different flavors that we mentioned above to find your ultimate taste.
