English Breakfast tea is a black tea blend usually described as full-bodied, robust, and/or rich, and blended to go well with milk and sugar, in a style traditionally associated with a hearty English breakfast.

The black teas included in the blend vary, with Assam, Ceylon and Kenyan teas, and Keemun common. Common brands of English Breakfast tea include Twinings, Tetley, Taylor's of Harrogate, PG Tips, Stash Tea Company, Lipton, Celestial Seasonings, Ringtons Tea, Teekanne, Zesta and Dilmah.

Origins

Over a hundred years ago in Scotland a man named Drysdale went into the speciality tea business within sight of the castle of Edinburgh and offered a tea called Breakfast....[As of 1982 ] they still sell the only tea on the market called simply Breakfast and nothing more, probably reasoning that Scots ... at that time of day want to be told nothing more than which blend of teas makes a good eye-opener.

Another explanation of its origin cites a Journal of Commerce article which dates the blend to 1843 and a tea merchant named Richard Davies in New York City. Davies, an English immigrant, started with a base of Congou and added a bit of Pekoe and Pouchong. It sold for 50 cents a pound, and its success led to imitators, helping to popularize the name.

See also

• Irish Breakfast tea
• Black tea
• Full Breakfast

References