At breakfast, we need to eat properly because it is the most important meal of the day, and because it is the meal that is going to give us strength so that we can face the rest of the day without starving ourselves or without overeating in order to get the energy we need to fight our daily battles. As such, food needs to be strong and nutritious, and that includes the tea. When considering what tea is best for you, the following differences between English and Irish breakfast tea is outlined below.
English Breakfast Tea
A breakfast tea is, essentially, a tea mix that is robust and that is made to accompany the strong food people eat in the morning (such as in the English breakfast, for example). Breakfast teas are black tea blends that are usually stronger than the blends that are made for the afternoon. They are so strong that they go well with milk, and the ones that are made with Assam tea usually have more caffeine.
English breakfast teas have originated from Chinese black tea. These blends from China were then incorporated with blends that came from other English colonies such as India and Sri Lanka, as well as other areas of the world such as Africa and Indonesia. In the 18th century, the English importations of Chinese tea were incredibly popular, so they kept on doing it.
Then during the Opium Wars, there was a Chinese embargo in tea and as such, a lot more English tea came from Assam in India, and it was mixed together with the Chinese counterpart. Later on, at the end of the 19th century, it was also produced in Ceylon, and that component of Ceylon also started to grow in the English breakfast tea.
Irish Breakfast Tea
When it comes to Irish breakfast tea, a stronger Assam component is contained within it. This leads to a stronger reddish color and different flavor. In the past, there was a preference for Assam teas in Ireland. Every company creates a different blend of Irish breakfast tea, but they all revolve around the same Assam component.
In Ireland, this isn’t referred to as “breakfast tea,” but just referred to as “tea.” Since the tradition in Ireland is to drink tea just like that at any time of the day, with a more robust stature. They usually drink it straight, but some people like to add in some lemon or some milk to their tea, depending on their personal preference.