The most basic, but also the most satisfying tea, just has to be the English Breakfast blend. This traditional tea type is loved across the world (not just by the English), and you should definitely have at least one box of English breakfast tea bags in your cupboard – next to the Zest Energy Tea, of course.

In this quick guide, we’ve summed up the history and nutritional value of this classic blend and examined the caffeine levels in comparison to energy tea and coffee.

What is English Breakfast Tea?

English breakfast tea is a rich, robust and full-bodied ‘blend’ – meaning it’s made from a few different black teas that have been combined together to create a high-quality, rounded flavor. It doesn’t usually have any additional flavors added (like Earl Grey, which is flavored with bergamot), but milk and sugar can be added to taste.

Drinking English breakfast tea isn’t just for the British. You don’t need to steep this delicious brew in fancy teacups. It’s a hearty, comforting tea type that’s very easy to brew and popular all around the world.

English Breakfast Tea Origins

Surprisingly, the origins of this tea don’t point to England. They don’t point to China either, the birthplace of tea. There are a few stories floating around about where the first ‘breakfast’ cup of tea was available to purchase, but our favorite dates back to colonial times. An encyclopedia of cookery from New York claims that a name was created by Americans for the aromatic, strong, and bitter-free black tea that was popular with the English at breakfast time; English breakfast tea.

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Although it’s called English breakfast tea, the tea leaves used to create the blend can come from all over the world. It’s not like Champagne; it can be blended anywhere, by any brand, and still be called English breakfast tea.

Which Black Tea Varieties Are Used?

To create that full-bodied taste, the blend is traditionally made from loose leaf tea sourced from Assam (a region in India), Ceylon (now known as Sri Lanka), and Kenya.

These tea types, especially the Kenyan tea, are known for their rich and robust quality. Other tea types, like Keemun (a Chinese tea), can also be added to the blend to provide lighter, fruitier, and more gentle notes.

Once the leaves have been blended, they can be packaged as loose leaf tea or made into tea bags, ready to steep.

How to Make English Breakfast Tea

There are no tricks to it! If you’ve brewed any tea before, you’ll already know what to do. As this is a black tea blend, you don’t need to wait for the water to cool down as you would with a green tea. For more tips to help you make tea like a pro, read our guide for brewing a cup with tea bags, loose leaf, or as iced tea.

If you’re using English breakfast tea bags, just follow these steps:

1. Boil your water, preferably using a kettle,
2. Add your teabag to your mug or cup with the tag hanging over the side,
3. Pour the boiled water over the teabag until the mug is mostly full,
4. Let the teabag steep in the water for 3 to 5 minutes,
5. Stir occasionally as the teabag brews,
6. Remove the teabag and enjoy!

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If you want to add sugar, do this after the teabag has been removed. As for milk (or your favorite dairy alternative), you have a choice.

The Big Debate: Milk First or Last?

Black tea contains strong tannins – you’ll taste this in the flavor. It’s also moderately caffeinated (more on caffeine content below). But that doesn’t make for the best morning tea.

Adding milk to your brew creates a smoother drink on your taste buds and stomach. But should you add the milk before you add the teabag, or after?

You can pour the milk into your mug at step 2 or step 6. Whichever method you choose, the results are a great tasting cuppa.

Other Ingredients to Add to Your English Breakfast Tea

English breakfast tea is a great blend to drink with food. The robust flavors of this brew can wash down the heaviest, stickiest foods – like a huge stack of pancakes – with ease.

But if you want to shake things up, there are other ways you can drink English breakfast tea.

• Add vanilla instead of sugar with your milk, for richer sweetness,
• Ice your English breakfast tea with a teaspoon of honey for a summer treat,
• Brew the tea with spices to create a hearty chai tea (much like our Spicy Masala Chai).

Black Tea Nutrition and Calories