There’s not just plain old ‘English Breakfast Tea’, lots of countries around the world have their own type of Breakfast Tea. The general term “breakfast tea” can be used to refer to a type of robust, full-bodied black tea intended to be served with a traditional hearty breakfast. Some of the most popular ones are –
English Breakfast Tea – English breakfast tea is a rich, bold, full-bodied black tea. Typically blended with milk and sugar to create a comforting and warming cup. While the original tea leaf used to prepare British breakfast tea was likely a China black tea, most of today’s varieties are made from Ceylon, Indian, or African tea leaves.
Irish Breakfast Tea – The Irish like it strong and dark and is similar to English Breakfast but usually includes a greater proportion of Kenya tea and sometimes black teas from Indonesia.
Indian Breakfast Tea – Usually a blend of Darjeeling and Assam, or Assam and Nilgiri or a mixture from all three areas. Slightly lighter than English breakfast. But for all its variants, the country is best known for its chai blends that mix black tea leaves with spices like cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, cardamom, and pepper.
Moroccan Breakfast Tea – Touareg tea (also known as Maghrebi mint tea) is the customary blend in this North African country. A mix of mint, green tea leaves, and a generous serving of sugar.
Scottish Breakfast Tea – Legend has it that Drysdale (a Scottish tea master) saw a need for an even stronger version of the existing breakfast tea that Queen Anne had popularized in England during the 1700s. It usually has a woody and even smoky flavour, which can be attributed to the strong Assam tea component. Like most English breakfast teas, Scottish breakfast teas are usually made from leaves originating in modern-day Sri Lanka, India, and Africa.
Russian Breakfast Tea – Smoky Russian Caravan tea evokes the aroma of this ancient blends trading route, infused by the smoke of the campfires along its journey from China.
