Irish Breakfast tea usually includes Assam tea; it often also contains an assortment of black teas including Darjeeling tea, blended to produce a dark, layered flavor. When brewed, the tea is generally a very dark red to brown in color. It can become tannic if it is overbrewed, but a perfectly brewed cup will simply be brisk in flavor with an undertone of dark, richly fermented malt. The tea is usually served with cream and sugar to mellow out the intense flavor, though some prefer to drink it straight or with lemon.

Brewing Guidelines for Irish Breakfast Tea
Brewing Temperature: 212° (rolling boil)
Brewing Time: 3-5 minutes
1 tsp loose tea per 8oz cup

Recommended Irish Breakfast Tea:

Tea may be one of the best things you can put in your body. It has no calories, tastes great–hot or cold–and has been shown in dozens of studies to help treat almost every type of medical condition. Here’s how it’s color-coded to keep us alive.

GREEN TEA

• Protects against cancer

• Speeds healing of damaged skin cells

• Promotes weight loss

• Kills viruses and helps prevent infections

WHITE TEA

• Fights infections such as salmonella

• Protects against cancer

• Is high in antioxidants that slow the effects of aging

RED TEA

• Fights allergies

• Reduces anxiety

• Is high in flavonoids that protect against cancer and infections

BLACK TEA

• Prevents bad breath

• Helps reduce cholesterol levels

A very British Darjeeling first flush Tea... Delicious

Darjeeling Tea, tea from the Darjeeling region in West Bengal, India, has traditionally been prized above all other Black Teas, especially in the United Kingdom and the countries comprising the former British Empire.

When properly brewed it yields a thin-bodied, light-colored liquor with a floral aroma.

The flavor also displays a tinge of astringent tannic characteristics, and a musky spiciness often referred to by tea connoisseurs as “muscatel.” A sweet cooling aftertaste should be felt in the mouth.

Brewing Guidelines for Darjeeling Tea
Brewing Temperature: 212° (rolling boil)
Brewing Time: 3-5 minutes
1 tsp loose tea per 8oz cup

Recommended Darjeeling Teas:

Ceylon is a fantastic Black Tea grown in Sri Lanka...

Ceylon Tea is Black Tea that is grown in Sri Lanka (which was known as Ceylon before 1972). It has a crisp aroma reminiscent of citrus, and is used both unmixed and in blends. It is grown on numerous estates which vary in altitude and taste.

Ceylon Tea production began after a fungus killed most of the coffee crop on the island of Sri Lanka in the 1850’s. Sri Lanka is now the third largest tea producing country in the world, and is known for its high quality teas.

Ceylon Tea General Brewing Guidelines

Brewing Temperature: 212° (rolling boil)
Brewing Time: 3-5 minutes
1 tsp loose tea per 8oz cup

Recommended Ceylon Tea:

Assam is beautiful Black Tea named after the region of its origin...

Assam is a Black Tea named after the region of its production. Assam, India is one of only two regions in the world with native tea plants. The other such region is Southern China, where many of our teas featured on Hottest Tea originate.

Assam tea is known for its body, briskness, malty flavor, and strong, bright color. Assam teas, or blends containing Assam, are often sold as “Breakfast” Teas. English Breakfast tea, Irish Breakfast Tea, and Scottish Breakfast Tea are common generic names.

Assam Tea General Brewing Guidelines

Brewing Temperature: rolling boil (212°)
Brewing Time: 3-5 minutes
1 tsp loose tea per 8 oz cup

Recommended Assam Teas:

Earl grey tea leaves - one of the worlds most popular teas...

Earl Grey Tea is a tea blend with a distinctive flavor and aroma derived from the addition of bergamot, a fragrant citrus plant. The fruit gives Earl Grey a light spicy flavor.

It is said to be a natural anti-depressant, and when blended with Black Tea, Bergamot complements Black Teas’ anti-microbial effects.

Traditionally the term “Earl Grey” was applied only to Black Tea; however, today the term can also be applied to green teas, including White Tea and Oolong, and Tisanes, such as Rooibos, that contain oil of Bergamot.

The tea was named after Charles Grey, the second earl in his line and an extremely popular reforming British prime minister in the early 19th century. There are many stories of the tea’s origin. One legend explains that the tea was presented to the Earl as a gift from a Chinese man who’s son was saved from drowning by one of the Earl’s men. Another similar story is that an India raja brought the tea as a gift when the one of the Earl’s servants saved his son from a tiger.

The tea producers Jacksons of Picadilly claim that they developed the recipe themselves. This is not nearly as interesting an explanation as the exotic near-death experiences.

DID YOU KNOW?

• The Earl Grey blend is named after the 2nd Earl Grey, a British Prime Minister in the 1830s
• The teas aroma is derived from the addition of oil extracted from the rind of the bergamot orange, a fragrant citrus fruit
• Earl Grey Tea is said to be a natural anti-depressant
• This tea is one of the most popular and sought after teas in the world…

Brewing Guidelines for Earl Grey
Brewing Temperature: rolling boil (212°)
Brewing Time: 3-5 minutes
1 tsp loose tea per 8 oz cup

Recommended Earl Grey Teas from Teavana:

Black Tea Leaves and Infuser....

Black Tea is the most common type of tea in our culture. It is tasty with milk and sugar, with a bit of honey, or by itself. It’s the variety of tea that is more oxidized than the Oolong, Green, and White varieties.

Black Tea is generally stronger in flavor and contains more caffeine than the less oxidized teas. Two principal varieties of the species are used, the small-leaved Chinese variety plant (C. sinensis sinensis).

These are also used for green and White Teas, and the large-leaved Assamese Plant (C. sinensis assamica), which was traditionally only used for Black Tea, although in recent years some Green has been produced.

In Chinese and culturally influenced languages, Black Tea is known as “Crimson Tea”, perhaps a more accurate description of the color of the liquid. The name Black Tea, however, could alternatively refer to the color of the oxidized leaves. In Chinese, “Black Tea” is a commonly used classification for post-fermented teas, such as Pu-erh Tea. However, in the Western world, “Red Tea” more commonly refers to Rooibos, a South African Tisane.

The Black Tea we are pushing at the moment is from Adagio Teas, a Tea Company that began ten years ago introducing customers to an array of gourmet hand picked, whole leaf teas. Their “mission” is simple; to bring tea lovers in all corners of the United States and Canada fresh seasonal teas with abundant flavor and intoxicating aromas that will delight them daily. Here at Hottest Tea, we certainly approve… and CANNOT recommend their “Sampler Pack” highly enough!!!

Its interesting to note: While Green Tea usually loses its flavor within a year, Black Tea retains its flavor for several years. For this reason, it has long been an article of trade, and compressed bricks of black tea even served as a form of de facto currency in Mongolia, Tibet, and Siberia into the 19th century.

It was known since the Tang Dynasty that black tea steeped in hot water could also serve as a passable cloth dye for the lower classes that could not afford the better quality clothing colors of the time. However, far from being a mark of shame, the “brown star” mark of the dyeing process was seen as much better than plain cloth and held some importance as a mark of the lower merchant classes through the Ming Dynasty.

The tea originally imported to Europe was either green or semi-oxidized. Only in the 19th century did black tea surpass green in popularity. Although green tea has recently seen a revival due to its purported health benefits. Black Tea still accounts for over ninety percent of all tea sold in the West.

The expression “Black Tea” is also used to describe a cup of tea without milk (”served black”), similar to coffee served without milk or cream. Simple right?

Black Tea General Brewing Guidelines
Brewing Temperature: 212° (a rolling boil)
Brewing Time: 3-5 minutes
1 tsp of loose tea per 8 oz cup

If you are new to Black Tea, you can try a sampler of many varieties to get acquainted with them (as shown below) and decide which are your favorites and this is way we recommend going about it:

Discover the world of difference between supermarket tea and the gourmet varieties found in this set. Sample black teas from China, India and Sri Lanka. Six reusable tins in total, one ounce apiece. 5 tins – 60 cups of black tea for only $14.00.

Published research from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard University indicates that theanine, an ingredient found naturally in tea, supports the immune system. A cup of tea contains an average of 20-25 mg of theanine. Drinking tea throughout the day may strengthen the immune system which is something important to do during the cold and flu season.

Drinking five cups of Black Tea a day for two to four weeks boosted the body’s immune defense system by four times, according to the results of a human clinical trial. According to this study, the data suggests that drinking Black Tea boost’s the body’s natural resistance to infection.

Tea also contains flavonoids, which are naturally occurring compounds known for their antioxidant properties. Antioxidants work to neutralize free radicals, which scientists believe damage elements in the body, such as genetic material and lipids, and contribute to many chronic diseases. The CDC states that healthy adults have a 30% chance of contracting the flu even with an annual flu vaccination, and the vaccine may be somewhat less effective for children and the elderly. And while drinking tea may not keep you from getting sick this season, it can help your odds of staying healthy.

So why not do something good for your body while having a hot beverage…help stay healthy this cold and flu season and drink your tea every day!