Here is my list of the best Irish breakfast tea brands.
Twinings of London Irish Breakfast Tea is the best of the lot in my opinion.
I tried over 20 types before putting this list together.
A lot of them while labeled as Irish breakfast tea, didn't have the strong taste that this type of tea is characteristic of. Needless to say, they didn't make it to this list.
Let's get right to it.
Contents
These are some of the best Irish tea brands in the market:
These brands will give you the best brew with their Irish breakfast tea bags.
What We Like:
What We Don’t Like:
What We Like:
What We Don’t Like:
What We Like:
What We Don’t Like:
If you prefer brewing loose leaf teas, these are the brands to buy.
What We Like:
What We Don’t Like:
What We Like:
What We Don’t Like:
What We Like:
What We Don’t Like:
Here are some points to consider when choosing the best Irish breakfast blend:
As mentioned, Irish breakfast tea is known for its high level of Assam tea. Thus, if you want the real deal, make sure that your blend contains Assam tea.
As for the other options, the exact kind of tea will depend on the brand. It isn’t unusual to find the Assam tea mixed with Chinese, Ceylon, African, or Indonesian teas.
Some brands mention the proportion of each tea type that is used. If this information is available, you should examine it.
There should be more Assam in the blend than anything else.
Of course, there isn’t an exact ratio for this blend so it is up to you to decide how much of the other types should be included.
Keep in mind that each type of tea has its own flavor profile.
This brings us to the malty taste of the tea. It is practically a signature with the Irish breakfast blend.
So, if you want to know whether you’re sampling an authentic cup, look for this flavor. It should be readily available, particularly over the other flavors of the other teas.
Irish breakfast tea is known for being strong. At the same time, it isn’t overly bitter.
So, keep your taste buds ready for a brew that is bold but not too astringent.
Oh, and a high caffeine content will not hurt either.
Most brands will offer specific instructions with their Irish breakfast tea bags or loose tea. It is always best to follow these steps.
Each blend is different and typically, the manufacturer has the most knowledge regarding how to brew their tea perfectly.
In case there are no instructions, you should brew Irish breakfast tea the same way you would black tea.
Use two teaspoons of tea leaves or one teabag for every 6 to 8 ounces of water.
Heat the water until it just begins to boil. Take it off the heat immediately.
Allow the bag or leaves to steep for 3 to 5 minutes.
Irish breakfast tea is known for being quite strong. As such, you aren't expected to drink it black.
Most people will add milk and sugar (or honey) to this blend. This helps to balance out the robustness of the tea.
The exact amount will depend on your preference. Of course, it is best to add just enough to still be able to enjoy the malty tones of the Irish breakfast blend.
Even if you have had the chance to taste Irish breakfast tea, you may not know much about it.
So, what is this tea blend?
Irish breakfast tea does consist of black tea. However, the main component is Assam tea.
As such, the drink is quite robust and has a malty taste.
The resulting brew is also reddish.
The actual caffeine content in Irish breakfast tea will vary from one brand to another. This is because each brand has its own blend.
However, if a brand does stay true to a high Assam content, you can also guarantee that the resulting blend will have high caffeine content.
On average, Assam tea offers up about 80mg of caffeine per 8 ounces of tea.
The significant caffeine jolt is one of the reasons that this drink is consumed early in the morning.
So, what is the difference between Irish breakfast tea and English breakfast tea?
Well, they are both black teas.
While Irish contains mostly Assam tea, though, English tea has a higher content of Chinese tea.
On average, the Irish blend is also stronger and bolder than the English breakfast blend.
These are the best Irish breakfast options on the market. Thus, if you want to develop a new tea-drinking habit, you know just what to look for.
If you want to learn more about the different kinds of blends, make sure to head over to our Pinterest page.