Black Tea Blend
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Irish Breakfast is a strong, malty black tea blend built around a heavier proportion of Assam than its English counterpart, giving it a deep reddish color and a robust body that stands up well to milk.
Like English Breakfast, Irish Breakfast isn’t a single-origin tea but a blend, and the exact recipe varies by brand. What generally separates it is the ratio: Irish Breakfast blends typically lean harder into Assam, prized for its malty, brisk character, sometimes rounded out with Ceylon or African teas. The result is a cup that’s noticeably fuller-bodied and more assertive than a standard English Breakfast.
Ireland has one of the highest per-capita tea consumption rates in the world, and the strength of Irish Breakfast reflects that — it’s a tea meant to be brewed strong and taken with milk, standing up to a full Irish breakfast of eggs, bacon, and soda bread rather than getting lost next to it.
How to Steep It
Steep at a full boil, 200–212°F, for 4 to 5 minutes — on the longer end for black tea, since the blend is built for strength. A shorter steep will taste thin against the Assam base.
Strong, malty, reddish-brown cup
Steep 4–5 min at a full boil
