English Breakfast tea
English Breakfast tea is a traditional blend of select teas originating from Assam, Ceylon and Kenya. It is one of the most popular blended teas. It was initially known simply as Breakfast Tea, and was popularised by Queen Victoria.
English breakfast tea is a black tea blend usually described as full-bodied, robust, and/or rich, and blended to go well with milk and sugar, in a style traditionally associated with a hearty English breakfast.
The black teas included in the blend vary, with Assam, Ceylon and Kenyan teas predominating, and Keemun sometimes included in more expensive blends. Common brands of English breakfast tea include Typhoo, Twinings, Dilmah and many own brands.
The name "English breakfast" can be misleading to British nationals staying in North America, since many of the most popular brands of English tea bags (including Tetley, PG Tips and Yorkshire Tea) do not contain fermented teas (like Pouchong) and are more often a mixture of Indian or African leaves (often tips) that might be labelled as "Orange Pekoe" in North America.
[edit] Origins
Accounts of its origins vary. Drinking a blend of black teas for breakfast is indeed a longstanding British custom. The practice of referring to such a blend as "English breakfast tea" appears to have originated not in England but America, as far back as Colonial times.[1] An additional account (referencing a period-era "Journal of Commerce" article) dates the blend to 1843 and a tea merchant named Richard Davies in New York City. Davies, an English immigrant, started with a base of Congou and added a bit of Pekoe and Pouchong. It sold for 50 cents a pound, and its success led to imitators, helping to popularize the name.[2]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ ZoeAnn Holmes. "English Breakfast Tea - Food Resource - Oregon State University". Food.oregonstate.edu. http://food.oregonstate.edu/glossary/e/englishbreakfasttea.html. Retrieved 2010-12-07.
- ^ "History of the English Breakfast Tea". Logoi.com. http://www.logoi.com/notes/english_breakfast_tea.html. Retrieved 2009-03-12.
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