Irish breakfast tea facts for kids
Irish Breakfast Tea is a very popular type of black tea. It's usually a mix of different black teas, often from Assam in India and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). Famous Irish tea brands like Barry's, Bewley's, and Lyons use a lot of Assam tea in their blends. This tea is a big part of tea culture in Ireland. When tea first came to Ireland in the 1700s, it was very expensive. Only wealthy people could afford it. But by the mid-1800s, Irish Breakfast Tea became much more affordable. This meant people from all walks of life could enjoy it.
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Serving Irish Breakfast Tea
Irish Breakfast Tea has a strong taste. Because of this, most people drink it with milk. You can also drink it black, with sugar, or even with honey. The tea has a rich, red color. Since dairy products are very important to Ireland's economy, drinking tea with milk is common. As a black tea, it has a stronger flavor and more caffeine than green, oolong, or white teas. People in Ireland drink this tea all day long, not just at breakfast. The tea leaves for Irish Breakfast Tea come from places like India, Rwanda, and Kenya. Many say that the leaves from Africa help make it a truly refreshing breakfast tea.
How Irish Breakfast Tea is Blended
There isn't one exact recipe for Irish Breakfast Tea. However, most blends share similar features that make them "Irish Breakfast" teas. The main part of the blend is a strong black Assam tea from India. Assam tea is known for its dark color, bold flavor, and malty smell. This Assam tea is usually mixed with another, softer tea. This helps bring out different flavors and supports the strong Assam taste. These extra teas often come from Kenya, with Kenyan Broken Pekoe being a popular choice. The amount of Assam tea compared to the other leaves gives Irish Breakfast tea its special flavor. The strength of the tea also comes from how the leaves are processed. Irish Breakfast tea often uses "broken" leaves. This means the leaves are dried and then lightly crushed before being packaged. This process helps the tea steep faster. It also releases more flavor from each leaf than if the leaves were whole.
How Irish Breakfast Tea is Packaged
Most Irish Breakfast Tea is sold in boxes of tea bags. However, all the main brands also offer it as loose leaf tea. Loose leaf tea lets you see the quality of the leaves. You can see if there are whole leaves or smaller, broken pieces. When you brew the tea, its color can range from a very dark red to brown.
See also
In Spanish: Irish breakfast tea para niños
