English Breakfast - Teabag Envelopes

How Orthodox English Breakfast tea is made

Tea making begins with picking carefully selected succulent leaves and buds from the Camellia Sinensis plant. Once plucked, the leaves go through the time-honoured orthodox production process: withering, to dry them out, then rolling, which transforms them into the familiar thin, wiry shape. This is followed by oxidation, sometimes referred to in the tea industry as 'fermentation', when the broken, rolled leaves are laid out and exposed to the air for a set period of time, usually several hours. Here's where the magic happens, as the leaves darken and the chemical processes kick in, contributing to the tea's distinctive aromas, colour, strength and briskness – in essence, its character. Next, the tea is dried again, this time in a chamber with hot, conditioned air – a process that further desiccates the leaves, intensifies their colour and helps maintain quality for storage. Finally, they are sorted by hand, ready for shipment and delivery.

In the humid Sri Lankan hills, the process of oxidation takes up to four hours, during which the leaves turn copper brown and the tea's unique fragrance starts to unfurl. This process also ensures that the steeping liquid is strong and flavourful. Our English Breakfast tea has a grade of BOP/FBOP.

Facts about this iconic tea

English breakfast tea's rich characters, invigorating flavour and high caffeine content are what have made it so historically popular. It was the first blend to become a commercial success, most notably in its namesake UK, where it has long been famous as the nation's favourite 'eye-opener'. It is often enjoyed hot or as an iced tea, or as the perfect companion to a Full English Breakfast.

In recent years, studies have also pointed to English breakfast tea's health benefits. Whether taken strong and black in the morning or with milk and sugar throughout the day, a cup of black tea is now known to pack in minerals such as magnesium and potassium while also being rich in antioxidants and vitamin B. It also may have an impact on blood pressure.

As for its popularity in times past, it was Catherine of Braganza, Portuguese wife of the English King Charles II, who started the habit of drinking tea in the morning. As a new arrival at the English royal court, Catherine was known to prefer tea to ale – at the time the customary breakfast drink of choice – and a new upper-class trend was set. But as the 17th century rolled into the 18th and 19th, tea transitioned from an upper-class luxury to a beverage enjoyed by British citizens of all stripes. By the time Scottish tea master Robert Drysdale introduced what would eventually become known as the English breakfast blend to Queen Victoria in the 1890s, almost everyone had a caddy in their kitchen.

Alternatives

For those who love the bold flavour of an English breakfast blend, our Assam Breakfast Tea packs a similar flavour punch, with a rich infusion and a lift from fruity notes. Other alternatives for a strong cup of tea include Irish Breakfast and Ceylon Breakfast. If you're after something brighter, with citrusy notes and floral undertones, try our best-selling Supreme Earl Grey.

Looking for more black teas? Why not sample a wider taste with our Classic Black Tea Discovery Collection or, for a rare treat, try our Doke Black Fusion from Bihar. For the perfectly presented tea, browse our full Teaware collection.

The city itself sits at 1,868 m above sea level. North of the city, Sri Lanka’s tallest mountain, Pidurutalagala, peaks at 2,542 m, and the revered Adam’s Peak sits on the Southern edge of the district, peaking at 2,243 m above sea level. The area is famous for its cool, temperate climate (Cfb), which made it a popular hill station in the 19th century, and a much-loved resort and health spa in the present day. Temperatures remain steadily warm throughout the year. March and April are the warmest months with an average high of 22°C and low of 11°C. The coldest months, form November to January, range from 9°C to 20°C.

There is heavy cloud cover throughout the year, with slightly cleared skies from December until March. The district is part of the Wet Zone in South-Western Sri Lanka. Consequently, rain falls throughout the year, with the highest precipitation in October and November, combined with low wind and medium humidity. Spring and summer experience lower but consistent rainfall, with gentle wind and increased humidity in April and May.

Above 1,000m, the montane rain forests are known for their biodiversity and endemic species. They also harbour the endangered Sri Lanka leopard, numerous species of shrews, squirrels, civet and langur. Soils throughout the island are generally suitable for agriculture, although some areas, particularly in the highlands, are eroded. In the Nuwara Eliya district, the elevation and cool climate offer ideal conditions for many European fruit and vegetable, as well as rubber and rice. But the hills really belong the tea, which was introduced in the 1860s after a devastating disease killed all the coffee plantations. The district is considered as the most important tea production hub in Sri Lanka, and Sri Lankan high-grown teas are known for their outstanding quality.