English Breakfast: what it contains, and morning teas compared

What is English Breakfast tea?

English Breakfast is a blend of full-bodied black teas, composed for breakfast and to take milk and sugar. It is neither an origin nor a garden: it is a recipe, and every house has its own. The black teas that appear most often are those from Assam, Ceylon and Kenya; some versions add Keemun, a black tea from China.

What unites all English Breakfasts is their purpose rather than their formula: a dense, richly coloured cup that stands up to toast, eggs or porridge. Many rely on broken leaves, which release their colour and tannins quickly. This is the case with the English Breakfast by Mariage Frères, which we offer as loose leaf, in cotton muslin tea sachets and in a tin.

Assam, Ceylon, Kenya: what each origin brings

Each origin plays a role in the blend, and each house measures them in its own way, without publishing its proportions. Here is what each gives to the liquor, according to the reference descriptions:

• Assam, in north-east India: body and a malty note, with a deep colour. It is often the base of teas sold as breakfast teas (see our black teas from India).
• Ceylon, in Sri Lanka: a golden to coppery liquor, lighter or fuller depending on the altitude of the garden. Low-grown teas are darker and maltier, those from the high plateaus lighter and more fragrant (our Ceylon teas).
• Kenya: a black tea largely made using the CTC process, which crushes the leaf into fine particles. Its frank, consistent taste makes it a common base for morning blends.
• Keemun, from Anhui province in China: it features in certain more refined versions.

To learn more about each of these terroirs, our guide to the great styles of black tea presents Assam, Ceylon and Keemun one by one, with their leaf grades.

Where does the name English Breakfast come from?

No one can date the birth of the name with certainty, and we would rather say so. Drinking a blend of black teas at breakfast is an old British and Irish habit, and the expression “breakfast tea” was already in use among merchants long before anyone spoke of English Breakfast.

Two stories compete for the origin of the name. The first has it born in the United States in the 1840s, with a New York merchant who had emigrated from England; the press article that reported it has never been found. The second places a “breakfast tea” in Scotland, which Queen Victoria is said to have tasted and then brought back to London, hence the word “English”. Both versions remain unverifiable.

The English Breakfast by Mariage Frères: what its product sheet says

The English Breakfast by Mariage Frères (reference T702) is an unflavoured tea: tea is its only declared ingredient. The house describes it as an aromatic, richly coloured, full-bodied composition of black teas, classed among its Jardins Premiers, without detailing the origins of the blend. Its product sheet states an intensity of 4 out of 5 and moderate caffeine.

Its leaves are deliberately broken: cut short, they give a dense infusion with a malty nose in 3 minutes. The liquor is amber and rounded, with frank tannins that take a dash of milk well. It is also available in a box of 30 cotton muslin tea sachets, practical at the office or when travelling.

Mariage Frères morning teas compared

Around English Breakfast, Mariage Frères has composed a series of morning teas, each inspired by a city or a country. The table sets out what each product sheet says, in stock at our Nice shop: the base, the added flavour, how to drink it and the recommended settings per 200 ml of water.

Two families emerge. Teas with broken leaves, such as English Breakfast or Breakfast Earl Grey, steep for 3 minutes, no longer, as does Beau Breakfast Tea, whose hibiscus quickly releases its acidity. The others need 5 minutes. Shanghai Breakfast Tea, for its part, steps outside black tea: it is a blend of oolongs, low in caffeine according to its product sheet.

Which morning tea suits your taste?

The choice comes down first to flavour: plain, gourmand, citrus or fruity. Here are the pointers the product sheets give, from the most classic to the most unexpected.

• You want the classic, with milk: English Breakfast, with no added flavour: the unflavoured tea of the series.
• You enjoy gourmand notes: French Breakfast Tea, chocolatey and malty, or American Breakfast Tea, more vanilla-led, which the house recommends with a splash of cold milk.
• You prefer citrus: Russian Breakfast Tea on an Indian black tea, Tokyo Breakfast Tea with yuzu, or Paris Breakfast Tea with candied mandarin.
• You drink Earl Grey: Breakfast Earl Grey sets bergamot on a full-bodied Ceylon, more structured than afternoon Earl Greys (see our Earl Grey guide).
• You like tangy fruitiness: Beau Breakfast Tea, with bael fruit and hibiscus, best drunk plain.

To compare other teas designed for the start of the day, our morning teas section brings together our entire selection for the start of the day.

How to prepare English Breakfast, with or without milk?

The English Breakfast product sheet gives simple settings: 2.5 g of leaves, or one cotton muslin sachet, per 200 ml of water at 95 °C, and a steeping time of 3 minutes. Beyond that, broken leaves soon turn bitter.

1. Heat the water to 95 °C, just below boiling.

2. Weigh 2.5 g of leaves per 200 ml cup, or take one cotton muslin sachet.

3. Pour the water and leave to steep for 3 minutes, timed precisely.

4. Remove the leaves or the sachet, then add a dash of milk and sugar if you wish.

Milk rounds out the tannins and gives the cup a light caramel colour. The house recommends this tea with or without milk, accompanied by toast with marmalade. In summer, it also makes a robust iced tea.

Taste three morning teas: the Breakfast gift sets

To compare before choosing, the Coffret 3 Thés World Breakfast brings together three 100 g tea tins in a black case: French Breakfast Tea (T7000), Russian Breakfast Tea (T7001) and English Breakfast (T702). It is the most direct way to taste the unflavoured, the chocolatey and the citrus side by side.

The Coffret 3 Thés Happy Breakfast leans towards flavoured teas: Colombian Breakfast Chaï (T5311), with cocoa beans, coffee beans and spices, American Breakfast Tea (T7003) and Tokyo Breakfast Tea (T7005). Each tin keeps closed while you start on the others.