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Irish Breakfast

Wikipedia: Irish_Breakfast_tea | Teaviews: irish-breakfast-tea 
Last Updated: Mar. 14, 2014 

About Irish Breakfast

Loose-leaf black tea with mostly black and dark-brown colors, a few greenish-olive leavesLoose-Leaf Organic Irish Breakfast Black Tea from Wegmans, Photo © Alex Zorach, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Irish Breakfast is a style of breakfast black tea. The term "Irish Breakfast" is used primarily outside of Ireland; in Ireland this style is referred to just as "tea".

Like other breakfast teas, it is often a blend, and is defined more by its character than by the particular styles and regions of origin of tea used to produce the blend. However, Irish Breakfast tends to include Assam black tea in greater proportions, giving the blend a stronger flavor, and a rich, malty character. Some Irish breakfasts are made only out of Assam. Mechanically processed CTC (Crush-Tear-Curl) teas are commonly used in this blend, as they infuse quickly and result in a bold flavor.

Irish Breakfast is similar to English Breakfast, but tends to be significantly stronger tasting. The tea is widely described with the Irish saying that tea should be "strong enough for a mouse to trot on".[1] Irish Breakfast is also similar to Ostfriesen tea, a strong black tea blend originating in Germany, which also usually features Assam tea prominently.

References:

1. Amy Hackney Blackwell, Ryan Hackney, The Everything Irish History & Heritage Book, Everything Books, 2004.

Recent Irish Breakfast Reviews — RSS rss icon

75 / 100
Picture of River Shannon Breakfast Blend

Nice aroma, with a mild earthy scent. The liquor (5 min steep) is a dark brown. Good flavor, easy to sip all day long. Nice blend.

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59 / 100
Picture of Irish Breakfast (Loose)

Irish Breakfast (Loose) from Twinings

Style: Irish Breakfast – Region: Blend
Apr. 27th, 2022

The version I'm rating is from the "American" tin (packed in Greensboro, NC, but presumably shipped over in bulk to parse out for that purpose). It doesn't look appreciably different from the photo I uploaded off Twinings' website.

Dry aroma was surprisingly weak for an Irish Breakfast blend, but pleasant to the e...

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74 / 100
Picture of Barry's Irish Breakfast

Barry's Irish Breakfast from Barry's Tea

Style: Irish Breakfast – Region: ?????
Mar. 27th, 2022

When I ordered some herbs from iHerb.com, they had better prices for Barry's teas than I can get locally, so I bought a few varieties to try and this is one of them. My box says "Irish Breakfast," so that's where I'm putting the review, but it's otherwise the same green box as the "Original Blend" and I suspect they're...

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81 / 100
Picture of Irish Breakfast

Irish Breakfast from Frontier

Style: Irish Breakfast – Region: India
Mar. 21st, 2021

This tea was spot-on in terms of style for Irish Breakfast, and one of the better examples of it at that.

The leaf is broken but the pieces of leaf are still recognizable as such, especially after steeping. The dry leaf has a pleasant aroma that suggests a strong, fresh tea. It infuses fairly quickly to produce a po...

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78 / 100
Picture of Irish Breakfast

Irish Breakfast from Adagio Teas

Style: Irish Breakfast – Region: Blend
Dec. 26th, 2020

Prep: 8oz, sample packet, 212F, 5min

This is my first Irish breakfast tea (at least by the specific tea). This was a free sample in my most recent adagio box.

Aroma: I’ve had a few black teas from Adagio that were quite aggressive in their aromas. This is much more subtle; however, it’s very inviting. Remi...

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Read More Reviews of Irish Breakfast (88) ...

Top Reviewers

RankUser#%
1Reviewer icon Alex Zorach1532
2Reviewer icon Sylvia715
3Reviewer icon E. Alex Gerster49
4Reviewer icon Joseph36
5Reviewer icon morning glory36

Review 4 teas to get on this list!

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Most-Rated Irish Breakfast

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Irish Breakfast

Brand:Twinings
Style:Irish Breakfast
Region:?????
Caffeine:Caffeinated
Leaf:Teabag
17
23 Ratings
Picture of Irish Breakfast

Irish Breakfast

Brand:Adagio Teas
Style:Irish Breakfast
Region:Blend
Caffeine:Caffeinated
Leaf:Loose
45
10 Ratings
Picture of Irish Breakfast

Irish Breakfast

Brand:Trader Joe's
Style:Irish Breakfast
Region:Assam, India
Caffeine:Caffeinated
Leaf:Teabag
31
4 Ratings
Picture of Irish Breakfast

Irish Breakfast

Brand:Bewley's Coffee and Tea Company
Style:Irish Breakfast
Region:Blend
Caffeine:Caffeinated
Leaf:Teabag
59
4 Ratings
Picture of Irish Breakfast

Irish Breakfast

Brand:Fortnum & Mason
Style:Irish Breakfast
Region:Blend
Caffeine:Caffeinated
Leaf:Loose
7
4 Ratings

Top-Rated Irish Breakfast

Picture of Irish Breakfast Black Tea

Irish Breakfast Black Tea

Brand:Boston Tea Company
Style:Irish Breakfast
Region:Blend
Caffeine:Caffeinated
Leaf:Loose
89
3 Ratings
No image of this tea

Organic Irish Breakfast Black Tea

Brand:Wegmans
Style:Irish Breakfast
Region:India
Caffeine:Caffeinated
Leaf:Loose
77
3 Ratings
No image of this tea

Irish Breakfast

Brand:Red Rose Tea
Style:Irish Breakfast
Region:Blend
Caffeine:Caffeinated
Leaf:Teabag
60
3 Ratings
Picture of Irish Breakfast

Irish Breakfast

Brand:Bewley's Coffee and Tea Company
Style:Irish Breakfast
Region:Blend
Caffeine:Caffeinated
Leaf:Teabag
59
4 Ratings
Picture of Irish Breakfast

Irish Breakfast

Brand:Adagio Teas
Style:Irish Breakfast
Region:Blend
Caffeine:Caffeinated
Leaf:Loose
45
10 Ratings

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