Since its arrival in the 17th century, tea has long been the drink of choice in England. The Brits drink tea throughout the day (analogous to American coffee consumption habits). Practically every British home has one or more teapots as well as a selection of teas appropriate for different tastes and times.
Although the English overwhelmingly favor black tea blends, herbal teas (or tisanes) are also well loved. These drinks don’t contain any tea per se, but instead comprise leaves, flowers, or other parts of various plants, such as mint, chamomile, spices, or fruit. Green and white teas are also gaining popularity in Britain, but at least for the time being black tea accounts for the great majority of their national tea consumption.
All black tea, and, indeed, all proper teas, come from the plant Camellia sinensis, a bush-like plant 3 to 6 feet tall that grows wild in many parts of the world. The top leaves from the plant are harvested and dried for consumption. The principal varieties of tea (green, white, and black) are distinguished from one another by virtue of their age and the method by which they’re processed. Black teas are heavily roasted, which results in oxidation, from which they derive their name and color; green and white teas are instead steamed or gently cooked in order to preserve their more delicate flavors.
Although all black tea shares the same basic method of production, they come in an astounding variety based on regional differences in plant varieties and soil. Darjeeling, Assam, Ceylon, and other black teas are common, but blended black Breakfast teas are among the most popular in England.
The name “Breakfast tea” seems redundant, but it derives from the old practice of eating two main meals during the day: breakfast in the morning, and dinner rather late at night. Around four o’clock a lighter meal of tea and snacks was served to keep one going until the great meal to follow several hours down the road. Accordingly, the teas accompanying this afternoon “tea time” meal were correspondingly rich in flavor.
Breakfast teas, meanwhile, come in several common varieties; there are more-or-less well-defined styles called English, Irish and Scottish Breakfast teas. English Breakfast teas are based on Keemun, a black Chinese variety that lends the blend its signature aromatic note of toasted bread. Irish Breakfasts are based on Assam, a robust Indian tea that lends a dark, hearty flavor suitable for morning rejuvenation, and are often drank with milk and generous amounts of sugar.
Earl Grey teas are a horse of another color with an appropriately colorful story: Charles Grey was PM of Great Britain in the early 1830s, and in return for saving the life of a Mandarin Chinese man condemned to death was given the precious gift of a very old recipe for a special aromatic tea. (While amusing, it is probable that someone was trying to horn in on the burgeoning, lucrative Sino-British tea trade.) In any event, the tea that has come to bear Lord Grey’s name is scented with the essential oils from a variety of orange called Bergamot, and the resultant tea is a bit like a floral perfume with a gently bitter orange flavor. It is also available, for those who find the idea intriguing but the tea overwhelming, in a more gently scented version called Lady Grey.
cast iron teapots, kyusu teapots, and Yixing teapots add Asian style and functionality to your tea time.
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