Irish Breakfast tea is a strong, full bodied blend of black teas. The tea is heavily drunk in Ireland, which explains the name, and it is associated with breakfast teas in the rest of the world. Fans of Irish Breakfast tea say that the robust flavor helps to revitalize them in the morning, making for a more productive and enjoyable day. Many shops and tea stores carry Irish Breakfast, since the tea is quite popular in many nations.
The primary black tea in Irish Breakfast is Assam tea, named after a region in India. Tea has been cultivated in Assam for centuries, and the area is famous for its very dark, rich, malty black tea. Assam is a lowland tea, unlike many teas which are grown in the highlands of various regions of the world, and it has been an important part of Indian culture since around 1,000 CE, if not earlier. Assam is one of the major tea producing regions in the world.
The tea plant is actually classified as a subspecies of Camellia sinensis, in a recognition of the fact that it is markedly different from most teas. Camellia sinensis assamica varies widely in quality, depending on how it is grown and harvested. High quality Assam tea is certified by the Tea Board of India, allowing consumers and tea blending companies to select particularly distinctive Assam.
Irish Breakfast tea is rarely pure Assam tea; it usually contains an assortment of black teas including Darjeeling, blended to produce a dark, layered flavor. When brewed, the tea is generally a very dark red to brown in color. It can become tannic if it is overbrewed, but a perfectly brewed cup will simply be brisk in flavor with an undertone of dark, richly fermented malt. The tea is usually served with cream and sugar to mellow out the intense flavor.
As a general rule, the best Irish Breakfast tea is available in looseleaf form. Loose leaf tea is made from the best parts of the tea plant, since it is visible to the consumer, and when it is brewed, it slowly unfolds to release its flavor. Ideally, the tea should be brewed loose in a pot, allowing it to completely expand in the water, with cups of tea being poured through strainers to remove the leaves. Bagged Irish Breakfast tea varies in quality, with some bags being perfectly acceptable, while others are stuffed with filler which may make the tea bitter or dull.