Wholesale Loose Leaf Breakfast Tea

Learn More About Loose Leaf Breakfast Tea.

Below you'll find more information that will help you understand what breakfast tea is and help you navigate choosing the right breakfast tea.

Choosing Your Loose Leaf Breakfast Tea.

Breakfast tea is traditionally a blend of teas, quite often from various tea-growing regions. The loose tea leaves combine in such a way as to give each tea blend a unique character and flavour. The original 'Breakfast Tea' blend is credited to Scottish tea merchant Robert Drysdale in the late 1800s, who combined tea leaves from Ceylon (Sri Lanka), Keemun (China) and Assam (India). Historical sources suggest that Queen Victoria tasted this new tea blend during her stay at the royal residence Balmoral and liked it so much returned to England with a plentiful supply. As a result, the tea became known as English Breakfast Tea!

Jenier were approached in 2019 by the Balmoral Estate to develop a new Scottish blend for them. The Balmoral Tea Blend we created is based on the original Drysdale recipe of the 1800s with a nod to Scottish Tea Pioneers Robert Fortune and James Taylor and is available to enjoy throughout the visitor centres on the Balmoral Estate. Balmoral has given Jenier permission to sell this unique tea blend.

Over the years, blending teas from different growing regions has become very popular, and in particular, an English Breakfast Tea is notable on most menus throughout the world. However, whilst the name English Breakfast is commonly used, the tea blends made by one tea company to the next can vary quite a bit, so never assume when buying an English Breakfast that it will be the same as the one you have.

What's The Difference Between Breakfast Tea Blends?

One of the reasons for the different Jenier tea blends on offer is how well tea leaves infuse with hard or soft water. Hard water can affect tea taste, so we always recommend using filtered water wherever possible. Also, some blends provide a more potent brew in colour and flavour to accommodate personal preference. None are better than the other; they have different characters and tastes.

We suggest sampling the range of breakfast teas as this is most likely the blend you will serve the most and the one you'll be known for by your customers. Don't select by name alone - there are reasons why a Scottish Breakfast Tea Blend is called Scottish, and an Irish Breakfast Tea Blend is called Irish. Still, there is nothing wrong with you serving any blend as your 'Breakfast Blend', so don't restrict your choice by the geographical name given to the teas.

Each tea has a description and a profile where you will find information about the character of the tea and specific details on which growing regions the leaves originate. If you're ordering samples, we will send you a tasting log along with your loose-leaf tea samples so you can taste and record your thoughts on the blends. Try to taste only a few at a time, perhaps at most 4 or 5, as your taste buds will get tired, and you'll find it difficult to taste the nuances of each blend.

How To Infuse Loose Leaf Breakfast Tea.

All our breakfast teas taste delicious with or without milk and work well with just a slice of lemon. Measure one heaped teaspoon of loose tea leaves per cup (a cup size of around 230 - 260 ml) and infuse for 3 - 7 minutes, depending on how strong you like your tea. Wherever possible, always use fresh, filtered water brought to boiling temperature.

If you'd like to learn more about Black teas and food pairings, check out our post at the Tea Hub: Tea And Food Pairing.