English, Irish & Scottish Breakfast Tea: How Are They Different?

One of the most popular morning teas is English breakfast, even in Canada. It’s one of three black tea options at most restaurants, along with the basics like Orange Pekoe and Earl Grey tea blend.  

I didn’t think anything of it, until I visited Ireland and Scotland where I discovered Irish and Scottish Breakfast as well. As it turns out, breakfast tea is not just English!

It made me wonder though, what’s the difference between English Breakfast vs. Irish Breakfast vs. Scottish Breakfast tea? If they’re even different at all? Or does it simply come down to where they’re from that they get their name?  

So I set out to find the difference between English, Irish, and Scottish Breakfast tea… if there even is one! 

Psst! This post contains affiliate links. It sends a bit extra my way if your buy anything through my links, at no extra cost to you!

First, What Is Breakfast Tea?

Breakfast tea is a tea blend typically made up of 2-3 different single-origin black teas.

Breakfast tea is typically a stronger tea, meant to be enjoyed in the morning with a dash of milk.

There’s of course no rule that they can only be enjoyed in the morning though!  

Breakfast teas were blended specifically to accommodate the different water quality in each country, and followed tea trade trends at the time.  

Orange Pekoe Vs. English Breakfast Tea

So what’s the difference between orange pekoe and breakfast tea?

Both orange pekoe and English breakfast are black teas offering a decent amount of caffeine, making them perfect for your morning cup.

But! Orange pekoe only uses one type of tea, meaning it’s not a blend. So, you can have an orange pekoe tea made from Assam, Darjeeling, OR Ceylon tea.  

Whereas English breakfast tea can be a blend with Assam, Darjeeling AND Ceylon.

Orange pekoe has also become a sort of umbrella term for higher quality black teas.

Origin Story For Breakfast Teas

There are several hypothesis for where breakfast teas comes form. The earliest theory is from the 1700’s with Queen Anne. This was a time when drinking ale for breakfast was the norm… beer with your eggs anyone! 

One day, Queen Anne requested tea in the morning as a lighter alternative to her ale. Read more about Queen Anne and English Breakfast here. 

A second theory is from the 1800s, where it’s believed breakfast tea was invented by a Scott. It wasn’t just any Scotsman, it was Robert Drysdale, one of the founders of Brodie’s Tea (one of the leading Scottish Tea brands today!). 

In 1892, Drysdale presented his tea blend to Queen Victoria on her visit to Balmoral Castle in Scotland. It’s said that she loved it so much that she brought some back with her to England, and renamed it English Breakfast. Read more about Brodie’s History. 

But wait… does that mean English breakfast tea is actually Scottish breakfast tea…??

What’s English Breakfast Tea?

English Breakfast tea is the most popular of the breakfast blends.

Common words that come up when describing English Breakfast are that it’s full-bodied and robust. It’s meant to be a strong tea with rich flavours, but not meant to be bitter. It’s the perfect to pair milk and sugar and a full English breakfast, of course.  

English Breakfast teas are typically a mix of teas from East Africa, Ceylon and Assam.

It’s also believed to be the lightest (in terms of caffeine and strength). Although, as you’ll notice, every brand has a slightly different blend (the same goes for Irish and Scottish Breakfast blends). 

Most popular English breakfast teas include Twinings English Breakfast, PG Tips, and Taylors of Harrogate Yorkshire Gold.

What’s Irish Breakfast Tea?

Did you know that the Irish actually drink more tea PER capita than the English?

In 2016 they were second in the world to Turkey, drinking just under 5 lb per person a year (don’t believe me? See the stats!). 

So it’s no wonder that over the years they’ve developed their own unique Irish Breakfast tea blend. 

History Of Irish Breakfast Tea

Tea in Ireland did not get off to the best start.

It was introduced around the same time that it was in England, in the mid 1700’s. It began as a status drink due to the high import costs, which only the rich could afford. 

But in 1835, the relationship between Ireland and tea changed forever. Samuel Bewley, took things into his own hands and imported the tea directly from China to Ireland. This broke the monopoly on tea imports, saving considerable amount on import fees (read more about the history of Bewley’s tea here). 

This opened up the tea world to everyone in Ireland. It also allowed for them to import higher quality teas. So, you may find that Irish Breakfast tea is better quality than both English and Scottish breakfast teas.  

Popular Irish breakfast tea brands are Bewley’s, Barry’s, and Lyons. See which one I think is the best in my test taste here.

What’s The Difference Between English Breakfast Vs. Irish Breakfast

So what’s the difference between Irish and English breakfast tea blends? 

Twinings describes their Irish Breakfast (when compared to English breakfast) to be “much stronger, more intense in taste and bolder in colour.”.

This is a known difference between English and Irish breakfast tea blends. One of the main distinguishing factors is that Irish Breakfast always has a strong Assam component. This is the reason for it’s darker (usually redder) colour and malty taste.

It seems to be a nice middle ground between English Breakfast and Scottish Breakfast. I’ve noticed that the popular Irish breakfast brands don’t market their tea as Irish breakfast, these are simply their standard teas.  

Continue reading about Irish tea history.

What’s Scottish Breakfast Tea?

Scottish Breakfast tea is even less popular than Irish Breakfast, making it hard to find outside of Scotland. Scottish Breakfast was originally blended to blend well with Scotland’s soft (and salty) water. As you may not know already, tea is all about the quality of the water you’re using.

They made it stronger to overcome the salty taste of Scotland water. So what’s the difference between Scottish and other breakfast blends? It’s more robust and full-bodied than both English and Irish Breakfast. It’s also typically on the higher end of caffeine levels. Some Scottish breakfast teas also have a smokier and oaky flavour to them. 

When I first tried Scottish Breakfast Tea it was from Roservear Tea in Edinburgh and absolutely FELL IN LOVE! I loved the strong flavours and that I could refill it many times.  

Popular Scottish breakfast blends are from Brodie’s, Tea & Coffee Company, and Taylors of Harrogate. Order Scottish breakfast to try the difference from Amazon.com!

Taste Test: One Company, Three Breakfast Teas To Try

It was very hard to find one company that made all three breakfast teas. Twinings sells both an English and Irish Breakfast tea. Taylors of Harrogate sells English and Scottish. And Thompson’s sells Irish and Scottish.  

I found a Canadian company, Murchie’s, that sold all three. Murchie’s was actually started by Scotsman, John Murchie, in 1894 when he came to Canada, so they have strong ties to the UK.  All three of their breakfast teas are unique blends. It’s recommended to brew each tea with boiling water for 3-5 minutes. 

I wanted to see how each tea compared to each other when they all came from the same company.  *In the U.S.? Adagio teas also sells all three blends to try, and so does Taylor’s of Harrogate on Amazon.com. 

	Tea Blend	Caffeine Strength	Notes	Shop
English Breakfast Tea	Ceylon & Keemun	4/5	The tea leaves were prepared differently using a crush-tear-curl (CTC) method.	Murchies Adagio Amazon
Irish Breakfast Tea	Ceylon & Assam	5/5	Definitely the most earthy and malty flavours.	Murchies Adagio Amazon
Scottish Breakfast Tea	Ceylon & Yunnan	5/5	The strongest out of the three. I don’t notice any smoky or oaky flavours.	Murchies Adagio Amazon

Murchie’s Review: Not My Favourite…

I unfortunately cannot recommend Murchie’s at all. I was so excited to find a company that made all three Breakfast blends but they did not live up to my expectations. I bought both their loose leaf teas and their breakfast pack.  

The loose leaf teas did nothing to impress me with flavours. They were all flat, and very similar. The similarity makes sense because all the teas were made with Ceylon. The only difference came in the second tea that was used in the blend. 

The breakfast pack was even worse. It included their tea in bags. Unfortunately, I saw a huge decline in the quality of the tea. The bags themselves were some of the cheapest I’ve seen, they didn’t even have a string attached.

This is not what I expected from a high quality tea brand. The tea inside just brought more disappointment. It seems that it wasn’t the same quality of tea used because I noticed a huge difference in flavours.

Bonus! Canadian Breakfast Tea!

Canadian Breakfast tea was the silver lining in my Murchie’s haul. They basically took their English breakfast blend (Ceylon and Keemum) and mixed it with maple flavouring. It is beyond DELICIOUS! Such a breath of fresh air and a nice sweet change.

I wouldn’t drink this in the morning though, as it’s too sweet for me but I love this tea in the afternoon.  Keep in mind, this is also not a typical Canadian Breakfast blend!

The Bottom Line – What’s The Difference Between English, Irish, & Scottish Breakfast Tea?

There’s no defining rule for what English, Irish or Scottish Breakfast has to be. The main differences between the three breakfast teas really depends on the company blending them.

There are no defined rules for what each one has to be (unlike beer or Whiskey). Each company defines their own blend for English, Irish, and Scottish Breakfast. So, they’re all more or less the same. 

Typically, English breakfast will have the least caffeine and be the lightest to drink. Irish breakfast is usually be blended with a base of Assam, and because of that will taste earthier. If you’re buying from an Irish company, expect them to use of higher quality teas. Scottish breakfast tends to be the strongest out of the three, and it may have smoky and oaky flavours.

It’s important to keep in mind that even though you like Scottish breakfast from one company, you may not like it from another. It’s really about finding the blend of tea you like from a specific company. That may be Irish breakfast from Twinings, and Scottish Breakfast from Taylor’s of Harrogate.

More Tea Reviews Please!

• What’s The Best Irish Breakfast Tea: Barry’s, Lyons, or Bewley’s?
• What Are The Different Type of Teas?
• Finding The Best Earl Grey Tea: An In Depth Comparison Between Brands
• Tea Time Essentials: The Top 5 Best Kettles For Tea

Pin It To Share Or Save!

All sources

• Breaking Breakfast: English Breakfast Vs. Irish Breakfast – Plum Deluxe
• What’s the Difference Between English, Irish and Scottish Breakfast Teas? The Kitchn
• What is Breakfast Tea – The Good & Proper 
• Why we get a better cup in Ireland than all the tea in China – The Irish Times
• Irish Breakfast: Ireland’s Other National Drink – The Irish Place
• All About English Breakfast – Dragonfly Tea
• English, Scottish and Irish Breakfast: What is the Difference? – TeaMind Today
• What’s the Difference Between English, Irish, and Scottish Breakfast? – My Recipes

Last update on 2024-04-25 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API