Black40–60 mg caffeine

English Breakfast

4.9 · 3,325 reviews

English Breakfast

Classic English Breakfast tea in a white cup, surrounded by loose black tea leaves. Perfect for a morning boost.
English Breakfast tea tin on a table with a floral teacup and sugar bowl in the background.
Harney & Sons English Breakfast tea tin, featuring a classic design and containing 20 tea sachets.
Black tea sachets in a sleek black and gold package labeled "Harney & Sons English Breakfast, 50 sachets.
Red box of English Breakfast tea featuring 50 individually wrapped bags, highlighting Chinese Keemun black tea.
Harney & Sons English Breakfast tea box, featuring 20 bags of Chinese Keemun black tea, red and white packaging.
Harney & Sons Fine Teas- English Breakfast- 1 Pound/16OZ Bag- Black and Gold Bag
Harney & Sons English Breakfast tea tin, 8 oz, featuring a black and gold design, labeled for 65-75 cups.
Black tea tin labeled "English Breakfast" by Harney & Sons, containing 4 oz of blended black tea.
Harney & Sons English Breakfast tea packet, featuring a gold and navy design with "Master Tea Blenders" label.
Harney & Sons Fine Teas- English Breakfast Tea Pods- Cream hinged canister pictured with red highlights- pile of tea- pod on side
Black Keurig coffee maker with white mugs on a kitchen counter

English Breakfast

A classic centuries-old Chinese tea blend.
$ 12.50

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Description

Harney & Sons English Breakfast is a 100% Chinese Keemun black tea. A classic, full-bodied cup with an ancient pedigree. Researchers trace the blend to the black tea the English drank every morning in the early 1800s, before the fashion turned to brisker leaves from India, Ceylon, and Africa. Ours keeps to that original: short, charcoal-gray leaves that brew a deep brown liquor, mellow and straightforward, with quiet notes of toast and honey.

Medium-to-full in body, it's built to take milk and sugar. It's a simple, dependable way to start any day.

Mike's Rating
1 Briskness
3 Body
2 Aroma
 Details: English Breakfast was never designed or formulated all those years ago. Rather, teas were chosen that were plentiful and not too expensive, and that would taste good with milk and sugar. Something an English person would enjoy at the start of a busy day. So in the early 1800s, that tea would have been a black tea from China, and this is where we take our inspiration. Later on, many Brits drank the brisker teas from the British colonies of India and Ceylon. After the Second World War, when the colonies became independent, the source of English Breakfast for the British became Africa. We do have some blends that are inspired by these regions, however, this English Breakfast, like the original, is Chinese black tea.
 Dry Leaves: Our English Breakfast is different from many others, as it has short charcoal gray leaves.
 Liquor: Dark brown.
 Aroma: There is a toasty aroma.
 Flavors: Straightforward and mellow, with hints of toast and honey. Strong and simple. 
 Caffeine Level: Caffeinated
 Body: Medium-to-full-bodied
 Brewing Time: 5 minutes
 Brewing Temp: 212º

Ingredients
Black tea.

Packaging Types

Loose Tea: Bulk whole or broken leaves

Tea Bags: Finely cut tea in paper bags

Sachets: Whole-leaf tea in mesh bags

Tea Pods: Single-serve pods for Keurig® brewers

Iced Tea Pouches: Large bags for batches of iced tea

Packaging Types

Loose Tea: Bulk whole or broken leaves

Tea Bags: Finely cut tea in paper bags

Sachets: Whole-leaf tea in mesh bags

Tea Pods: Single-serve pods for Keurig® brewers

Iced Tea Pouches: Large bags for batches of iced tea

At a glance

TypeBlack
Caffeine Content40–60 mg caffeine
FlavorsToasty and mellow, with hints of honey.

Mike Harney's Ratings

Aroma
Body
Briskness

This tea is about as classic as it gets. It is toasty and mellow, with a touch of honey, and it has the body to stand up to milk if you take it that way.

What Customers Say

4.9 out of 5 · 3,325 reviews

morning ritual, every daysmooth, balanced flavorloyal, long-term drinkershot or iced, any time
Whether hot or iced, it is flavorful and refreshing!
— David M.
I have enjoyed a nice hot cup of this English Breakfast tea almost every morning for several years.
— Deanna P.
Have it on a 50 sachet monthly subscription, we drink it that much!
— lisa h.

Four Decades of Tradition

In 1983, John Harney set out to make tea an everyday luxury, hand-blending his first teas in the basement of his country inn in Salisbury, Connecticut.
Three generations later, we still follow his one rule: only buy and blend teas that make us smile. Today we blend more than 300 of them from a home base in Millerton, New York, where the third generation is adding blends of its own.

Where Mornings Start

English Breakfast is the tea a lot of people meet first and keep for life. Ours is built on the history of where the British first got their tea from. It's an ideal start for the day, toasty and full-bodied, with a little sweetness. It is the everyday luxury we think a morning is worth.

Blended in Millerton, poured the world over

How to Enjoy It

English Breakfast is forgiving, which is half its charm. Here is how we make it when we want it at its best.

Water

Start with fresh spring or filtered water. It's nearly everything in the cup, and even a tea this bold takes on whatever's in the tap.

Hot

With its black tea base, you'll want to use boiling water (212ºF). Steep 5 minutes so the toast and honey have time to come forward.

  • 1 sachet per 12 oz mug
  • 1 teabag per 8 oz cup
  • 1 teaspoon loose (2.5 g) per 8 oz cup

Iced

Brew it double strength, twice the tea for the same water, then pour straight over a tall glass of ice. It keeps its body as it dilutes instead of thinning out.

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Common questions

What does Harney & Sons English Breakfast taste like?
It is toasty and mellow with hints of honey, and a medium-to-full body. Made from 100% Chinese Keemun, it is smoother and rounder than the brisker English Breakfast blends built on India or Ceylon leaf.

Is English Breakfast good with milk and sugar?
Yes. Its medium-to-full body was built to take milk and sugar, which round out the toasty, honeyed notes. It is just as good on its own if you prefer it plain.

What makes it different from other English Breakfast teas?
Ours is 100% Chinese Keemun, modeled on the black tea the English drank in the early 1800s, so it tastes toasty and mellow rather than sharp. Many English Breakfast blends instead lead with brisk India or Ceylon leaf.

How much caffeine is in English Breakfast?
As a black tea, it has roughly 40 to 60 mg of caffeine per cup, a moderate amount that makes it a natural choice for the morning.

How do I brew English Breakfast?
Bring your water to a full boil at 212F and steep for 5 minutes. That full steep draws out the honeyed depth and the body that stands up to milk. The How to Enjoy section on this page has more detail.

Which format should I choose, loose leaf or sachets?
We offer English Breakfast in loose leaf, sachets, and wrapped teabags. Loose leaf is our pick for a slower morning cup, while sachets and wrapped teabags make an easy pour at your desk or on the go.

Is there an organic version of English Breakfast?
Yes. We also make an Organic English Breakfast, available as a box of individually wrapped sachets, if you prefer a certified organic cup.