BlackCaffeinated

Irish Breakfast

4.9 · 1,703 reviews

Irish Breakfast

Irish Breakfast tea in a cup, surrounded by loose black tea leaves, showcasing rich color and flavor.
Harney & Sons Fine Teas- Irish Breakfast- 1 Pound/16OZ Bag- Black and Gold Bag
Harney & Sons Irish Breakfast loose tea tin, 8 oz, featuring a black and gold design, ideal for 65-75 cups.
Harney & Sons Irish Breakfast loose tea tin, 4 oz, featuring a classic black tea blend for 30-40 cups.
Harney & Sons Irish Breakfast tea sample packet, featuring a blue design with gold accents and tear tab.
Harney & Sons Fine Teas- Irish Breakfast- Black and Gold Bag of 50 Sachets
Box of Irish Breakfast tea featuring 50 foil-wrapped teabags, labeled as bold black tea.

Irish Breakfast

Strong, bold Assam teas combine to create this breakfast blend.
$ 32.00

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Description

Irish Breakfast is our full-bodied black tea, blended from one hundred percent Assam grown in the Brahmaputra Valley of northeast India. It pours a deep, medium-dark brown with a malty backbone and a subtle note of roast malt, the kind of cup that wakes you up and holds its own.

We built this one in the older Irish style, with small broken leaves rather than CTC pellets, so it stays smooth even when you brew it strong. It drinks well on its own, and it takes milk and sugar as gracefully as any tea we make.

Mike's Rating
4 Briskness
4 Body
2 Aroma
 Details: The Harneys have been out of Ireland for some time, so our Irish Breakfast is an older version. This tea recalls a time when the teas came from Assam, not Africa, and were small, broken leaves, not CTC pellets. So this is a simple tea that can handle milk and sugar well.
 Dry Leaves: Dark brown leaves.
 Liquor: A medium-dark brown liquor.
 Aroma: This has some of the malty aromas found in other Assams. However, since it is a smaller tea and there are no tips, the aromas seem to be muted.
 Flavors: This is usually served with milk and sugar, so the flavors harmonize well with them. There are subtle notes of roast malt.
 Caffeine Level: Caffeinated
 Body: Full-bodied. This has a very good body. It is usually served with milk. Of course, the Irish would have it no other way.
 Brewing Time: 4 to 5 minutes
 Brewing Temp: 212º

Ingredients
Black tea: A strong blend of Assam teas from the Bramaputra area. It isa blend of both broken Assam and CTC. This tea blend favor more Theaflavins for the bold flavor that can be tamed by addig milk and sugar.

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 ContentCaffeinated
FlavorsRoast malt, a full round body, and a smooth finish that softens the moment you pour in milk.

Mike Harney's Ratings

Aroma
Body
Briskness

The Harneys have been out of Ireland a long while, so ours is an older version of Irish Breakfast, from back when the tea came from Assam rather than Africa and arrived as small broken leaves instead of CTC pellets. I kept it that way on purpose, because a straightforward Assam that can carry milk and sugar is worth more to me than a flashy one.

What Customers Say

4.9 out of 5 · 1,703 reviews

morning ritual, first cupbold without bitternessperfect with milk or creamsmooth, malty assam character
​The quality is noticeable right away — rich color, strong aroma, and consistent flavor every time.
— Ginger M.
Three to five minutes is perfect.
— Debbie B.
I have been buying Harney & Sons Irish breakfast tea for more than eight years and cannot imagine starting my day without it.
— Karen B.

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.

Pure Assam, Older Style

Irish Breakfast has always been a single-origin blend for us, one hundred percent Assam from the Brahmaputra Valley in northeast India. Assam is what gives the cup its malt, its deep color, and its full body, the traits that let it stand up to milk. Most Irish blends today lean on CTC pellets or African teas for briskness, but we kept ours in an older style, built from small broken Assam leaves. That choice keeps the malt rounded rather than sharp. It is a simple tea, and we like it that way.

Blended in Millerton, poured the world over

How to Enjoy It

Irish Breakfast is hearty and malty, heavier than most morning blacks, and built for milk and sugar. Here is how we brew it so the Assam stays rounded rather than sharp.

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 4-5 minutes so the malt and body 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. The Assam malt gives it enough body to stay full as the ice melts instead of washing out.

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Common questions

Is Irish Breakfast good with milk?
Yes, it is one of the best teas we make for milk. The all-Assam base is full-bodied and malty, so it stays rich rather than thin once you pour milk in, and it takes sugar just as well.

How is Irish Breakfast different from English Breakfast?
Our Irish Breakfast is one hundred percent Assam, which makes it maltier and heartier than our English Breakfast. English Breakfast is a smoother, more balanced blend, while Irish leans into the malt.

How much caffeine is in Irish Breakfast?
It is a fully caffeinated black tea, and because it is all Assam it sits on the stronger end of our morning blacks. If you want a black tea without the caffeine, our Decaf Ceylon takes milk well too.

Loose leaf, sachets, or teabags?
We offer Irish Breakfast all three ways, so you can pick your ritual. Loose leaf in the 1 lb. bag is our best seller, and the box of 50 wrapped teabags is the easiest place to start.

How do I brew Irish Breakfast?
Use freshly boiled water at 212 degrees and steep for five minutes. Because it is a robust tea, it will not turn bitter over the full steep, which is exactly what you want before you add milk.

Is there a decaf or organic Irish Breakfast?
Not for Irish Breakfast specifically. If you want a decaffeinated black that still takes milk well, our Decaf Ceylon is a good match, and our Organic Breakfast covers the organic side.

Can I make Irish Breakfast iced?
Yes. Brew it double strength and pour it straight over ice. The Assam body keeps the glass full as the ice melts rather than washing out.

Want something even stronger?
Try our AOH Hibernian Blend. Most of the tea drunk in Ireland today comes from Kenya, so we built it from two Kenyan estates for the Ancient Order of Hibernians, and it stands up to milk and sugar even more stoutly than Irish Breakfast. A portion of sales supports the AOH's charitable and scholarship programs.