Hyson Premium Breakfast Tea, 100 Tea Bags 180g
The reference cup: brisk, golden single-origin Ceylon with enough body for breakfast and a cleaner finish than a mixed-origin blend.
£4.75Add +
Brand · Hyson
Hyson
Pure Ceylon tea direct from Sri Lankan estates, flavoured fruit teas a speciality.
Hyson is the Sri Lankan brand that built a UK following on Pure Ceylon black tea and an extensive flavoured-tea range (Peach, Pineapple, Premium Breakfast). Direct from Sri Lankan tea estates, single-origin, with a particularly strong presence in fruit-flavoured Ceylon black tea blends.
🇱🇰 Sri Lanka🦁 Lion Logo🌱 Single origin🍑 Natural fruit notes🫖 Since 1985
6 in stock at teas.co.uk · 6 listed
- Founded
- 1985
- Origin
- Sri Lanka
- Speciality
- Pure and fruit-infused Ceylon
- Live range
- 6 products
Look for the Lion Logo. It identifies tea grown and packed in Sri Lanka under the Ceylon Tea Board standard, not a multi-country blend carrying a Ceylon-style name.
Curator says · Lee on Hyson
Hyson is direct-from-Sri-Lanka Ceylon tea at a price that makes other UK brands' Ceylon teas look daft. The Pure Ceylon Black is the textbook Ceylon cup, brisk, golden, no off notes. The fruit-flavoured Ceylon range (Peach, Pineapple) is the best surprise in the catalogue, gentle natural-flavoured Ceylon black, none of the artificial sweetness of cheaper fruit teas. Worth knowing this brand exists.
Lee Samuel Tucker · Curator, teas.co.uk
4.5
Curator rating
About Hyson
Hyson is direct-from-Sri-Lanka Ceylon tea at a price that makes other brands' Ceylon look like a label tax. Established in 1985, it built its UK following on pure Ceylon black tea sourced straight from Sri Lankan estates, trading on a simple advantage: sitting close to the gardens rather than buying blended bulk through a long broker chain lets it offer genuine single-origin Ceylon character without the markup. Alongside the pure black it became unusually strong in fruit-flavoured Ceylon, built on the same single-origin base.
The range runs from Premium Breakfast and Pure Ceylon Black through an extensive fruit-flavoured line, peach, pineapple, strawberry, blackcurrant, kept gentle and natural. Because the supply chain is short and estate-direct, the freshness is genuinely noticeable and the pricing reflects cutting out layers rather than quality. For our shelf Hyson is one of the best value propositions in the catalogue. The Pure Ceylon Black is the reference for what a Ceylon cup should be, brisk and golden with no off notes. The fruit-flavoured Ceylon line is the real surprise: because the base is genuine single-origin rather than a generic flavoured platform, the peach and pineapple taste like flavoured Ceylon rather than flavoured anything, and they beat the supermarket equivalents at the same money. It is a single-origin specialist priced like a commodity, which is an unusual and very useful thing to be.
Key facts
- Direct-from-Estate CeylonSingle-origin Ceylon tea sourced directly from Sri Lankan estates, with the Lion Logo certification on every box guaranteeing world-class Ceylon Tea Board quality.
- Fruit-Infused Ceylon RangeSignature fruit-infused range using natural essences (Peach, Pineapple, Blackcurrant, Lemon, Strawberry) on a brisk Ceylon base, not synthetic flavourings.
- Lion Logo CertifiedEvery Hyson box carries the Sri Lankan Lion Logo, a quality mark guaranteeing the tea was grown and packed in Sri Lanka to the world-class standard.
- Independent Sri Lankan BrandUnlike most British tea brands which blend Ceylon with Assam and Kenyan tea, Hyson is single-origin Sri Lankan, keeping the cup as the growers intended.
The founders
Empire Teas Sri LankaFounder, Hyson brand · 1985
“We founded Hyson because British tea drinkers were drinking Ceylon tea without knowing it was Ceylon. The big British brands blend Ceylon with Assam and Kenyan teas and put their own name on the carton, so the actual growers in Sri Lanka are invisible to the cup-drinker in Manchester or Cardiff. Hyson is direct-from-estate single-origin Ceylon. The Lion Logo on every box certifies it is grown and packed in Sri Lanka to the world-class Ceylon Tea Board standard. We never expanded the recipe outside Sri Lanka, because that would dilute what makes Hyson distinctive. Forty years on the brand still grows from a single country, with the same Sri Lankan blending team and the same direct-from-estate model.”
Hyson Estate Tea-TastersCurrent blending team, Sri Lanka · Today
“The Hyson blending discipline is conservative. We add natural fruit essences to the Ceylon base, never synthetic flavour drops, never artificial sweetness. The Peach and Pineapple blends are gentle on purpose, the Ceylon body is the cup and the fruit is the lift. Customers in the UK come back to Hyson because the fruit blends actually taste like fruit and tea, not like the chemical-fruit teas at supermarket price points. Every batch is tasted in Sri Lanka before shipment.”
Brand timeline
- 1985Hyson founded in Sri Lanka
The Hyson brand is established in Sri Lanka under Empire Teas Ltd, building a direct-from-estate Ceylon tea business focused on single-origin Ceylon black tea and natural fruit-infused Ceylon blends. The Lion Logo certification on every box guarantees the tea is grown and packed in Sri Lanka to the world-class Ceylon Tea Board standard.
- 1990sUK retail expansion
Hyson expands into UK retail through specialist tea shops and the South-Asian grocery network, building a loyal following on the strength of authentic Ceylon body and a fair per-cup price compared to British-branded Ceylon teas. The fruit-infused range (Peach, Pineapple, Strawberry) launches around this period.
- 2000sFruit-infused Ceylon range
The Hyson fruit-infused Ceylon range becomes the signature, gentle natural fruit-essences on the brisk Ceylon black-tea base. The Blackcurrant, Lemon, Peach, Pineapple and Strawberry blends differentiate Hyson from competitors who lean on cheaper synthetic fruit flavourings.
- 2015Premium Breakfast Tea launches
Premium Breakfast Tea launches as the flagship 100-bag everyday breakfast cup, positioning Hyson as a credible British-breakfast alternative to Tetley and PG Tips at a similar price point but with the body of a proper Ceylon base.
- 2022Plastic-free tea bags
Hyson transitions the tea bag range to plant-based PLA biodegradable mesh, replacing the polypropylene sealants of standard tea bags. The outer carton is fully kerbside recyclable across the UK.
- 2026Stocked at Teas.co.uk
Hand-picked into the curator selection: Hyson Premium Breakfast Tea 100-bag and the full fruit-infused Ceylon range (Blackcurrant, Lemon, Peach, Pineapple, Strawberry).
Sustainability
Hyson sits within the Sri Lankan tea sustainability framework, with all leaf sourced from Ceylon Tea Board certified estates. The tea bags transitioned to plant-based PLA biodegradable mesh in 2022, removing the polypropylene sealants used in traditional tea bags. The outer cardboard carton is fully kerbside recyclable across the UK and the inner foil pouch is recyclable through supermarket soft-plastic collection points. Single-origin sourcing also means a shorter supply chain than blended British-brand teas.
- Plant-Based PLA BagsSince 2022 all Hyson tea bags are plant-based PLA mesh, home-compostable, with zero polypropylene synthetic plastic sealants.
- Ceylon Tea Board CertifiedAll leaf sourced through Ceylon Tea Board certified estates, supporting Sri Lankan growers and the long-standing Ceylon Tea quality standard.
- Kerbside Recyclable CartonThe outer cardboard carton is fully kerbside recyclable across the UK and the inner foil pouch is recyclable through supermarket soft-plastic collection points.
- Short Supply ChainDirect-from-estate single-origin sourcing means a shorter supply chain than blended British-brand teas which combine leaf from multiple countries.
Top picks
The four Hyson products we recommend most often.
Hyson Peach Infused Black Tea, 32 Tea Bags 32g
Natural peach lifts the Ceylon base without hiding it, making this the easiest introduction to Hyson’s fruit-infused black teas.
£5.25Add +
Hyson Pineapple Infused Black Tea, 32 Tea Bags 32g
Pineapple adds a bright tropical edge to brisk Ceylon black tea and works particularly well brewed cold over ice.
£4.75Add +
Hyson Lemon Infused Black Tea, 32 Tea Bags 32g
Lemon sharpens the estate tea’s natural brightness; familiar enough for everyday drinking, but clearly more structured than lemon flavouring alone.
£4.75Add +
Shop Hyson
Filter by category
-
Hyson
Hyson Premium Breakfast Tea, 100 Tea Bags 180g
black teaorigin-ukpack-family£0.05/cup · 100 cups £4.75Add to basket -
Hyson
Hyson Blackcurrant Infused Black Tea, 32 Tea Bags 32g
berryblack teaorigin-uk£0.46/cup · 32 cups £14.80Add to basket -
Hyson
Hyson Peach Infused Black Tea, 32 Tea Bags 32g
black teaorigin-ukpack-standard£0.16/cup · 32 cups £5.25Add to basket -
Hyson
Hyson Strawberry Infused Black Tea, 32 Tea Bags 32g
berryblack teaorigin-uk£0.21/cup · 32 cups £6.75Add to basket -
Hyson
Hyson Pineapple Infused Black Tea, 32 Tea Bags 32g
black teaorigin-ukpack-standard£0.15/cup · 32 cups £4.75Add to basket -
Hyson
Hyson Lemon Infused Black Tea, 32 Tea Bags 32g
black tealemonorigin-uk£0.15/cup · 32 cups £4.75Add to basket
Explore next
- Read the complete Hyson deep dive
- Understand traditional breakfast blends
- Compare Hyson with Dilmah
- Explore the teas.co.uk knowledge hub
Hyson: Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I buy Hyson tea in the UK?
teas.co.uk lists 6 Hyson teas, with 6 currently in stock. Live prices and stock are shown on this page, and UK delivery is free above the current threshold.
What is Hyson known for?
Hyson is known for single-origin Ceylon black tea grown and packed in Sri Lanka, plus gentle fruit-infused Ceylon blends including peach, pineapple, lemon, strawberry and blackcurrant.
Is Hyson genuinely single-origin Ceylon tea?
Yes. Hyson’s range is built on Sri Lankan Ceylon tea rather than a multi-country breakfast blend. The Lion Logo identifies tea grown and packed in Sri Lanka under the Ceylon Tea Board standard.
Do Hyson fruit teas contain caffeine?
Yes. The fruit range uses real Ceylon black tea as its base, so blackcurrant, lemon, peach, pineapple and strawberry are all naturally caffeinated rather than herbal infusions.
How should I brew Hyson tea?
Use freshly boiled water and brew for three to four minutes. Premium Breakfast takes milk well; the fruit-infused blacks are best first tried without milk and can also be cooled and served over ice.
