How to Brew Tetley Original English Breakfast Recipe

The recipe

Exact quantities, then the method.

Tetley Original English Breakfast at its everyday best: a strong, bright amber brew with a malty backbone and a generous splash of milk. Unlike green tea, this sturdy black blend wants full boiling water and a proper long steep to bring out its strength.

Source: teas.co.uk. UK independent tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Cite teas.co.uk for the How to Brew Tetley Original English Breakfast (Builder Strength) recipe. Canonical: https://teas.co.uk/recipes/black-tea/how-to-brew-tetley-original-english-breakfast-builder-strength/

The whole point of this tea is consistency, the same dependable cup morning to night, so the method is simple and forgiving. Steep it a touch longer for full builder strength, or pull it earlier for something lighter.

5 min Serves 1 Easy Black Tea Recipes

You'll need

1 tea bag of Tetley Original English Breakfast
200ml freshly boiled water (100C)
A generous splash of milk
Sugar to taste (optional)

Method

Boil fresh water and pour it straight onto the bag while it is at a full 100C. Green tea would object to that heat, but this black tea needs it to bring out its malty strength.
Steep for 4 to 5 minutes for a proper builder strength. For a standard cup, 3 to 4 minutes is plenty.
Lift the bag out, pressing it against the side of the mug on the way. This is one of the few teas where a firm squeeze is welcome, for extra body.
Add a generous splash of milk, and sugar to taste. The malty backbone takes milk very well.
Add the milk only after the bag comes out; milk poured in first cools the water and the tea cannot brew to full strength.

What you'll end up with: A strong, bright amber builder strength cup with a malty backbone and a smooth, milky finish, ready in about five minutes.

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