8 Ultimate Benefits of English Breakfast Tea

Drinking tea travels centuries back, and people still enjoy the drink, but the British are famously known for drinking tea almost every day of the week, so they’ve eventually come to be known as an English breakfast tea. But what are the ultimate benefits of English breakfast tea?

What is English Breakfast Tea?

A traditional blend of a lot of black tea leaves, mostly from Assam, Ceylon, and Kenya, steeped in hot water, is the famous English breakfast tea known as a breakfast tea, usually taken with milk and sugar accompanied by breakfast. It isn’t that English breakfast tea is taken only while eating breakfast; it can be taken at any time of the day.

Tea drinkers prefer English breakfast tea over coffee as it contains only half as much caffeine¹ as a normal cup of coffee, giving a gentler sense of wakefulness.

A cup of English tea is stronger than green tea² because the blended teas create a kind of breakfast blend. This isn’t just religiously enjoyed in England but also in Scotland and Ireland named as a Scottish breakfast tea and Irish breakfast tea, respectively.

Unlike the doubts that arise, English breakfast tea is an actual tea because it contains Camellia Sinensis³, the tea leaf used to make tea leaves.

Any tea lover enjoys this tea for its full-bodied texture, which is quite efficiently robust with a slight sweetness. Tea masters have many ways of making a traditional English breakfast tea, but here is how to make it if you are new.

How to Make English Breakfast Tea?

There are many types of tea with the many types available on the market. Some will be as easy as dipping tea bags in hot water, while some are traditional and most opted known as loose tea. Earl Grey is a black tea blend with some bergamot in it which is also preferred as an English breakfast tea.

1. Heat Water :

The basic first step to make English breakfast tea is to heat some water in a pan or, if you are more specific with the temperatures, heat water between 205 degrees to 210 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Seeping Tea :

After heating the water, pour the hot water into a teapot, add tea leaves for loose tea, or make it with a teabag, then pour the water into a cup and steep the tea bag for a minimum of three minutes.

If you are making traditionally with a teapot, then pour the loose-leaf teas into hot water and close the pot, allowing the tea leaves to steep for three to five minutes. Keep in mind that too much steeping can cause the tea to taste bitter, so be cautious.

3. Milk and Sugar :

Transfer the black tea to a cup; if you prefer it this way, then go ahead and drink it. But if you want to add some sweetness, add some milk and sugar for a hearty little drink.

If hot tea isn’t your thing and you usually prefer iced tea, then you don’t have to heat water and add ice at the end after steeping the tea leaves or teabag for a few more minutes than usual.

English breakfast tea carries many benefits because of its rich and flavourful taste that it carries and it is always a great way to start in the morning because it is also known to help in digestion, and cleaning the bowels, which is one of the primary reasons some enjoy the drink.

8 Health Benefits of English Breakfast Tea

A drink taken for indefinite years and still passed down to generations must have something good to have such popularity. Leaving out the delicious taste that English breakfast tea brings with it, there are many health benefits available in a good cup of tea.

1. Anti-Aging :

Any black tea has natural antioxidants because it contains Camellia Sinensis, the main ingredient to make tea, packed with many antioxidants known to help in a body’s general health.

English breakfast tea has a main antioxidant called flavonoids⁴ that help in fighting off free radicals, which in turn helps in slowing the ageing process in the human body, helping to keep the skin young as much as physically possible, which can also be the main reason to start drinking the beverage.

2. Metabolism :

A cup of black tea has both antioxidants and caffeine. As mentioned before, the antioxidant flavonoid present in it also contains catechins⁵ that help boost the metabolism rate, resulting in the easy breaking down of fats. Therefore, drinking a cup of black tea early in the morning helps in waking the whole body up.

Caffeine is also present in English breakfast tea but not as much as the caffeine amount present in coffee; technically, a cup of tea contains only half the amount of caffeine compared to a cup of coffee; therefore, it is a little gentle on the body.

3. Gut Health :

A human being’s gut health is as important as one’s brain or any other body part. Keeping the gut healthy helps in the long run by keeping us healthy when we are old because when our core is strong, managing one’s health comes relatively easy.

An upset stomach causes a high stress level. Therefore a bad gut affects the mental health of a  person, too, so keeping it healthy helps overall.

English breakfast tea contains polyphenols, another plant-based antioxidant that helps improve digestion and maintain weight, among many others. So drinking a cup of English breakfast tea helps in keeping the gut health positive.

4. Lower Cholesterol :

If black tea is taken without sugar or milk, the antioxidant present in it will help in reducing and maintaining cholesterol⁶ because sugar is the main ingredient that increases weight and causes diabetes, so it will be helpful to either reduce the spoonful of sugar gradually will contribute to lowering cholesterol levels.

High cholesterol is a factor known for heart disease, so be mindful of what you take and how much you take because your body is your temple.

5. Heart Health :

Antioxidants are not just helpful in slowing the ageing process, but the amazing thing is that they also help us reduce the risks of potential heart diseases, among many others mentioned.

Maintaining a healthy heart is essential. While cardio workouts are known to strengthen the heart, antioxidants also help in it. Although the results are not as fast as cardio, it’s scientifically proven.

The antioxidant flavonoid is usually present in fruits and vegetables, so consuming a generous amount helps reduce the risk of coronary heart disease and lower blood pressure, so drinking enough breakfast tea is as much as healthy as it is indulgent.

6. Lower Risk of Stroke and Cancer :

People who drink English breakfast tea regularly have a significantly lower risk of stroke, which multiple scientific studies have proven.

Although research is needed, a study said a regular black tea drinker is known to have a possibility of a lower risk of Cancer.

7. Relaxation :

A morning cup of tea is always taken early in the morning or any time of the day for a kind of reset. For example, early in the morning, a cup of tea is taken to boost the mood for the work one has to do, and in the evening, a warm cup of tea is taken for a relaxing session, often considered a self-care evening.

English breakfast tea is milder than coffee, making it the perfect little beverage for a chill evening or just a chill drink that can warm up the soul.

Many items can also be added to spice it up, like a splash of lemon juice to make it more rejuvenating, or maybe some ginger to it, which might bring out a little tangy, pungent taste. A cinnamon stick can also be added to it.

A steaming hot cup of tea can be enjoyed in many ways by either enjoying it traditionally and also maybe adding lemon or ginger or cinnamon or maybe all at once. It is made for you to experiment with to enjoy it as you like.

8. Bones and Blood :

A cup of hot English breakfast tea taken without any sugar or milk is filled with goodness; adding a little lemon honey or ginger will help to double the goodness in it.

After all, that cup contains little to no calories at all, which makes it the perfect little beverage for people with diabetes or anyone keeping a keen eye on their daily calorie intake because a study by the American Heart Association was published that said black tea helps in reducing cholesterol level and improves blood circulation.

Key Takeaways

English breakfast tea also contains Vitamin B, which helps in creating red blood cells, which are mandatory for maintaining good health. It also contains phosphorus and magnesium that help in maintaining strong healthy, resilient bones.

English breakfast tea is enjoyed all over the world. No matter the health benefits that come along with drinking the delicious drink, it can be enjoyed in various forms as it can get very experimental and refreshing.

1. Dews, P. B. “Caffeine.” Annual review of nutrition 2.1 (1982): 323-341. ↩︎
2. Sinija, V. R., and Hari N. Mishra. “Green tea: Health benefits.” Journal of Nutritional & Environmental Medicine 17.4 (2008): 232-242. ↩︎
3. Vishnoi, Himani, et al. “Green tea (Camellia sinensis) and its antioxidant property: a review.” International Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research 9.5 (2018): 1723-36. ↩︎
4. Pietta, Pier-Giorgio. “Flavonoids as antioxidants.” Journal of natural products 63.7 (2000): 1035-1042. ↩︎
5. Baldi, Alessandra, et al. “Tea catechins.” Handbook of dietary phytochemicals (2019): 1-46. ↩︎
6. Tabas, Ira. “Cholesterol in health and disease.” The Journal of clinical investigation 110.5 (2002): 583-590. ↩︎

Last Updated on January 27, 2024 by Muskan Mishra