I just figured there was a reason Mr. Dorsey's Irish friends were partial to an Assam-heavy blend, and I also knew there was a particular kind of tea that dominated Irish Breakfast blends.
stePH in cup: empty; recently contained jasmine pearl from Costco
"richard" wrote in news:1137726330.998120.162120 @z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com:
Can someone explain, in terms of which is stronger, the difference between English Breakfast and Irish Breakfast?
Not if that isn't the difference.
I think you'll be disappointed if you expect consistency across all EBs or all IBs. Within one brand, it's a different matter: blenders' job is to make a brand consistent from year to year as far as is possible.
I hope the following doesn't sound condescending: If strength is what you want, find the cheapest CTC tea available where you live (probably in a grocery frequented by South Asians and/or Arabs) and brew it as strong as you want.
/Lew
Too broad in their definitions and compositions. But I would expect the Irish to be stronger, the ones I saw were finer in their grade and brewed a very dark liquor, crying out for cream.
JB
Irish Breakfast tends to be heavier and more robust. I guess that could mean "stronger" in a way. That's due to having more Assam and sometimes Kenyan tea rather than Chinese tea in the blend.
English Breakfast blends can usually be drunk without milk if they are made weak, but Irish Breakfast is really too heavy to survive without it.
--scott
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