Assam vs Irish Breakfast

Assam

Assam is a full-bodied black tea from northeast India, grown in a hot river-valley climate. The cup is malty and robust with notes of honey, toasted grain, and dried fruit, plus enough strength to stand up to milk and sugar. Second-flush Assam adds a characteristic caramelized sweetness. It is the backbone of many breakfast blends, including English Breakfast.

Irish Breakfast

Irish Breakfast is a strong blend of black teas — usually Assam-heavy, often with Ceylon and Kenyan lots — built for morning drinking with milk. The cup is malty, robust, and brisk with dark caramel and toasted-grain depth, noticeably stronger than English Breakfast. It is one of the world's most popular breakfast styles and rewards a full three-to-five-minute steep that would turn lighter teas harsh. Traditionally taken with milk and sugar.

Assam

Water temperature

95–100°C

Leaf to water

3g / 250ml

Steep time

3–5 min

Re-steep

1–2 times

Irish Breakfast

Water temperature

95–100°C

Leaf to water

3g / 250ml

Steep time

3–5 min

Re-steep

1–2 times

Assam

High caffeine — roughly 40–70 mg per brewed serving

A noticeable lift — best earlier in the day.

Irish Breakfast

High caffeine — roughly 45–80 mg per brewed serving

A noticeable lift — best earlier in the day.

Assam

India · Assam

The Assam valley's low elevation and monsoon climate produce some of the world's strongest teas.

Irish Breakfast

Blended

Despite the name, Irish Breakfast is a blended style rather than a single-origin tea.