English Breakfast Tea
Superior quality 100% pure Ceylon Tea Natural Ingredients Free from artificial additives
English breakfast tea is the strong, brisk black tea people brew for the first cup of the day — usually with milk. Most supermarket versions are a blend of Assam, Ceylon and Kenyan leaf. This one is different: 100% pure Ceylon FBOP from Dimbula, Sri Lanka, selected for a reddish liquor, a flowery aroma, and a full-bodied cup that still takes milk well. Loose leaf and pyramid bags, from 100 g.
How to brew English Breakfast Tea
Mid-grown in Dimbula on the misty western slopes of Ceylon, our FBOP leaf brews quickly into a bright ruby-red cup with true breakfast strength. Water just off the boil and a few minutes are all it takes.
Brisk, full-bodied and wonderfully refreshing — the crisp Dimbula character that wakes up your morning. Steep for 3 minutes for a lively, sparkling cup, or the full 5 minutes for a bold, rich brew that stands up beautifully to milk. Add a splash of milk after brewing for the classic English breakfast cup, or enjoy it black with a touch of honey, sugar or a slice of lemon.
Details
Where It's Grown
Dimbula spreads across the misty western slopes of the central highlands, where some of Ceylon's earliest tea estates took root in the 1870s. At 1,100 to 1,700 metres, cool days and chilly nights slow the leaf's growth, producing bright, brisk teas with a ruby-gold glow, a rounded body and a refreshing hint of citrus.
Our English Breakfast Tea (FBOP grade) brings this character to the cup: full bodied and brisk.
The southwest monsoon soaks these western slopes from May to September, fuelling lush new growth. From January to March the northeast monsoon spends its rain on the far side of the mountains, and Dimbula enjoys cold, dry, sunny days — the conditions behind its finest, most fragrant teas.
What is English breakfast tea?
English breakfast tea is a traditional black-tea style, not a single estate or cultivar. The name describes a full-bodied, brisk cup that stands up to milk and a cooked breakfast. Classic recipes blend Assam for malt, Kenya for colour, and Ceylon for brightness.
This cup is a Ceylon reading of that style: Flowery Broken Orange Pekoe from Dimbula, Sri Lanka, with no flavourings and no other origins in the pack.
A Ceylon take on the classic blend
Most supermarket English Breakfast is a multi-origin blend. Assam brings malt, Kenyan leaf adds coppery colour, and Ceylon is used as the lift. TEA TOP’s tea is different: 100% Ceylon FBOP from Dimbula (also spelled Dimbulla), so the breakfast character comes from one mid-grown district rather than a blender’s mix. Gardens here supply the bright, brisk leaf many breakfast blends borrow as their lift — here that Dimbula character is the entire cup, not a fraction of a mix.
- Region
- Dimbula, Sri Lanka
- Grade
- FBOP
- Style
- Ceylon breakfast
- Leaf
- Broken, tippy
- Liquor
- Reddish, brisk
FBOP is a broken grade with silvery tips. It infuses faster than whole-leaf Orange Pekoe and gives a reddish liquor with a flowery aroma — closer to a traditional breakfast mug than a slow sipping tea.
Taste profile and strength
Expect a full-bodied, brisk cup: copper-red liquor, a flowery scent, and enough backbone for milk. It is not a heavy, malty Assam bomb, and it is not flavoured. Drink it as a first cup of the day, or in the afternoon when you want black-tea strength without bergamot.
Caffeine in English breakfast tea
We have not published a lab assay for this lot, so treat milligram figures as a typical range, not a promise. Cup strength — and how much caffeine you extract — depends on how you brew it; see the FAQ below for a typical per-cup range.
English Breakfast vs Earl Grey vs Orange Pekoe
English Breakfast is an unflavoured black tea: malt, briskness, and a breakfast-strength cup. Ceylon Earl Grey is black tea scented with bergamot — choose it when you want citrus aroma.
Orange Pekoe from Pettiagalla Estate is a whole-leaf grade, not a flavour. It infuses more slowly, with a lighter golden-red cup. This English Breakfast is FBOP: smaller, broken leaf that brews faster and stronger.
Best ways to enjoy
First cup with breakfast, with or without milk. An afternoon mug when you want black-tea lift. Iced, brew a little stronger and pour over ice. Gift tins sit on this page next to the everyday 100 g and 250 g packs.
Frequently Asked Questions
A full-bodied black-tea style for morning mugs — usually a multi-origin blend. TEA TOP’s is 100% Ceylon FBOP from Dimbula, unflavoured, with no Assam or Kenya in the pack.
No. Many famous breakfast teas are multi-origin blends. This tea is 100% Ceylon from the Dimbula district — a broken, tippy FBOP grade that infuses quickly and gives a reddish, brisk liquor. You still get the morning strength people expect from English Breakfast; the flavour is brighter and more flowery than a heavy Assam-led blend.
We have not published a lab assay for this lot, so treat any milligram figure as a typical range, not a promise. Ceylon black tea brewed as we recommend (2 g / 200 ml, 3–5 minutes, 95 °C) usually falls around 40–70 mg of caffeine per cup, less than a drip coffee and more than most green teas. A shorter steep (about 2–3 minutes) extracts less caffeine and a lighter cup.
See the brewing guide on this page for temperature and timing. FBOP colours the cup faster than whole-leaf Orange Pekoe. For a pot, keep the same ratio and add a teaspoon “for the pot” if you like it stronger. Pyramid bags: one bag per mug, same time and temperature. Always start with fresh water.
Yes if you want the classic breakfast cup. This liquor is brisk and full-bodied enough to take a splash of milk without turning thin. Brew the tea on water first, then add milk — don’t pour milk onto dry leaf. It is also good plain if you prefer the flowery, reddish Ceylon character without dairy.
English Breakfast is an unflavoured black tea: malt, briskness, and a breakfast-strength cup. Earl Grey is black tea scented with bergamot. Choose English Breakfast for a straightforward morning mug, especially with milk. Choose Ceylon Earl Grey when you want citrus aroma; that tea is often better plain or with a little milk, not a heavy dash.
Orange Pekoe (OP) is a whole-leaf grade, not a flavour. Our Orange Pekoe from Pettiagalla Estate infuses more slowly, with a lighter golden-red cup. This English Breakfast is FBOP — smaller, broken leaf with silvery tips — so it brews faster and stronger, closer to a traditional breakfast tea. Buy OP for a smoother sipping tea; buy this for a brisk first cup.
Yes. This page offers 100 g and 250 g loose leaf, 100 g loose leaf in a gift tin, 25 pyramid bags in a gift tin, and 50 pyramid bags. The leaf grade is the same Ceylon Dimbula FBOP in bags and tins. Loose leaf is the better everyday value; tins are the gift format. Free shipping on qualifying orders over $85.
Dimbula (also spelled Dimbulla) is a mid-grown tea district in Sri Lanka. The gardens produce the bright, brisk Ceylon black tea that breakfast blends often use as the “lift” in a multi-origin mix. Here that Dimbula character is the tea — not a fraction of a blend. Packed by TEA TOP for delivery in Australia, and via our US and UK sites.
Customer Rating
4.9
Based on 75 reviews
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“Pleasantly Surprised”
I love this tea! There is something in it that makes me choose it for my breakfast. Moderately smoky, sweetish, absolutely not tart and at the same time sturdy. I ordered it for the first time. I'm pleasantly surprised by the taste. In my understanding, "English breakfast" tea supposed to have a very strong taste. More traditional, probably. This tea is wonderful and not traditional. I'll definitely order more. Thank you!
“Classic!”
This tea smells like your typical high-end breakfast tea from a tea bag, but tastes SO much better. I love that it is familiar but such a huge improvement over the usual. As with all these teas, the freshness and quality makes all the difference. I enjoy this tea the most with a splash of milk and a pinch of sugar it really brings out the flavors.
“I liked the aroma and enjoyed drinking”
I've never tried loose leaf English Breakfast tea before and I enjoyed it more than with a tea bag. It wasn't a flavor that was particularly new to me but it seemed fresher. I liked the aroma, especially before steeping
