[earl237]

I really like Orange Pekoe black tea and I was wondering if someone could explain the difference between English and Irish breakfast tea. I would like to try them but I'm not sure what they're like and if they're similar to regular black tea.

[Alty]

It's really hard to describe the difference between teas. It's a taste thing. Your taste is different than mine, and everyone else's. It's why some people love peas, and others hate it, or some people love sunny side up eggs, some like hard boiled, some like scrambled, and some hate eggs altogether.

It's impossible to describe the taste of something to someone else, because we all taste things differently.

My favorite tea is peppermint tea with teaspoon of honey. Sweet, and reminds me of my childhood.

Having said all that, tea is not expensive. Go to a tea shop and try the different types, or get a box of 20 plus teabags for $2 at almost any store. Get a variety, try them all, and if you don't like them, no major loss. :)

Have fun. I love tea.

[ma0641]

There is no real standard for black blend teas. Here is something I found,

English breakfast: Full-bodied and rich. Originally a China black tea but now frequently includes a strong Ceylon tea component. May also include teas from Assam, Africa, and/or Indonesia. Irish breakfast: More robust than English breakfast. Generally has a strong Assam component, giving it a malty flavor.

[earl237]

I tried Twinings English and Irish Breakfast tea and they're both good, but I prefer English, it's a bit smoother. King Cole is the most popular tea in Atlantic Canada for some reason but I find it overrated, it's decent but I find Red Rose better. Yorkshire from Britain is also really good.

[smoothy]

Orange Pekoe and cut pekoe believe it or not has nothing to do with the type or flavor of tea... its the cut... premium teas are whole leaf... intact...

Orange pekoe and cut Pekoe are barely a step or more up from the dust that's left, like the bigger crumbs at the bottom of the bag of cookies. It actually defines the SIZE of the tea particles which no longer resemble leaves at this point.

The dregs are generally what's used with anything in infuser bags or to make instant tea as the smaller the less value it has. True the dregs of a quality tea are still better than a low quality whole leaf tea however...