Irish Breakfast Tea
by Dylan Sabuco
Photo by BERMIX STUDIO/Shutterstock.com
prep time
5 minutes
cook time
10 minutes
makes
4-6 servings
Irish Breakfast Tea
Irish Breakfast Tea was traditionally a strong tea enjoyed by workers in the morning to give them energy and help them start their day. It’s often brewed longer than other teas, resulting in a more intense flavor. Many people enjoy Irish Breakfast Tea with milk or cream, which cools it down and balances out the strong flavor.
Happy & Healthy Cooking,
Chef Erin, Food-Geek-in-Chief
Fun-Da-Mentals Kitchen Skills
- measure :
to calculate the specific amount of an ingredient required using a measuring tool (like measuring cups or spoons).
- steep :
to soak a food, like tea, in water or other liquid so as to bring out its flavor.
Equipment Checklist
- Large saucepan
- Liquid measuring cup
- Dry measuring cups
scale
1X
2X
3X
4X
5X
6X
7X
Ingredients
Irish Breakfast Tea
- 3 C water
- 1/4 C granulated sugar
- 3 bags decaf breakfast tea
- 1/2 C cream, optional (half-and-half or coconut creamer)
Instructions
Irish Breakfast Tea
1.
measure + steep
Measure and mix 3 cups water and 1/4 cup sugar in a large saucepan and bring them to a boil. Then add 3 bags of decaf breakfast tea. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the tea to steep for at least 5 minutes.
2.
pour + sip
When the tea bags have steeped long enough for your liking, remove them and discard. Pour the tea warm or serve over ice! If using, ask any of the kid chefs if they would like a few drops of the optional 1/2 cup of cream in their tea as well. Enjoy!
Photo by Sun Shock/Shutterstock.com
Hi, I'm Tea!
"I'm a drink made from plant parts, like leaves and flowers. I like to think I'm sweet enough, but some tea drinkers like to add honey or sugar to me, and some add milk to black tea to cool it down. You can drink tea hot or iced!"
History
- The history of tea began in China as far back as 5,000 years ago.
- An old Chinese legend says a man was out walking one day when he accidentally tasted the juices from a tea plant leaf. He thought it tasted great and felt the tea had unique medicinal properties.
- Another legend suggests it was a mythical emperor called Shennong who discovered tea when a tea blossom fell into a cup of hot water he was drinking.
- At that time, tea was drunk fresh with the new leaves being mixed with hot water. In those days, the tea leaves were not allowed to oxidize (to combine with oxygen, causing darker leaves), so the leaves remained green. It was only later that oolong and black or red teas were developed. Black tea is fully oxidized, and oolong is semi-oxidized.
- Tea drinking grew in popularity and became a pastime for the rich. Fine teas were only available to those who could afford them, and green teas were even used as currency.
- Elaborate tea ceremonies developed involving large sets of tea-making equipment. Tea houses sprung up, and tea connoisseurs prided themselves on the quality of their leaves and their tea-making skills.
- In the 1600s, merchants brought tea to Europe and the United States. Since then, tea drinking has blossomed.
- Tea is the most-consumed beverage on the planet, other than water. It is even more popular than coffee and cola!
- China is the largest producer of tea, followed by India and Kenya.
Anatomy & Etymology
- Tea comes from the cured or fresh leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant, an evergreen growing mainly in warmer and humid climates.
- Although the plants can grow up to 52 feet, they are usually kept no higher than waist level to make picking the tender leaves at the top easier.
- Tea should be kept dry and stored in an airtight container, away from light and heat if possible. Black teas last longer than green teas. Teas made from flowers have an even shorter shelf life.
- The word "tea" comes from the mid-17th century Malay "teh" or the Chinese (Min) "te."
How to Buy & Use
- Tea can be purchased in various forms. Tea bags are often used today; however, you can still buy loose tea. Cans and bottles of brewed tea, sweetened or unsweetened, are also available, with fruit flavors sometimes added to the tea.
- Crushed tea leaves and brewed tea can be used in savory and sweet recipes.
- Herbal teas are made from the various parts of edible plants, including fresh or dried flowers, fruit, roots, or seeds.
Nutrition
- Teas from the Camellia sinensis plant (white, green, oolong, and black) have high levels of antioxidants which help prevent cancer. Flavonoids in tea help heart health by lowering blood pressure and cholesterol. Another health benefit of tea is improving gut health by promoting good bacteria and inhibiting harmful bacteria.
- Teas from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant contain varying amounts of caffeine. Black tea has the most, followed by oolong, green, and white.
- Most herbal teas do not contain caffeine; however, they are not necessarily more healthy than black tea. Always check for plant allergies and herb and drug interactions before ingesting herbal teas.
Let's Learn About Ireland!
Photo by Thomas Bresenhuber/Shutterstock.com (Rock of Cashel)
- Ireland, or the Republic of Ireland, is on the island of Ireland, called Éire in the Irish language. Its nickname is the Emerald Isle because it is very green and lush!
- Ireland is a country in northwestern Europe, west of Great Britain, another island.
- The Republic of Ireland shares a border with Northern Ireland, which belongs to the United Kingdom. England, Scotland, Wales, which make up Great Britain, and Northern Ireland are all part of the UK.
- Irish is one of two official languages, with English being the second; however, English is more commonly spoken.
- Over 5 million people live in Ireland, and its total area is 32,595 square miles. Their currency is the euro.
- The capital city, Dublin, and its environs are home to about 40 percent of the population of Ireland.
- Ireland has a long, complicated history, but people called the Celts made their home in the region about 700 years BCE and thrived for almost 2,000 years. Then, in the Middle Ages, Vikings arrived on ships and started settling the area, which led to conflict.
- The Rock of Cashel is one of several popular tourist sites in Ireland. It is a rocky, limestone outcropping. At the top, you will find medieval buildings, including a Gothic cathedral; a Romanesque chapel called Cormac's Chapel, named for a King of Munster; the Hall of the Vicars Choral; a 15th-century Tower House; an abbey; a round tower; and a high cross. Saint Patrick, of St. Patrick's Day fame, is associated with the Rock of Cashel.
- Ireland was part of the United Kingdom from 1801 until December 6, 1922, when it became a self-governing nation but still part of the British Empire, known as the Irish Free State. In 1937 it became a republic, which was made official in 1949. The British had been involved in Ireland since 1169, when the Anglo-Normans invaded, and English kings claimed sovereignty there.
- The Great Famine (or Irish Potato Famine) affected Ireland from 1845 to 1849. Potatoes were a staple food, and when the potato blight decimated the potato crop. As a result, many people got sick, died, or fled the country, and the population decreased by 30 percent.
- The green on the Irish flag represents Ireland's nationalists, orange represents the Protestant followers of William of Orange in Ireland, and white represents peace between the two groups.
- Some of the well-known symbols of Ireland include the shamrock, Celtic knot, Celtic cross, and the Celtic harp.
- Famous Irish authors and poets include Jonathan Swift, Bram Stoker, Oscar Wilde, W. B. Yeats, James Joyce, and George Bernard Shaw.
- Ireland is also famous for its Irish Celtic music and Irish dancing.
- Green is associated with St. Patrick's Day because it is the color of spring, Ireland, and the shamrock. Saint Patrick's Day on March 17 is a public religious and cultural holiday in Ireland. Many other countries around the world also celebrate it.
- St. Patrick's Day was celebrated in the United States for the first time in 1737 in Boston, Massachusetts. However, the city to hold the first official St. Patrick's Day parade was New York City, starting in 1766. Over 100 US cities now have Saint Patrick's Day parades. After all, on St. Patrick's day, "everybody is Irish!"
- Traditional Irish sports are Gaelic football and hurling, and they are also the most popular sports in the country. Association football (soccer) is third in popularity. Additional sports include rugby, cricket, and horseracing. At the Olympics, boxing is Ireland's most successful sport.
- Irish cuisine includes "boxty" (potato pancake), "colcannon" (mashed potatoes with cabbage), "coddle" (a dish of potatoes, sausage, thin bacon or "rashers," and onion), and Irish soda bread.
- A "full Irish breakfast" consists of bacon, pork sausage, fried eggs, black pudding (blood sausage), baked beans, sliced tomato, sautéed mushrooms, soda bread or toast, and tea or coffee.
What's It Like to Be a Kid in Ireland?
- If kids in Ireland live in Irish-speaking communities, their schools teach classes in the Irish language. If they live in English-speaking areas, instruction is in the English language, unless kids attend an Irish-language school called a "gaelscoil," where classes are in Irish.
- Most Irish schools require students to wear uniforms.
- Irish children may play "rounders," a bat and ball game, "skipping" or jumping rope, marbles, and Irish "skittles," a bowling-like game where kids try to hit pins that are set up on the ground with pieces of wood called skittles.
- Kids may participate in some of the following sports: Gaelic football, handball, hurling or camogie, association football (soccer), rugby, boxing, and swimming.
- For breakfast, kids may eat the full, traditional Irish breakfast or have pancakes or scones. For a snack, they may eat potato chips or Irish flapjacks, which are granola bars made with oats. A favorite sweet treat is a fairy cake, a small cupcake with icing drizzled on top
The Yolk's On You
What is the Alphabet’s favorite drink?
T, of course!
That's Berry Funny
What do teapots wear to a tea party?
T-shirts!
THYME for a Laugh
Why must you be careful of tea at night?
Because it might mug you.
