When you reach into your cupboard to make some tea, do you grab the Everyday blend or the trusty English Breakfast? Although they both tend to produce a satisfying cup of black tea with a good splash of milk, there are some distinctive differences. So let’s compare these teas by looking at two from the same brand: Twinings.
This Twinings Everyday vs English Breakfast comparison will look at the ingredients, the flavour (courtesy of my tea reviews here at Immortal Wordsmith), and where you can buy each tea. Twinings are well-known for their teabags, but if you enjoy loose leaf tea you will be happy to hear that Twinings do sell loose leaf varieties on their website too – find links below.
Twinings Everyday
Twinings describe their Everyday tea as “Like your normal cup of tea, but better” claiming that it has a hearty and well-rounded flavour. Let’s see if that holds up.
Ingredients
The ingredients for Twinings Everyday tea are from:
- Assam, India
- Africa
- Yunnan, China
I truly dislike how vague this is. How can Africa, an entire continent, be a justifiable origin? But at least it is fairly traditional. Typically, black tea blends contain an Indian tea, Chinese tea, and a Kenyan tea, for a well-rounded flavour so we are almost there.
Twinings have a ‘Sourced with Care’ initiative which is essentially their answer to the ethical and sustainable issues with the tea farming industry. There is no Fairtrade or Organic certifications for any of the teas.
Flavour Review
I noted in my Twinings Everyday Tea Review that this tea is very simple, warm and rich. It is comforting but nothing special, as indicated by the 3 out of 5 rating. You can drink a cup of Everyday tea without thinking about it. The smooth and slightly malty rich liquid goes down easily and provides a decent energy boost without much thought given to it.
As this tea is designed to be consumed with milk, I advise you follow that instruction! I often swap dairy milk for soy milk, but you can use any plant-based milk if you need to avoid dairy in this tea. There are now so many options at the supermarkets in the UK that there’s really no need to go without.
Where to Buy
Twinings is widely available in the UK, found in all supermarkets and independent stores. Online, you have a choice of Amazon or Twinings Official Website. Your options from Twinings Everyday are:
- Single wrapped teabag (great for testing if you like it)
- Box of 120 teabags
- Box of 80 decaffeinated teabags
Twinings English Breakfast
Now let’s look at Twinings English Breakfast. This tea is described as “perfect for clearing away your cobwebs at any time of day” with a bright and full-bodied flavour. From this description, you might assume that this tea is lighter than Everyday Tea, but I actually find it to be the other way around. Let’s explore the ingredients before diving in and discovering why this tea made my list of the Best English Breakfast Teas.
Ingredients
The ingredients for English Breakfast are moderately traditional. Typically, an Indian tea, a Chinese tea, and a Kenyan tea are blended together. For their English Breakfast blend, Twinings use black tea from:
- Assam, India
- Africa
- Sri Lanka (Ceylon)
According to Twinings the aspect that makes their English Breakfast blend special is the Ceylon tea from Sri Lanka. It is sourced from the highlands and imparts a good depth of flavour.
Otherwise, this is fairly standard albeit vague. See my notes for Everyday above for info about the Twinings ‘Sourced with Care’ initiative.
Flavour Review
Scoring 3 out of 5, my Twinings English Breakfast Tea Review expressed how impressed I was by the simple and smooth refreshing notes of this golden classic. It is perfectly executed with good smoothness and rich notes.
There is a slightly bitter note to this tea from the tannins, but when you combine this with the full-bodied depth of the tea and a good splash of milk, it is perfect. Without that edge, this English Breakfast tea wouldn’t have that refreshing and mouth-cleansing property.
I honestly believe that this is one of Twinings best teas, and I have reviewed quite a number!
Where to Buy
Just like Twinings Everyday, you have the option of buying Twinings English Breakfast in supermarkets as well as on Amazon. As for the options at Twinings’ official website, you have a choice of:
- Single wrapped teabag (again, a great tester)
- Single wrapped decaffeinated teabag
- Box of 100 teabags
- Box of 20 decaffeinated teabags
- Box of 120g loose leaf
Unlike the Everyday blend, the English Breakfast is available in loose leaf format. They also have a variation on their English Breakfast called Strong English Breakfast. Interestingly, that tea scored a 3.2 on my rating scale.
Twinings Everyday vs English Breakfast – Which Is Best?
So, with both Everyday and English Breakfast having very similar flavour notes and an identical score on the blog, which is best? Well, I actually find that I edge towards English Breakfast. I enjoy the cleansing properties a little bit more than the classic warmth of Everyday. So, here’s my advice:
- Eating a heavy breakfast or sticky food that needs a good cuppa to wash down? Drink English Breakfast.
- Looking for a decent cup of tea that you can drink at any time of day to really hit the spot? Drink Everyday Tea.
So, I guess my conclusion is that Twinings have aptly named each tea blend and although they are very similar, that slight difference in flavour does change how you drink them.
If you can only commit to one, you should order two single-serving teabags from Twinings and hold a tasting session. Then you can purchase a larger box of the tea that you prefer.