Golden-brown in the cup and rich with malt, this blend pairs Assam Fine Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe (TGFOP) with Keemun Mao Feng, setting one of India's best-known black tea grades against a Chinese counterpart that has been famous worldwide since it first surfaced in the 1800s. Underneath the malt sit gentler notes of honey, milk, lemon and orange, so the cup reads as sturdy rather than sharp.
The name traces back to its original audience: the blend was first made for French drinkers, and it proved popular enough to spread well beyond France, taken up by English, Indonesian and other tea drinkers over time. Assam, the Indian state the tea is named for, has produced black tea since the 19th century and remains one of the best-known origins anywhere. Keemun Mao Feng carries a similarly long history as a China black tea. Worth knowing if you're comparing blends: English Breakfast typically uses Ceylon tea rather than Chinese leaf, which is what sets its flavour apart from this one.
Tea & Coffee packs this blend fresh to order at its Kent-based factory, which keeps the leaf consistent cup to cup. An 8-ounce serving carries around 45mg of caffeine, enough for a genuine morning lift, and tea drunk this way has long been associated with a modest boost to alertness and, by some traditional accounts, longer-term cognitive health, though that's a general claim about tea rather than anything specific to this blend.
To brew it, put loose leaf in an infuser or filter, set it in a cup or mug, pour over freshly boiled water and let it steep for around four minutes. Serve it with milk, sugar, honey or lemon, or leave it black if you'd rather taste the malt on its own.
