Grapefruit takes black tea somewhere sharper than most flavoured blends manage. The base is Ceylon, brisk and full-bodied on its own, brightened with natural grapefruit flavouring so the citrus reads clean rather than syrupy — tangy and bittersweet, with a malty backbone that keeps it grounded, closer to coffee than to a fruit tisane. Notes of lemon and honey drift through alongside the grapefruit, and the tea carries enough body that milk works if you want it, though it stands up fine on its own.
Tea & Coffee packs this one fresh to order at its factory in Pluckley, in the Kent countryside, which keeps the flavouring consistent batch to batch.
To brew it, use loose tea in a filter or infuser, pour water at a full boil (100°C), and give it four minutes to steep — long enough for the malt and citrus to come through together without turning bitter. Serve it black, or add milk, sugar, honey or lemon depending on how you take your breakfast tea. It sits comfortably in that category: a wake-up cup with citrus doing the work.
