Decaff English Breakfast (Dimbula OP) Loose Leaf Black Tea

🍵 The Leaf — A full, open-leaf Ceylon OP from the high-altitude Dimbula district of Sri Lanka, decaffeinated using the supercritical CO2 method, which removes the caffeine without touching the flavour

🍵 The Colour — A warm amber liquor, bright and inviting in the cup, with the characteristic depth and clarity you would expect from a good Dimbula Ceylon

🍵 The Character — Brisk yet smooth, with a lightly malty backbone, gentle floral notes, and just enough brightness to feel unmistakably like a proper cup of tea

🍵 The Occasion — Made for those who want tea whenever they want it — morning with milk, afternoon without, or a satisfying cup in the evening with no sleep lost

For tea lovers who find that caffeine and their body no longer agree, the compromise has traditionally been a flat, dull cup that only just resembles the real thing. This decaff English breakfast loose leaf tea is different — and the reason comes down to both origin and method.

The base is a Dimbula OP Ceylon, grown in one of Sri Lanka's most celebrated tea-producing regions. The Dimbula district sits at between 1,200 and 1,500 metres above sea level in the island's central highlands, where cooler temperatures, misty mornings, and well-drained hillside soils slow the growth of the leaf and concentrate its flavour. Orange Pekoe grade means fully unfurled, open leaves — larger and more complex in the cup than broken grades — producing a liquor that is bright, clean, and genuinely satisfying.

The decaffeination uses the supercritical CO2 method, widely regarded as the cleanest and most flavour-preserving approach available. CO2 under very high pressure reaches a state where it behaves simultaneously as a liquid and a gas, allowing it to bond selectively with caffeine molecules and draw them from the leaf without disturbing the aromatic oils and compounds that give good tea its character. No chemical solvents are involved at any stage. The CO2 is fully inert and leaves no residue whatsoever. The result is a cup that our customers tell us is the only decaf that genuinely tastes like the real thing — and that, for a tea lover, is what matters.

Brewed, this is a full-flavoured loose leaf black tea with a warm amber colour, a mildly malty depth, and a clean, brisk finish. It takes milk well, as any good breakfast tea should, but holds its own without. It is as suited to a quiet evening as it is to the first cup of the morning.

Since 2008, High Teas London has been one of the country's leading independent tea specialists. With over 350 teas and infusions — one of the largest collections in the country — we have always believed that every tea drinker deserves access to something genuinely exceptional, whatever their requirements.

Ingredients: Black tea (Camellia sinensis), decaffeinated using the CO2 method.

Brewing Note: Use freshly boiled water and allow it to cool for just thirty seconds before pouring — around 95°C is ideal, which helps protect the more delicate aromatic notes in the Dimbula leaf. Use one heaped teaspoon per cup and steep for three to four minutes. Decaffeinated teas can sometimes produce a slightly lighter infusion than their caffeinated counterparts, so if you prefer a stronger cup, add a little more leaf rather than extending the steep time, which can introduce unwanted bitterness. This tea takes milk beautifully and is equally good without.