Ask for English tea almost anywhere in the world and you will be served an Assam-based breakfast tea, so synonymous has this staple blend become with the English tea style. 'Putting the English into English tea' was a dream of Sir Winston Churchill's that became a reality in 1999. Tea had never been commercially grown in the UK, but I was convinced that Tregothnan in Truro, Cornwall, could be the place to achieve commercial quantities of Darjeeling-style tea—partly due to the pioneering there of the Camellia genus for ornamental purposes 200 years earlier. After research, I was confident the slopes above the River Fal were suitable. The Tregothnan microclimate extends to almost 150 acres and is home to the first true English tea.

How to serve

Brewing guidance varies with each English tea, but, typically, brew for five minutes at 80°C.

Where to buy

£9 from Tregothnan (01872 520000; www.tregothnan.co.uk).

Jonathon Jones discovers teas from around the world, finds new flavours and cultivation techniques, and takes English tea to Asia.