Scottish Breakfast

This is what I’m talking about for a morning tea! Thanks so much, Azzrian! After steeping for five minutes, I get a burnt bittersweet chocolate flavor. SO GOOD. I’m starting to wonder if this sort of flavor is just what caffeine tastes like, if that is possible. Chocolate = caffeine. Black tea = caffeine. I have no idea. This is so brisk (without being bitter or astringent). Complex, dark and delicious! Teas like this one remind me of how boring coffee is. I don’t think anyone stocks up on varieties of coffee like they do tea. I’d rather have OPTIONS… a different tea every morning! This went perfectly with the S’mores I had for breakfast…. I know, I know. I didn’t know what else to have this morning. Blame it on the perfect pairing with the tea. And I’m having a salad for lunch, so it’s okay!

I’ve entered a dark room where I’m stripped of everything I know up until now about tea (which I must admit is fair to midlin little). Diving into the world of tea,tea…(that was done on purpose) I set to brew my first 20z pot of tea and began checking the brew at 1 min, 2 min and finally at about 4 minutes where I stopped the steeping and felt it had reached a perfect brewing. Still added some sugar then some cream. Wow is this malty with a slight smokiness and slight furry tannin in the far back of the tongue. I can see why this is loved. Next year on St. Andrews day when my Priest blesses the Tartans and I’m decked out…I’ll bring this tea to the Church to serve with scones after the Liturgy. It is worthy of a Highlander! Beautiful whiskey color and a bit of a vegital greenbean nose but so slight. Really good this malty tea. I’m thinking about using this with some buckwheat honey, caramelized onions and garlic on a bit of beef (used wheat beer before). See what it tastes like. You could serve this tea in a bar because a beer drinker could dig this. I dig this!

Loose
Appearance: dark small curl leaf
Aroma when Dry: sweet, cocoa notes, hints of malt
After water is first poured: malty, sweet
At end of steep: malty raisin
Tea liquor:
At end of steep: malty brown
Staple? No
Preferred time of day: afternoon, evening
Taste:
At first?: medium bodied, malty, astringent finish
As it cools?: gets more bodied and greatly astringent
Additives used (milk, honey, sugar etc)? No
Lingers? Slight malt notes, drying astringency

This tea was brutalized in shipping. I have not had this tea before, so I cannot say whether this has affected the flavor.

This is only the 2nd Scottish Breakfast tea that I have tried-Upton’s being the first. I bought a 4 ounce pouch. The pouch is a re-sealable and made out of a plastic-y film and not foiled-lined on the inside. Not sure what teas are in this blend, but it doesn’t taste like Asssam, Ceylon, and Yunnan. Maybe just Assman and Yunnan? Keemun? The dry leaves are full and have a malty and slightly smoky aroma.

The liquor is more brown than orange in color. This flavor is malty and really peppery (black)-especially when the tea is hottest. No smokiness in the flavor, so probably no Keemun in it. It’s somewhat lively, and although not weak, definitely not “smash you in the face” strong. An acceptable first cup-but I have better options. The level of tannins is surprising low. Not bitter or astringent.

I want to note about the shipping here. The box was literally beat to hell in shipping. The top flaps of the box were peaked up almost like an A-Frame house and there was a big dent in the side. I realize that UPS/USPS etc, handle the packages and not the tea shop. However, I have placed dozens of tea orders by now and have never had a box like this show up on my door. My orders from China and Taiwan have never looked anything but great.

The packaging issue is ETS fault. The cardboard was not sturdy and the box was too big for the order. The box had only some brown kraft paper on one side for “cushioning”. This did not work at all and the pouch of this tea had a gouge in it about one-half inch deep and 1.5 inches long (although the pouch was not actually punctured). If this had been an expensive signature tea instead of a ridiculously cheap $1 an ounce blend I would have sent it back un-opened. This company has several other online businesses and I picture all their stuff at a big warehouse-not stored properly and obviously not packed by people who know and/or care about tea. This tea is okay, but not good enough to make me ever want to buy from this company again.

NB – Rating number is for the tea alone. The other issues did not factor into the number.

Thanks to brandy3392 for sending me this tea. There are those days when you need a swift kick in the pants to get going. I love the maltiness of this tea…it’s quite a strong brew not for the faint of heart……wait a minute…..cue Queen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzMM9kfU8-Q
A blend that Duncan Macleod would be glad start his day off with. Mixed with roasted Mate also makes a combination to rival any cup of coffee. Give me my broadsword to take on the day!

Talk about going ga-ga over a tea! My humans had quite a time trying this blend. http://bit.ly/chd4jd

This tea is my absolute favorite in terms of wake me up breakfast teas. It’s strong enough to stand up and dance on the table. It’s also stiff enough to stand up to a second steeping, which is not a bad thing in tough economic times. I buy this one by the pound, as it’s my daily drinker.

This tea reminds me a little of the Prince of Wales tea, but not as smoky and more drinkable. I added a level spoonful of sugar, no milk.

I see what people mean by malty and bracing, the description fits. I was expecting it to be more like English Breakfast tea, I learned differently very fast.

When I want a relatively austere, non-sweet tea, this one takes the cake.

I like a strong tea and Scottish Breakfast fits the bill. Steeped in boiling water for 4-5 minutes it tastes wonderful. The taste is that of the Scottish Highands, at least its how I imagine it to be. If you like a strong black tea, this is a must try

One of my personal go-to breakfast teas. Not quite as bitter as their English breakfast, but still full flavored and complex. The smokey flavors are very mild, and there are hints of malt. Takes milk and sugar well.

Really good strong tea. Do pay attention to the brewing times it can get bitter. It has excellent character, distinct woody scent, it has that bitter taste that I appreciate in real teas. Well worth the purchase to wake yourself up in the mornings.