Scottish Breakfast

I went to Haig’s Middle Eastern today which is a deli/food store full of wonderful things. In addition to food they have lots of bulk spices and the cheap Russian tea Czar Nicholas II which the BF loves for some reason. Anyway I got him some of that and I got this for myself, I am almost out of my other breakfast tea.

This says it’s a blend of Assam and an African tea, perhaps Kenyan? My cup is a dark reddish brown. At first I liked this a bit more but there is a definite bitterness present in the finish. I had to take this with vanilla soymilk this afternoon and then it was better.

This is for sure very stout and malty and will hopefully provide me with a bit of a kick in the morning even though I’m not in love with the flavor. Honestly sometimes I’m too sleepy to notice or even care. I can’t say I would ever go out of my way to find this again but at least it was inexpensive.

I was in the mood for something stout and chewable. Okay, okay, I was in the mood for Thomas Sampson. But alas, I don’t have any and don’t plan to get more until next month. So I grabbed this one, added some sugar and some half and half (whole milk has seemed a little thin for me lately so I picked up some half and half at the store – mmm) and away we went.

Now my hands are shaking just a bit cause I made this a tad strong. Even with some sugar (a decent amount – about a tsp) and half and half, there was a hint of bitterness to this. Not so much bitter from overbrewing, but more like a nutty bitterness. So maybe I made it a little too strong or didn’t use enough additive. And it wasn’t quite the chewable, bake-y delight that is TS. But it had a good flavor, it was very bold, stout and gave me a good caffeine rush so it’ll do.

I can’t drink coffee anymore since I weaned myself off of it. It just has so much caffeine in it. Doesn’t matter if I drink it at 8:30 am or 8:30 pm. I will sleep very badly in either case. So instead, when I need that extra kick in the pants to get myself going in the morning, I drink either yerba mate, or lately, this stuff.

I know you’re supposed to add milk to this tea for taste’s sake, but I also know that adding milk to tea negates any health benefits it may otherwise have provided. And, since tea is pretty much the only healthy thing I’ve been ingesting lately, I figured this morning that I’d better drink this straight.

It’s bitter, it’s astringent, it’s nutty, it’s in-your-face… And I love it. Maybe it’s my Scottish blood saying this, but there’s something fortifying for the soul in the strong aftertaste of this tea. It makes English breakfast tea seem wimpy by comparison, which I’m sure many Scottish people would be delighted to hear.

I’m thinking this will become a staple in my tea chest from now on.

I deliberately decided to branch out after finishing my last box of bags, so I am trying the leaf tea version of this for the first time this morning. I may have been a bit niggardly with the amount of tea I used, and I was so curious and impatient that I only steeped it about 3 minutes. I also added my usual generous splash of 2% milk. I tasted it too-hot, just-right, and almost-too-lukewarm and am still not getting the bitterness and astringency others have mentioned.

On the other hand, I was expecting a glorious reunion with my first tea love, all grown up, and, well, hmm. Still very attractive, but not as thrilling as anticipated.

Next time: more tea-to-water ratio, longer steep. We’ll see whether the spark is still there.

Picked up a box of the bagged for 2.50 at Big Lots…thought I would give it a whirl. It’s nice malty, sturdy, everything you would expect from a Scottish breakfast. I think they’re tea bags are very cool because you have to pull the string to expand the string. A little nerdy yes.

I’ve been drinking this and I’m enjoying it. It can be the first cup in the morning. I put in a splash of milk and pinch of sugar and I’m good to go!

I am fascinated by the idea that everywhere in the UK needs its own breakfast tea. Scottish Breakfast Tea should carry me away to the highlands (at least in my imagination) right? I have the bagged version of this tea.

It brews up into a reddish brown brew with a sweet tea smell and the strong taste of Assam. It has some astringency but it’s not too bad. There is a slightly unusual note, perhaps a barely there floral citrus? Perhaps that is the African tea I’m tasting? It’s really quite pleasant.

It has nice caffeine kick, which I need since I didn’t get enough sleep last night. It is defnitely a tea I could drink a second time.

I prepare it with just-below-boiling water to mellow it a bit, a teaspoon of agave to sweeten it a bit, and milk.
Best for the first cup of the day but I also like it on a slow, gray afternoon.

Not entirely thrilled with this one, but overall it is fairly decent. I have this in teabag form so I’m not sure if the loose tea would be slightly different or not.

I drink this with milk and some kind of sweetener (brn sugar, honey, or agave depending on the day) and it is a nice morning tea. However it doesn’t have the depth of body that I was expecting, which is a little disappointing. The mouth feel isn’t anything to write home about either. Because I like my breakfast teas super strong, I usually leave the bag in while I’m drinking so that it continues to steep. I won’t be drinking this without milk as it’s a little too thin as it is. I was really hoping to like this Scottish Breakfast, but it’s a little too bland for me to get really excited over it.

An excellent wake-me-up tea. A flavourful reddish-dark brew, which may seem a little bitter for some palates but still, I prefer it with nothing added. Very similar in strenght to the Melroses´of Scotland Scottish Breakfast blend. A sharp, bold taste I enjoy in the mornings and at any time of the day.