TB14: Scottish Breakfast Blend

Finished off this sample today – bringing me down to 71. But then 52teas and that Turtle Cheesecake! So that plus a S’mores chai and I’m back to 73. Under my goal, though, so that’s something!

This was one of the teas I sent to a friend and it was one of her favorites of the lot. “Damn good” was the description I got. Along with “loose leaf tea really is better”. This was from a person who two months ago decided she was not a tea person at all. I am quite proud. :)

I will miss this cup, though. I feel like you can never have too many black teas and this one is one of Upton’s best. Doesn’t hold a candle to Frissy, but it’s not a bad option. And it’s super cheap, too. Judging by the lower rating I have here it must have grown on me, too, so if you have this and weren’t wowed – maybe a second cup will change your mind?

Oh, and does anyone know what distinguishes a Scottish blend from an Irish or English one?

I got to bed a little late last night so I decided I needed some heavy duty breakfast tea to wake me up, so I grabbed this. Amazingly, I actually steeped this for the amount of time it is supposed to be steeped today and got an interesting smoky note out of it.

The second steep was really weak though. I guess breakfast blends front-load a lot of their taste. Or something.

Sample 4 in my breakfast blend quest from Upton. Truthfully, by now I am wondering if I’ll be happy with any (to the point of “love” that is). Negative attitude = not fair, so while it’s cooling a bit, I’ll adjust : )

First off, disclaimer: a wimp size amount of honey was added while brewing (tbsp).

First sip: hmmm, wow, this is not bitter at all (like the others)… shocked.
This tea is definately on the strong side, but liking it so far. Being sensitive to bitter, getting beyond that hurdle is most important. Looking back at the description, it does seem to fit: brisk, malty and definately “full flavor” (not a wimp, like me…umm, me as a tea drinker that is, not in general, lol).

This is my favorite so far. Baker Street yet to go (that one scares me).

Igor Stravinsky’s “Les Noces”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yi-5mugSiX4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiazdmmZF_8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-ni8XUOqdM

“Nijinska’s Les noces is considered to have feminist elements. Les noces deserts the upbeat nature of a typical wedding, and instead brings to life the restrictive nature of a woman’s duty to marry. The dark and somber set provides the backdrop to the simple costuming and rigid movements. The individuality of the dancer is stripped away in Nijinska’s choreography, therefore displaying actors on a predetermined path, as marriage was regarded as the way to maintain and grow the community. The choreography exudes symbolism as, huddled together, the women repeatedly strike the floor with their pointe shoes with rigid intensity, as if to tell the tale of their struggle and ultimate reverence. The Russian peasant culture and the dutifulness it evokes in its people is represented in Nijinska’s piece.”

i was a dance major for half of my college life. i also was a dance major in high school. basically i danced every day of my life from when i was very young until i was 21. (yes i’m counting all those dance routines to Prince songs i made up when i was 7.)

i know Les Noces is not for everyone, first of all it’s full of the typical Stravinsky dissonance and also choc-full of operatic singing in russian, second of all… it’s weird.
but there are parts in the second act that will ALWAYS make me wanna bound around the room and dance wildly when i hear it.

this tea is dark and no frills and a little dour. but just a little.
point is. i can see it sitting and steaming on the lid of stravinsky’s piano.
and i can see the Russian peasant girls brewing it before their wedding.

Yesterday was River Shannon’s first trial (Assam + Ceylon), today this (Assam + Ceylon +Yunnan).

All I have time for now is a pretty rushed note, as I have to get to the office, but I wanted to put at least something down before I forgot what I was thinking. ;-)

That depth I remarked was missing from the River Shannon? The +Yunnan changes that. There’s a balance, too, that tones down the Assam a bit at the same time it gives the tea some heft. There’s more sweetness, more maltiness, more yum. It has a fuller body. It’s closer to what I’d consider an appropriate coffee substitute.

Pretty sure I prefer this one for most mornings. Pretty sure I’m a Yunnan fan, not so sure about Assam yet. I don’t have a firm reference point in my mind for it yet as I’ve mostly had blends so far. (I’ll have to try Thomas Sampson soon!)

One thing I have to figure out about this one is whether I need to add milk to it. It is pretty strong even when brewed at 3 minutes. If I’m not careful, it can grab me in the back of the throat when I’m not looking.

Now this is an interesting tea. Its brisk and robust without the bitterness or astringency. Its more mellow than River Shannon thanks to the added yunnan tea. This tea has plenty of malty notes. I have to agree with Morgana, she hit this tea right on the nose with her tasting note. Read her tasting note as I really can’t add any more.

Love this blend. It is brisk as promised and leaves this sweet after taste in your mouth. I would recommend it to those that are fans of bold black teas.

2/6/14 Morning pot. 3g/6oz/212F/3min. Pretty sure the descriptor ‘brassy’ was invented for this tea. It is bright and brassy, the way I imagine a brass bedknob would taste if it tasted like tea instead of brass. Don’t ask how I know what brass bedknobs taste like. This tea is good brisk breakfast blend, nice taken straight, and maudlin-makingly good with milk for those of us with deep “English Breakfast Blend” yearnings. If your gran ever served you milk toast made with tea/milk, she’d have used this tea to make it.

caveats: again, a tea in which I may taste more sentiment than Camellia.

This is my first Scottish breakfast blend, and let me tell you, they are serious when they say this one is a hearty one. It’s very in-your-face, but in a good way. The complexity is a nice suprise for me. Nice and malty, full-mouth feel, with some almost-fruity sort of sweetness in there and maybe a bit of nuttiness. There’s a bit of astringency there too, but it adds to the experience overall. This is a great breakfast blend.

**backlogging from a couple days ago (I’m terrible about remembering to type things up sometimes!)

I am a huge fan of breakfast teas. I like coffee every once in a blue moon, but it’s really not my thing. I’ve always preferred tea & when I had my first ever breakfast blend I was hooked. Since then I’ve loved trying out different breakfast blends from different companies & seeing what the world has to offer me for my morning cuppa.

And this particular breakfast blend is something that I absolutely adored. The Yunnan brings a malty smoothness & and adds a whole new dimension to the Assam and Ceylon. It’s hearty and had a kind of softness to it that was lovely. I added just a touch of sugar/milk as it seemed fitting and it mellowed the strong tea and made it quite ‘breakfasty’ if that makes sense (I’m sure it probably doesn’t, but it’s the only word I could think of right now lol). I did not feel the need to make something to eat after my cup as I was very satisfied after drinking this :)

The leaves were rather small- something I’ve noticed with all of my Upton teas that I recently purchased. It allowed for a slightly stronger cup of tea, but if you were to over steep it I think that the tea (not just this tea in particular) would quickly become bitter. I haven’t even considered trying for a second infusion with any of my Upton teas for this very reason.