92 Tasting Notes
It could be said that I have a coffee problem. Maybe. I find I cannot get going in the morning without it! I’ve found most breakfast teas to be too weak for me (though I do love English breakfast.) Still, I wanted to try to cut back on my coffee, so I ordered some breakfast blends from Upton to try out (most of my breakfast tea experience comes from bagged teas.) Yesterday was Bond Street, and today is the Scottish. Brewed for 4 minutes in boiling water. 2 tsp of tea in 16 oz of water. I have to tell you that this blend is a great coffee substitute – it’s rich and dark, with no real bitterness. It stands up to the cream and sugar that I prefer in the morning without losing any of its flavor. In fact, I think it needs cream and sugar – it was pretty intense when I tried just the tea! This is the first time I’ve had Scottish breakfast, and I think it’s my favorite so far!
Preparation
I’m a spice fiend, so I was intrigued by the description of this tea. “Fine India tea is blended with cocoa, cardamom, and a hint of cinnamon to produce a balanced and warming cup?” It sounded right up my alley! The loose tea smelled lovely – mostly of cardamom with a cocoa backdrop. I steeped it for three and a half minutes. The resulting tea was, sadly, not as wonderful as the smell. I found it rather weak on the spice (but keep in mind, I love peppery spices!) It was also rather astringent, so I added milk and a bit of stevia. It was much improved with the addition of milk (the sweetener I could take or leave) which brought out the cocoa taste. It was pleasant, but I wanted more cardamom. I couldn’t really detect cinnamon at all. I’m going to try a longer steep next time, and I may try treating it as a chai (this is not a chai to me – not nearly enough cinnamon!)
