Scottish Tea: What is it?

What is a Scottish Tea?   Are there different types of Scottish Tea?    Here are a few quick answers.

Scottish Tea usually is a black tea that is strong in taste.  It is generally stronger than a tea like English Breakfast. Two types of Scottish tea are widely available.

Most familiar are Scottish Breakfast teas made by companies around the world.  Scottish Breakfast is a full-bodied black tea with a malty flavor best served with sugar and milk.  Taylors of Harrogate Scottish Breakfast is an example of this. Taylors is a tea company from England.

Second are teas blended specifically for Scotland’s soft water.  Two authentic Scottish teas are Scottish Blend and Brodies. Scottish Blend was introduced in 1990 and is among Scotland’s favorite brands of tea. Scottish Blend was launched as the first specially blended tea for Scotland. Supported by television advertising, its popularity grew steadily.

By 1998, Scottish Blend had become Scotland’s number 2 brand of tea.  Now available worldwide, Scottish Blend is increasingly popular across the globe. Scottish Blend tea is produced by Unilever, makers of PG Tips, England’s favorite tea.

Today, Brodies still produces tea in Scotland. Available in distinctive drums, Brodies Teas are popular with visitors to Scotland. Brodies is still a family business and has been importing and blending tea since 1867. Brodies started in Leith, Scotland where tea clippers once landed their cargoes. In 2002, Brodies moved to a new state-of-the-art production facility outside of Edinburgh.

Each Scottish tea has a unique taste. To determine what you prefer, first take a sip of the tea without milk or sugar. Then, you will discover the real flavor of each tea. You may discover you really prefer one type of tea over another. Then, you can add milk or sugar.

Whether you drink Scottish Breakfast, Scottish Blend, Brodies or another variety, try different types of tea and drink what you prefer.