Good Scottish Or English Tea?, Can our Scotland experts recommend...

Hello all,

It has probably been asked a thousand times before, but what is the best hot tea to drink? I've tried Twinings Irish Breakfast Tea, which I enjoy. I've heard of Earl Grey, and a few others, but never tried them. Now down in the South of the good ol'USA we have our orange and black tea blends that are used mostly for Iced Tea. But as you know America is mostly known for its coffee and not its teas, so will someone please recommend what Scottish or English Teas are best to drink.

Best Regards,
Roisin

I only drink Twinings Teas - and it has to be loose leaf tea, not teabags

I drink Earl Grey (and Lady Grey if I want a slightly less perfumed tea), Lapsang Souchong. Indian tea - well I like Darjeeling.

My husband prefers Assam tea at breakfast time - it is a strong tasting tea - too strong for my tastebuds early in the morning!

The most popular teas in the UK are named brands like Typhoo, PG Tips - which make a good strong British cuppa.

There are a couple of small, independent tea companies in the UK - there is one in Edinburgh; they also have a teashop in Edinburgh. I have to say, not my favourite teas, but I believe it is very popular with overseas buyers and is available on the internet. (sorry, can't quite remember the name - that shows how memorable I thought the teas were!)

Cat,

Thanks for the info. about the teas. The only British teas I see at the market are teas that come in a bag. I'm sure somewhere in America I could find loose leaf tea, but in my neck of the woods I can't. Your suggestion to look on the Internet sounds good---I'll try that. Thanks.

mmh I use Assam alot, and also something from Germany which is called "Golden Nepal" it's slightly milder than Assam but very nice tasting.

I am not Scottish or Irish, just a Kentucky redneck , but I prefer Twinings Earl Grey. I also prefer loose tea to teabags, but in a pinch, I can stomach a pot made with teabags.

Roisin-Teagan- In the US, some of the large WalMart supercenters will carry tins of loose Twinings tea. There is (or was) a small Scottish import store in the French Quarter in New Orleans (not sure how close you'd be ). I cannot remember the name or where it was, but they did carry many different types of teas. Wish I could help more!

Just my tuppence.

Andy

Thank you Andylucy! I'll ask around about the Scottish Import store. I only live 20 to 25 mins. from the city, so once I find the name and address it should be easy. As for Wal-mart stores carrying loose leaf teas---I never knew that or just never took the time to check. I'll try this helpful suggestion first.

Once I purchase the proper tea, I'll need a lesson on the proper brewing instructions, since I never done it before. Can anyone help in this reguard?

*mmm* A nice cuppa Scottish Breakfast tea is a great way to start the morning! (specially with fresh scone) Mind you, if you don't like a stout tea, you may not like it. Pretty easy to make really, as you get the kettle started, fill up your teapot with hot water and let it rest while the kettle is heating up. When your kettle turns off, empty the teapot, put one scoop of tea per person, and one for the pot, then slowly pour the hot water over the tea. Cover your teapot with a cozy, and let steep a few minutes. I'm sure that each person has a certain way to make their tea, this is the way I like to make it.

Cheers!

If your in the U.S. here's a simple way to get Irish tea delivered to your door, unless you have an Irish shop near you. http://www.barrystea.us/
They carry loose and bagged.

Thank you Holly for your tip on making the best cuppa tea. The way I have always made hot tea is by cutting open the teabag(s) and putting it in a coffee filter---then add water in my coffee maker and let the hot water pour over the tea leaves just as if I was making coffee. Otherwise, I would just put a teabag in a cup of hot water and let it fuse. I guess both ways are really wrong. The coffee maker does a pretty good job (in my opinion).

A Shrule Egan: thank you so much for the web link for Barry's tea. I'll have to try their tea.

Regards,
Roisin