Wake Me Up, Scotty! From 52Teas

For Star Trek fans or just plain tea lovers alike, do yourself a favor and brew up a cup of Wake Me Up Scotty from 52Teas.  This is based around a Scottish black tea, and gently sweetened with hints of butterscotch and a scattering of marshmallow root.  The name of course, is in reference to the Star Trek phrase, Beam Me Up, Scotty. The tea got its name from all the ‘scotch and Scottish ingredients, and from the hearty caffeine dose of black tea.

I love a good Scottish breakfast blend first thing in the morning, though when I reach for a breakfast tea, I also want a little bit of tartness to make me feel fresh and awake.  I was a little wary that the black tea in this blend would be hidden beneath its dessert flavors, but despite the candy-like inclusions, this tea preserves plenty of that crisp breakfast black tea taste.

This blend has it all: flavorful integrity of the black tea and a caress of caramel and cream flavors. You definitely taste the butterscotch and marshmallow, but not at the expense of the bright black tea.  I take my tea without sugar or milk, but if you love the butterscotch notes, you can draw them forward by brewing this as a latte or by adding your favorite sweetener.

The caramel and marshmallow come across in this blend with almost the same nutty sweetness as honeyed breakfast cereal with mini marshmallows, which takes this whole idea of a breakfast tea to a new level.  A delicious and balanced blend that I should keep on hand in my cabinet for any breakfast time brewing.

I applaud 52Teas for always being inventive in their flavors; they seek out new teas and flavor blends, and boldly go where no tea company has gone before!

 


Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description:

So this tea comes with a story – please bear with me . . .

I don’t usually go for teas that have already been blended. I usually want to do the blending myself. I also usually don’t go for CTC teas. But this tea presents us with an exception to that – because on a whim, I happened to sample an organic Scottish Breakfast Blend from a would-be supplier and I absolutely loved it. It was rich, rugged and malty and I immediately began to imagine what I might do with this tea.

So I ordered some of the tea to play around with it a bit and while playing around, I thought – hey, it’s a Scottish Breakfast Blend, I should try blending it with butterscotch. Not real creative, I know. But after my initial taste test of the blend flavored with butterscotch – I was hooked. I decided to lighten things up with some soft, creamy marshmallow. And my “Scotty Breakfast Blend” was born. Again – not a really creative name, right?

As I was sitting around with Mat and updating him with my tea studio happenings, he asked me why I called this one “Scotty Breakfast Blend.” And I told him something like: because it was made with a Scottish Breakfast Blend and I used ButterSCOTCH as the primary flavor component.

He mentioned I should call it “McBreakfast Blend” or something like that. Then I thought, what if McDonalds decides to slap a Cease and Desist on me for using their Mc. He told me that he didn’t think they could actually do that and they probably don’t lay claim to the prefix Mc. However, I wasn’t too keen on McBreakfast Blend … what about O’Scotty Breakfast Blend? During this exchange, I’m not sure who threw in “Beam Me Up, Scotty” into the mix . . . but I liked it. Not because I’m a big Star Trek fan because really, I’m not. I’m much more Harry Potter than Star Trek although I really liked Ricardo Montalbán’s portrayal as Khan.

But I digress.

I liked the idea that – for those of us who like to see different meanings in words – the “Beam Me Up” could be thought of as waking someone up or inspiring a sense of alertness which is what black tea (especially a rich CTC blend like this) does for me. At the end of my exchange with Mat, he said, just call it “Wake Me Up, Scotty!” because those who are Star Trek fans will appreciate the alluding to “Beam Me Up” without actually saying that – and those who wouldn’t get what I’m alluding to might still appreciate that this is a wake-me-up kind of tea with a Scottish Breakfast Blend base and a butterscotch flavor.

This a well-rounded black tea that on it’s own is pretty robust and stimulating – a fantastic first tea of the morning! The butterscotch and hint of marshmallow offer a pleasant sweetness to the cup. A delightful cuppa!

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Scottish Morn Black Tea Blend from Harney & Sons

scottishmorn

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black

Where to Buy:  Harney & Sons

Tea Description:

This is a strong tea, perhaps our strongest tea. When you stand up your spoon in this tea, it might just stand straight.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

OK, my spoon didn’t do that … that said, this Scottish Morn Black Tea Blend from Harney & Sons is a strong, hefty kind of tea!

The photo above depicts a fine cut CTC blend, and that’s true to what I measured into my teapot this morning.  Generally, when I see a fine cut like this, my personal rule of thumb is to cut back on the brew time by at least 30 seconds, and that’s what I did.  Instead of my normal 2 1/2 minutes, I went with just 2 minutes in my Breville One-Touch, and the result is a cup of near perfection when it comes to a breakfast blend!

When I want a breakfast blend – and I definitely wanted one  this morning, I want a sturdy, stout kind of breakfast blend like this one.  I want something that is sure to get my peepers popped open … and something that will keep them open!  And I’m liking that a lot.

But what I like best about this Scottish Morn is that even though it is a bold, invigorating black tea, it isn’t too edgy.  It’s not overly astringent nor is it veering on the side of bitter.  It doesn’t feel like it’s stripping my tongue of its taste buds.  It’s almost what I’d call … smooth.  Not gentle, not mild or mellow … but, as I sip it, I don’t feel like it’s a full-on assault of my palate either.

It’s a remarkably rich, full-flavored tea with a very pleasing, well-rounded taste.  And I can feel it get to work on my energy levels too!  This is one of the better breakfast blends I’ve tried from Harney & Sons … it gets two enthusiastic thumbs up from me.

Scottish Breakfast Tea from Culinary Teas

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black

Where to Buy:  Culinary Teas

Product Description:

Malty, full bodied, with hints of cask oakiness. Scottish Breakfast is your next favorite tea, hot or iced.

Taster’s Review:

Now this is a powerful tea!  It’s got some real gusto!

The tea is strong and BOLD.  Yes, BOLD – not bold – but BOLD!  The blend of teas include a malty Assam which would deliver plenty of strength all on its own, but when combined with the richness of Keemun and Nilgiri teas, this becomes one seriously invigorating tea, ready to jump start you and get you on your way.

This full-flavored tea does indeed deliver on its promise of hints of oak.  This has a very hefty, rustic kind of flavor to it and that woody tone elevates the rustic feel to this tea.  It has some baked/bread-y kind of flavors in the background as well which are enhanced by the malty tones.  All this delicious, toothsome flavor while maintaining a very pleasant smoothness.

If your usual breakfast blend sometimes leaves you feeling flat, reach for a cup of this breakfast blend next time.  This one won’t fail you!