Scottish Heather Tea

Heather is a symbol of Scotland.  It grows abundantly and veils the Scottish moors and heathlands with its purple blooms.  "The heather was blooming, the meadows were mawn..." - Robert Burns

Heather flowers have been used to make herbal infusions for fighting symptoms of colds and flu.  The Scottish Heather tea contains black tea from Africa and India, and 4.5% heather blossoms.   The appearance of black tea mixed with purple buds is very lovely like Sakura Sencha but the brewed beverage is relatively plain.  However, the hills seem to come alive with the sound of bagpipes when a splash of single malt Whiskey is added to the tea.   Still, the tea is blended for taking milk and has subtle earthiness, likely from heather.

Heather Tea

Type:  Black         Producing Country: Scotland           Preparation:  95°C 4 Min

Dry Leaf:  The cut pieces of dark leaves blended with purple buds have the familiar breakfast tea scent without any hint of flowers.
Wet Leaf:  The wet leaves smell strong wicker and wet straw.
Liquor:       The tea is chocolate in color.  It is strong and has medium astringency.  Its flavor notes are cocoa and moss.

Tee Score: 3 out of 5

Matcha Tea Grinder

For a matcha purist, a portable tea grinder is the answer.  Both Kyocera and Porlex of Japan make quality ceramic burr tea grinders.   Standing 6-inch tall, a matcha tea grinder comprises a handle, a chamber, ceramic burrs and a tea catcher.   It is easy to assemble. Although the tool is ideal for grinding Tencha into Matcha, it can also churn out other types of fine or coarser tea powder, which is used in baking or cooking.  This nice toy is not for grinding coffee beans.

Tea Grinder

ceramic burrs

Anatomy of a tea grinder

Input-process-output

(tencha-tea grinder-matcha)

Matcha!

Kabusecha Green Tea

Kabusecha, Gyokuro and Tencha are three Japanese shaded teas.  Kabusecha plants are covered (filtering 50-70% sunlight) for about one week before their leaves are plucked and processed.  Gyokuro tea leaves are covered (filtering 90% sunlight) for approximately three weeks prior to being harvested.  As for Tencha, it is also shaded (filtering 90% sunlight) for around three weeks.  Tencha is deveined and used for producing Matcha.  Shading forces tea plants to generate more chlorophyll.

The appearance of Kagusecha, literally means covered tea, is not easily distinguishable from its relatives, Sencha and Gyokuro.   The flavor profile of Kabusecha is middle-of-the-road.  Kabusecha has the astringency of Sencha and the savoriness of Gyokuro.  It is refreshing and has a clean aftertaste.  The brewed leaves are soft, edible and tasty.

Shaded teas (top:Tencha, left: Kabusecha, right: Gyokuro)

Kabusecha


Type:  Green      Producing Country: Japan    Preparation:  80°C 3 Mins

Dry Leaf:  The dark green thin needles and pieces have a delicious aroma of brioches or biscuits.
Wet Leaf: The soft wet leaves are savory and vegetal.  They look like boiled spinach and taste like cooked arugula.
Liquor:      Lime green is the color of Kabusecha.  It has the toned-down astringency of Sencha and the mild savoriness of Gyokuro.  Its mouth feel is  mild, clean and vegetal.

Tee Score: 4 out of 5