Scottish Breakfast Pyramid Tea Bags

🍵 The Blend — Four single-origin black teas in a single cup: 2nd flush Assam, high-mountain South Indian, Keemun Panda #1 from Anhui, and Chingwo County Orange Pekoe, each chosen for what it contributes

🍵 The Colour — A deep, reddish-amber liquor with genuine brightness — bold and full in the cup, the kind of colour that means business from the first steep

🍵 The Character — Robustly malty at the core, with a winy, fruity lift from the Keemun and a subtle, lingering cask oak note that gives this Scottish breakfast blend its defining character

🍵 The Occasion — Made for mornings that need a proper start; exceptional with milk, which draws out the malt and sharpens the brightness of the cup

There is a pleasing irony at the heart of Scottish Breakfast tea. It was a Scotsman — tea master Robert Drysdale — who created the original breakfast blend that would go on to define British tea culture. In 1892, presenting his bold new creation to Queen Victoria at Balmoral Castle, he gave her something so impressive that she brought it back to London and renamed it English Breakfast Tea. The Scots, unmoved, went on to make something stronger still.

This Scottish Breakfast blend is built around four components, each chosen for the specific quality it brings to the cup. The backbone is a 2nd flush Assam — thick, robust, and picked at the height of the growing season when the leaf delivers its most richly malty character. A January production high-mountain South Indian tea is added for its cleaner, brighter flavour notes, which lift and accentuate the Assam rather than compete with it. Keemun Panda #1, sourced from Qimen county in China's Anhui province, contributes a winy, Burgundy-like depth that enriches the maltiness of the blend considerably. Finally, a Chingwo County Orange Pekoe provides what is perhaps the most distinctive element of all — a gentle, lingering cask oakiness that gives this tea its Highland soul.

It takes milk extremely well. A generous splash draws out the malt, warms the reddish brightness of the liquor, and rounds the whole cup into something genuinely satisfying. These pyramid bags are biodegradable and triangular, giving the blend the space it needs to circulate freely — because with components this carefully selected, it is worth brewing them properly.

Since 2008, High Teas London has been one of the country's leading independent tea specialists, with one of the largest collections in the country — over 350 teas and infusions — and an enduring commitment to finding blends that earn a permanent place in your daily routine.

Ingredients: Black tea (2nd flush Assam, South Indian, Keemun Panda #1, Chingwo County Orange Pekoe).

Brewing Note: Scottish Breakfast calls for freshly boiled water — bring it to a full 100°C and pour straight onto the pyramid bag. Allow it to steep for 3 to 4 minutes for a rich, well-rounded cup, or up to 5 minutes if you prefer a stronger, more bracing brew. Milk is highly recommended: add it after steeping so you can judge the strength and adjust to your preference. The triangular bag gives the blend room to move and infuse fully, so resist the urge to squeeze or rush — give it the full steep time and it will not disappoint.