Okay, wdtd, my new best friend. My absolutely wonderful cuisinart tea maker arrived yesterday afternoon and I unboxed it, got it all cleaned up and ready to go. SOOOO, this morning upon arising I gave it a shot and fixed myself a DIVINE cup of Scottish Blend Breakfast tea. If you're a big tea lover, I would recommend you check out the Cuisinart Perfect-temp teamaker. It is not as sophisticated (or expensive) as that Breville model that is widely advertised, but it is a nifty little gadget and is BPA free. It has a filter in the spout so random leaves do not get through. It beeps when the water reaches the perfect temperature for the type of tea you want to brew so you can drop the brew basket into the water. When the time is up, you lift the basket by screwing the top. I got a sampler (I thought I'd ordered from Teavana, but it is Heavenly Tea Co. instead) with some more delicate teas to try. I've noticed that the espresso to which I am addicted is causing a bit of stomach discomfort so I'm hoping I can cut down on the cappuccinos and substitute tea. I'll still have my morning cappy but the tea was extremely good and the brewing was super simple. I've tried the water in the kettle and the steeping in the cup (or teapot) many, many times. Using the teamaker is foolproof. Love it and look forward to trying out other types. We'll probably have some rooibos later today. Maybe I can get +1 to start enjoying teas along with me.

 

Being a fan of almost all things Scottish, this tea looks promising. I know this is probably considered sacrilege among tea aficionados, but is this tea available in the form of teabags for those of us lazy folks who aren't interested in all the paraphernalia needed to brew tea from scratch?
If not, can you recommend some of the better Scottish teas that are offered that way?

 

When I was young my mother use to force me to drink hot tea when I was ill. As a result I can not stand the smell of it, let alone the taste. I want nothing to do with tea, hot or cold. I limit my coffee intake to two cups in the AM.

 

Val, would you post the model number for it? You've almost converted me, and I'd like to look for your tea maker on Amazon.

 

I'm the same when it comes to ginger ale. Ick!

Val, enjoy your tea time.

 

1. I had to chuckle reading this; for some, it's oatmeal, me, it's baloney, mom used to fry it b/c we couldn't eat it any longer w/o being fried we were so sick of it.

 

To answer both things, yes you can order the Scottish Breakfast tea from Amazon in bags. They market the Taylors of Harrogate teas. Here is the amazon link to the teamaker I bought. I really like it and hope it keeps performing as well as it has today Cuisinart Perfect temp


Edit: Knowing that the older we become, the more susceptible we are to various unsavory ailments, I try to avoid BPA and chemical additives. That is the reason (besides the cost factor) I did not go with the Breville which is far more foolproof. The Breville has plastics that come in contact with your water and tea so I went with the less costly product that does not release plastic byproducts.

 

Thanks much! The Cuisinart is now on my Amazon wish list, along with the Scottish Breakfast tea blend.

 

I tried the Taylor's Scottish Breakfast blend (bagged version) and I can't say that I'm a fan. It seems rather weak to me, even though I used two bags and steeped them for the suggested amount of time. Maybe the loose leaf will be better once I get the Cuisinart tea brewer.
The Taylor's Earl Grey is nice, especially when made with distilled water. My well water is hard as a rock with a high iron content, so it doesn't get used for drinking or cooking.

 

Back in my start-up days I worked with a large number of asian folks who were really into the various teas.
we're talking $100+/ tin type teas. Apparently it was all pearls before swine as I never really developed the taste for them.

I have developed a taste for Arnold Palmer's ice tea which is pretty good if you mix it as a hot beverage too.