Scottish Tea Cultivation: The Seedling Era

Tea cultivation is still in its early stages in Scotland. We harvest tea leaves in small amounts in the first few years when the gardens are young: we call these years "the seedling era" to give a sense of the time and work it has taken to establish these gardens here!

Despite the untested climate, growers are producing teas of exceptional quality.

During the summer, tea leaves are plucked every month and processed simultaneously from different gardens, giving the tea the characteristics of a single estate tea rather than a blend. Processing tea is an art that requires expertise to achieve the desired complexity of flavour.

Our members are currently celebrating their success with the first teas produced, The Blackhouse and The Gathering. Individual gardens are also developing their own single-estate teas. 

Working together as a group has led to exciting learning experiences, such as how the tea responds to Scottish microclimates and changes in processing methods, which allows the development of unique aromas and flavours.

Creating two teas from eleven gardens hundreds of miles apart has been a journey for everyone involved. The logistics of getting leaf to the factory, using innovative processing methods, and most of an entire summer's harvest from several growers in the development of the teas has been challenging. However, the group is delighted with the results.

If you are interested in purchasing tea directly from Tea Scotland, you can buy The Gathering 2022 or pre-order your 2024 season teas.

Additionally, you can find the group teas stocked at Inver Restaurant and the Japanese tea shop 7Teaplus.