Somehow, through all the teas I've chugged the last few years, Scottish Breakfast hasn't gone down the gullet yet. Why? Forgive my neglect. I've been missing out. I won't speak for other shops' renditions yet, but Murchie's has a championship-caliber blend going here.

Maybe some of it was reading that many Scottish Breakfasts are smoky, and that's generally a turn-off for me. This one, however, only had faint, discontinuous, and unimposing hints of that in flavor, cup aroma, and dry-bag smell, much to my relief. A blend of Assam, Ceylon and Yunnan, I most certainly picked up on the dark, rich body of the Assam, as well as the malty element. At times it seemed faintly fruity. This was a very smooth tea for one that's also in the upper echelon of strength, too, and gave off a slight warming sensation. Many similarly potent teas are instead sharp and more cutting, overly astringent, or uncomfortably bitter in their presentation. A tea that's both strong and smooth is going to shoot right up the rating scale for me, and this did. Clean finish too, with tolerable and pleasant aftertaste.

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