Quality Tea Could be Grown in Scotland – with Little Assistance from Scientists
Tea has been deep rooted in to Scottish souls. But no one would believe that tea can be grown in this wonderful part of the world. As Rebecca Shearer had reported to The Press and Journal – UK, A group of Scottish tea planters are on a mission to find the perfect brew that can be grown on home soil. There are more than 40 tea growers throughout Scotland and now a group of those planters are working together with a research team from the Rural Innovation Support Service (RISS), led by the Soil Association, to investigate the most profitable and highest-quality tea varieties / cultivars which can be grown on their home soil.
Richard Ross, chair of Tea Scotland said that though tea producing may be associated with warmer climes, Scotland has very similar soil to these places and we, as a nation, have a long history with tea planting.
“Black tea and green tea are the two teas we’d really be looking to do. Herbal teas, though they are very nice, are a different proposition. Effectively we’re competing with the sort of teas that are now mostly grown in India, China and Kenya, which seems like an odd thing to try to emulate in windy and cold Scotland but the conditions in these places are actually quite similar to what we can produce in Scotland, as long as you get the right plants in the first place.
Richard added further “There’s clearly a market for Scottish grown tea. Throughout history, there’s a really strong tradition of Scottish tea planters, and we’ve always had expertise in growing and processing tea. My own grandfather was a tea planter in Sri Lanka, and I grew up with these stories of Scots taking tea around the world. I like the idea of bringing tea home.
“It looks like there are as many as maybe 40 different growers around Scotland. Our members come from a real geographic spread – from Dumfries to Orkney, from Fife to Arran – so we’re starting to understand between us what’s possible in different parts of Scotland.”
This group of tea planters will be guided by Dr David Marshall from Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) who will assist planters to understand the genetic diversity of the tea varieties they are growing – but he conceded that the pandemic has thrown timescales into question.
As some of Scotland’s growers specialize in black tea, others in green tea, all of the different varieties will be considered in this new research to find which has the most potential.
The group of planters is being facilitated by Alastair Trail of SAC Consulting, part of SRUC, who was appointed by RISS to assist both Richard and David see the project through.
Scottish planter, Mr. James Taylor is the one who initiated commercial tea cultivation and manufacture in Sri Lanka (Ceylon) at his Loolkondera estate, Kandy district. Eventually Ceylon Tea became one of the finest tasting teas in the world.
“Tea with Nipun” always brings you news and updates not only from main tea origins, but also from rare origins like Scotland.
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References
- Main Source: https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/lifestyle/food-and-drink/2444749/high-quality-tea-could-be-grown-right-here-in-scotland/
- More Information: https://teagardensofscotland.co.uk/
