Tea gets a superfood boost

Food and drink scientists from Queen Margaret University (QMU), Edinburgh, Scotland, have teamed up with artisan tea company Eteaket to produce the UK’s first sea buckthorn fruit tea blend.

Sea buckthorn, which grows wild along Scotland’s coastline, contains an array of vitamins, minerals and bio-active substances that are not found in standard tea. Despite having been widely used as a healthy ingredient in juices and jams already, this is the first time that sea buckthorn berries have been used to make tea.

Experts from the Scottish Centre for Food Development and Innovation at QMU have helped Eteaket to produce this new flavour by blending dried cranberries and sea buckthorn berries with the mellow hibiscus flower.

Erica Moore from Eteaket, said, “We’re constantly looking to innovate with our tea, always searching for the latest weird and wonderful ingredient, flavour combinations and brewing techniques. We felt that sea buckthorn is greatly overlooked in terms of its health benefits, nutritional properties and unique flavour. Working alongside the QMU and the group, we hope that the distinctive Scottish sea buckthorn can flourish here in Scotland.”

The blend is now available at the Frederick Street Tea Room in Edinburgh, where it is also featured as a cold brew.

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