This distinctly flavoured tea is grown and hand-rolled on Kinnettles Farm in Angus by Susie Walker-Munro.
Susie’s great-great-great-grandfather Charles Alexander Bruce, was responsible for bringing tea from the tea plant assamica to the British market in 1839, and his efforts in pioneering the tea industry in Assam led to India exceeding China’s tea exports today.
Only 2kg of the tea has been produced this year, which will be exclusively retailed by PekoeTea in limited-edition 20g tins.
Jon Cooper, founder of Pekoe Tea commented: “We are very proud to be the exclusive stockists of Kinnettles Gold. Not only because it’s a Scottish tea, but because of its unique flavour and the passion that has gone into the processing. The tea fits perfectly with the PekoeTea ethos, and being able to buy tea directly from a tea estate in Scotland is something truly special.”
The tea has been processed using secret techniques, specially-developed for the Scottish climate with the help of tea consultant Beverly-Claire Wainwright of Teacraft. Beverly’s philosophy is to match processing methods to suit the terroir, rather than copying methods from other countries.
Until this year, small batches of Kinnettles Gold were processed by Susie using methods from Darjeeling that were not bringing out the full flavours of the tea. As Scotland’s terroir is unique, Beverly has created unique processing methods to ensure the tea lives up to its full taste potential.
In early 2015, Beverly introduced Susie to PekoeTea whose ethical credentials impressed her. She commented: “I am so grateful to Beverly for introducing me to Jon and keeping this a Scottish affair. Jon’s deep knowledge of tea makes PekoeTea the perfect showcase for my Kinnettles Gold single estate tea”.
PekoeTea, founded in 2005, boasts two Edinburgh tea shops as well as an online retail business, and is operated by Jon Cooper and his wife Esther. Their range of over 100 single estate loose-leaf teas makes them unique in Scotland. They are one of only a few tea companies in the UK to import direct from source.
The tea will retail at £2500 per kg. 1.5kg of Kinnettles Gold is being packaged in numbered limited-edition 20g tins priced at £50 each. The remaining 500g is being kept for sampling and referencing.
The tea is available for pre-order online and in store, to be distributed on Friday 20th November 2015.
For a perfectly-brewed cup of Kinnettles Gold, visit PekoeTea in Stockbridge where a limited number of cups will be available at £15 per serving.
