Artisan tea company Eteaket recently teamed up with Queen Margaret’s University (QMU) to produce a unique tea blend incorporating sea buckthorn.
Known to be rich in vitamins and minerals, this is the first time, says the company, that sea buckthorn berries have been used to make tea, although it has been widely used in juices and jams.
Described as having a punchy new flavour, the Sea Buckthorn Fruit Tea has been created by blending dried cranberries and sea buckthorn berries with mellow hibiscus flower.
“We’re constantly looking to innovate with our tea, always searching for the latest weird and wonderful ingredient, flavour combinations and brewing techniques,” explained eteaket’s Erica Moore.
“On the quest for a distinctive new ingredient for a tea blend, we joined the QMU Sea Buckthorn Common Interest group, which is sparking an interest in this native plant. 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.”
Miriam Smith, business development manager at QMU, added: “We’re very proud to have supported eteaket in getting this unique sea buckthorn variety of tea to market. By working with businesses like eteaket, QMU’s Scottish Centre for Food Development and Innovation is enhancing Scotland’s position as a leader in food and drink innovation in Europe and supporting access to the global market for healthy and functional food.”
