Meet the Leòdhasach – the Isle of Lewis tea

You’ve heard of the Isle of Lewis, I’m sure. And maybe you’ve heard of a Lewis tea called Leòdhasach. But what is a Leòdhasach, you ask?

A Leòdhasach is a person from the Isle of Lewis – Lèodhas in Gaelic. So a Leòdhasach is from Leòdhas. The plural of Leòdhasach is Leòdhasaich.

The Isle of Lewis is the largest island in the Western Isles or Outer Hebrides archipelago, off the west coast of Scotland.

The population of the island is around 20,000, making it one of the most populous islands in Scotland.

Lewis is home to a number of important historical sites, including the Callanish Stones, a Bronze Age stone circle which is one of the best-preserved in Europe.

Wikipedia says:

Alexander Thom and Gerald Hawkins suggested that the stones were a prehistoric lunar observatory. Others have proposed a relationship between the stones, the moon and the Clisham range in Harris. Critics of these theories argue that several alignments are likely to exist purely by chance in any such structure, and many factors such as the weathering and displacement of the stones over the millennia mean there can be no certainty of any alignments, original or otherwise.^[19]

Lewis is also the home of the famous Lewis or Uig chessmen. They are named after the island or Uig bay where they were found. They are a group of 12th-century chess pieces, carved from walrus ivory.

As you can see, there is more to the Isle of Lewis than meets the eye. And now there is a Lewis tea! Whilst it brews, here are a few other fascinating facts about Lewis.

10 Facts about the Isle of Lewis

1. Harris and Lewis are different islands. Confuse them at your peril.
2. Donald Trump’s mother was from Lewis. He once visited.
3. Peat and Deisel – a recent rock phenomenon – are from Lewis and well worth listening to. We mention them in our “Hints of…” section on the Lewis tea packets.
4. The Callanish Stones are very very old! They reckon that it was created between 2900 and 2600 BC.
5. The human activity in Lewis can be traced back 8000 years.
6. The first serving Prime Minister to vist Lewis was Tony Blair.
7. The most expensive chess piece sold at auction is a real “Lewis Chessmen” piece, which sold for £735,000 on 2 July 2019.
8. In May 1918 the Isle of Lewis was bought by Lord Leverhulme. He made his fortune selling soap.
9. The Butt of Lewis (which is at the very North end of the island) was once recorded as the windiest place in the UK.
10. Lewis nearly had a trainline after the Hebridean Light Railway Company proposed one in 1898. It was never completed.

Lewis Tea

We used the peat beds and moors of Lewis as an inspiration for our tea – which has earthy undertones.

And if you’re wondering what the reference on the packet to “local crofter Sweeny” is – check out Air an Lot!

If you fancy a wee taste of Lewis, the tea is available in packets of 10 or 20, and in tins as well!