Saturday 1 February 2014

Twinings Limited Edition: Diamond Jubilee Tea

2012 was an awesome year for the UK and the Royal Family, and subsequently, Royalists like myself.

In December we heard that Prince William and his wife, Catherine, were going to be parents. In the summer of 2012, we had the amazing Olympics and Paralympics, with British athletes winning medal after medal.

But, for me, the highlight was the Diamond Jubilee celebrations. We had a very long weekend off to celebrate, which enabled me to do two things which I really love. Watch television and drink tea!

In the April, just before the celebrations started, I paid my first visit to the Twinings shop on The Strand. It was a hugely exciting day, and I was like a child in a sweetshop. I had never seen so many exotic blends in one place. I walked up and down the tiny store tens of times, picking what I wanted to buy.

I did notice a large group of Italian tourists who were filling their baskets with brightly coloured caddies. And within a few minutes the shelves were clear, and the staff in the shop were replenishing as quickly as they could. Once the tourists had made their way to other parts of the shop, I walked over to see what they were buying. And then I saw them. A special tea blended for the jubilee celebrations.


As you can see, the colours used for the caddies are so bright and inviting. (I also purchased the oval shaped tin, with loose tea inside, but it's now packed away so couldn't include it in the picture).

The quality, and loveliness of the design can be seen on the lid. Very classy and I still love looking at these now.


Each teabag came in it's own envelope.


The blend used for the Diamond Jubilee tea is a mixture of two very strong, but extremely different tea's. One is Assam, which is a strong and mighty black tea, that has a malty taste. The other tea used was Yunnan, a nutty tasting tea from China. Together the two made for a wonderful blend, and even my mum, who doesn't like flavoured teas too much, enjoyed it.

It's a strong tea, there is no denying it. But the two flavours, the nutty and the malty, work so well together. It's different, and it tastes a bit strange when you first drink it, but quickly I became a fan. It makes for a smooth tea that is extremely satisfying.

I have very happy memories of brewing a pot whilst watching the concert at Buckingham Palace and I'm not ashamed to admit that when Twinings were bringing this line to a end, I brought up as much as I could. I brought extra caddies, and also brought the individual envelopes through their pick and mix service.

I still have about twenty teabags left. But I drink them sparingly knowing there is no way of replacing them. It's a shame that this line was discontinued, but, that is the nature of limited edition blends. You have to enjoy them, and buy as much as you can, while you can.

The Diamond Jubilee tea is a perfect example of why I love Twinings and always will do. They blend perfect teas, and package them beautifully. And yes, some of their blends are special editions which are only with us briefly. But you get a little bit of luxury that you'll always remember.

The summer of 2012 was amazing. And every time I take a sip of the Diamond Jubilee tea, I'll remember it fondly.

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