Suggestions For Autumn & Winter

On the strike of 2.30am this morning I woke, as I normally do. Sometimes I manage to get back to sleep, other times I do not. So I put my trusty iPod on and listened to Jeff Wayne's War Of The Worlds. When "Forever Autumn" came on, that heartbreaking song about two lovers split up by death in the midst of alien invasion, it got me thinking about how autumn and winter are perfect season's for tea lovers.

So, here are my suggestions for some wonderful winter warmers.

Firstly, in the black tea section I'd like to suggest keemun. Yep, a personal favourite of mine and perhaps I'm being biased, but it's wonderful. It's such a smooth, flavoursome tea that is very easy to drink. It's warming and good to snuggle down with on a cold afternoon. As I've recently stated, Northern Tea Merchant's Keemun is by far the best. A soothing tea, it's honestly good for the soul. NTM sell only the best quality tea, so if you feel like you want to treat yourself to something rather special then their tea can be found here.

If you are a green tea lover and fancy something sweet but low on calories, I would like to suggest Twining's Gingerbread Indulgence Green Tea. The launch, earlier this year, of Twinings green tea range which was made up of Gingerbread Indulgence, Caramalised Apple and Salted Caramel was unlike anything I had seen before. Everyone seemed to go mad for the new lines meaning they were difficult to get for some of us! Gingerbread Indulgence is actually quite a impressive tea. It tastes just like gingerbread (and not at all like ginger tea which is hugely different) and really hits the spot if you have a sweet tooth. It's a brilliant candidate for a winter tea, what with the shops now stocking gingerbread houses for Christmas. My advice on this would be if you do find a box, then stock up on it as it's never on the shelves when I try to find it!

If you like your tea fruity why not try Marks and Spencers Mulled Fruit Tea. I won't go on too much about it because I've only just reviewed it but it's marvelous, and I have already converted two friends to it already! A very similar, but equally pleasant tea would be Twining's Winter Spice, which is very tasty but also has liquorice added which gives the tea a bit of bite.

If you are a rooibos lover then I have a great tea for you. Teapigs Winter Spice is absolutely lovely. I'm not the worlds greatest red tea fan, however, with the bonus of added cloves, cinnamon and other winter spices it makes for a really wonderful winter tea. I do struggle sometimes with winter spiced tea's as often the blends of spices are a little too strong for me, however, this is quite a nicely balanced tea and is perfect if you want to take a little less caffeine.

For a spot of uber indulgence, and perfect to serve to visitors on Christmas day why not try Twining's Christmas cake tea? Last year it was called  Christmas Thanks but it's since been rebranded so search for Christmas Afternoon instead. I think it's a really impressive tea and brilliant for Christmas afternoon. It does actually taste like Christmas cake and is hugely indulgent. It's quite expensive but quite worth the money.

So, here are plenty of ideas for tea's that are perfect to enjoy the dark, cold, winter months with. Winter doesn't have to be gloomy if you treat yourself to some of the aforementioned delights that are available.

I think, with the help of tea, we may just get through it!