Today I have a special review for you! Not only am I reviewing Whittards lovely English Rose tea, I'm also reviewing their Queen of Hearts Strawberry Shortbread as well - and believe me it's a match made in heaven!
I haven't really had much from Whittards in the past, but after window shopping on their website, I saw a myriad of things I wanted to try, so do expect quite a few Whittard reviews coming over the next few months!
I've tried rose tea many, many times in the past and it's a firm favourite so alongside the recently reviewed Bohemian Raspberry, I also decided to purchase their English Rose tea, this time in silky pyramid form rather than loose leaf.
Now, before I start, I have to say I adore rose flavoured tea. But you do have to be careful. Please, avoid the cheaper lines of the rose tea, as I can guarantee it will taste awful. Rather like drinking from your Nanna's perfume spray! And never, I repeat, NEVER take it with milk. The two just don't sit well and it WILL put you off this lovely flavour for ever.
When the tea arrived I was rather delighted to see that it came in this tastefully designed cardboard container. One thing I will say - Whittard do know how to pack their tea's in traditional, elegant packaging.
What is really exciting about Whittard is that they give you many, many options on this line of tea. You can have this in a filled caddy (see Bohemian Raspberry for a example of what their caddies are like), and you can also purchase the loose tea refills when you run out. You can purchase them in silky pyramids, traditional teabags and individually wrapped teabags - perfect to pop in your bag when you're out and about.
I opted for silky pyramids.
I love silky pyramids because I simply love the feel of them, but also, it allows you to have a good look at the contents. As you can see above, you get a ample amount of tea, which is rich in colour, scattered with pink petals and, even more wonderfully, a complete rose bud too! This tea is not just a feast for your tongue, but for your eyes also. It's stunningly pretty and just appealing on so many levels.
Despite it's obvious delicateness, this is quite a sturdy tea and can be infused for up to five minutes without any negative affect on the flavour at all. It didn't turn bitter or taste acrid. I infuse this tea fully and enjoy a sweet, tempting tea.
Whittards wonderful English Rose did not disappoint. For those who love rose flavoured tea's you'll be in for a real treat. The big question in my mind is how have I never fully discovered Whittards before when they are serving up wonderful tea's such as these. I now genuinely feel so excited about all I have to discover.
The base tea in this blend is a solid black Chinese tea. I loved how it's dark mahogany colour contrasted so well with the bright pink of the rose petal's and rose buds that were contained in this tea. There is the dramatic dark tea dotted with gorgeous dashes of pink with is extremely appealing visually.
I love the sweet, floral taste of the rose. It's beyond delicious. It's full on and dances along your taste buds, leaving the flavour swirling around in your mouth for ages. The rose is such that it reminds me instantly of turkish delight, so it's like a dessert in a cup, a real treat without any of the downsides of eating real turkish delight.
English Rose is a well balanced tea and thank god it doesn't taste synthetic as I have had tea's that are flavoured with some strange rose oil which is just intolerable, you can tell as it's oily and just yukky, but this is very natural and delightful.
And I really, really do love how the flavour stays with you for sometime after you've finished your mug (or cup) of tea and that can only be a good thing as it's just a flavour that you don't want to let go of!
In addition to this wonderful tea, I have another treat for you. When I was shopping online at Whittard I couldn't resist looking at their biscuit section and stumbled on something that was just too lovely looking not to buy.
You may or may not be aware that for some time Whittard have sold a wonderful range of Alice in Wonderland items. I, for one, have my heart set on the tea service, which comes with cup's and saucers and a tea pot (that will take some saving up for, I will admit) amongst other things and I am rather desperate to own the tea set. (One day it will happen!).
Within that Alice in Wonderland range I came across something delicious. Yes, I tried their Queen of Hearts Strawberry Shortbread, and I was not disappointed with this either!
Firstly, check out the wonderful packaging. The biscuits come sealed in plastic packaging within this thick cardboard packet which has a metal lid which helps keep your biscuits fresh. I had mine open for more than a week and have just eaten the last two and were as fresh as if they were just opened, so big thumbs up to Whittard for providing packaging that keeps item's fresh.
The Queen of Hearts Strawberry Shortbread is an all butter shortbread flavoured with strawberry. I will admit that the amount you get in the packet isn't huge, but, it's the quality that matters and it's really lovely.
Unlike most shortbreads available in shops it doesn't have a smooth finish, rather it's crumbly and has a rough texture but is very yummy indeed. It's also heart shaped which is lovely little touch and would make for a perfect Valentines Day gift, or for a special treat for the one you love.
I have to admit I am cautious with something that has "all butter" in the description, as that normally means a moment on the lips ... and a evening in agony with heartburn. However, though this is all butter it's not overly rich which is a relief as I do like buttery things but not overly so that makes it too much to eat.
Nor are these biscuits greasy to the touch either, which is a pleasant surprise.
I really did like the strawberry flavouring too. It's not too strong, but you can taste the strawberry but it's more a hint rather then a full on strawberry flavouring. It's really lovely to eat and very tasty.
I found it's the prefect pairing for the English Rose but even more better to take with the Bohemian Raspberry. I found the English Rose was lovely to have with the biscuits but it worked REALLY well with the Bohemian Raspberry.
The mixture of strawberry and raspberry was just too delicious to deny!
I really am impressed with Whittard and cannot wait to try even more of their fantastic tea's. But, in the mean time, I think I'll make another English Rose and spend just a few minutes in it's beautiful company.
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