Bluebird Tea: Bears Like Marmalade

As regular readers know, I LOVE anything remotely orange in tea.

I even love orange flavoured food. Sweet marmalade on hot toast ... jaffa cakes ... chocolate orange ...

I even like "real" fruit, like clementines, satsuma's and oranges. Occasionally. At Christmas.

So, when my brother and his girlfriend paid another visit to Brighton and stopped off at Bluebird Tea to get me a treat, I was delighted when they picked me up this gorgeous blend, which has the cutest name: Bears Like Marmalade.

Bluebird Tea is a popular brand in my house. I haven't tried all their blends, but I've certainly loved the one's I've tried, and this tea is no different.

Bears Like Marmalade is a gorgeous, aromatic and tasty cup of tea, and, for me, who is not overly fond of fruit tea's, it's extremely impressive.

 Firstly, the tea is just so gorgeous to look at. It's so colourful and bright, a wonderful tea for this time of year. The chunks of orange peel, apple and other gorgeous things such as, rosehip, orange blossom and lemon peel are of a really nice size and the quantity that you get for the weight of tea is amazing. This is certainly a tea that will go a long way!

For me though, aside from the taste, the most delightful aspect of this tea is the gorgeous aroma you are greeted with when you open the pack. It's unbelievable. Delicious, mouthwatering and there is absolutely no way you could not make a cup of this tea once you've opened it! It really does smell just like your favourite jar of orange marmalade. When I opened the pack a million happy memories of thickly cut toast spread thick with Dad's Robinson's marmalade came flooding back. That is the thing I love about Bluebird. If they say the tea taste's like something, then it really does!

As this is a fruit infusion, I made up my own teabag and filled it full of tea. I was quite laid back about the infusion time and I think I left it to brew for around five minutes, so the flavour and scent were really strong! I was quite surprised that this brewed to a gorgeous rose hue, not the orange I was expecting.

This is a smooth, sweet tea. A delight for all the senses, but I suppose it's the taste that is the most important thing, of course!

Though this is a sweet tea it's not overly sweet. I have tasted fruit tea's that actually have hurt my teeth because they were sweet, this tea has the right balance between sweetness and a tart, slightly bitter twist. It certainly keeps your taste buds tingling.

Naturally, the most prominent flavour is the orange. It's really quite strong and full of flavour and I really, really like it. It's a very refreshing flavour and you feel absolutely lovely when you are drinking it. This is going to be perfect for the hot summer months!

Underneath the sweetness from the orange comes the slightly sharp taste from the lemon. The two flavours work extremely well together, each balancing the other. I love the citrus twang of this tea, it's very satisfying for me.

There is also a fresh crispness from the apple which adds another dimension to this tea. I do not know how Bluebird manage to succeed in making absolutely perfect fruit infusions - but they do, time and time again!

I did pick up a ever so slight twang of orange blossom too, but I will admit that the orange, lemon and apple are the flavours that are most easily detectable in this blend. But that is to be expected in a tea that is created to be just like marmalade.

If you like fruit tea's or if you have a liking for citrus fruits in general then I would say this is very close to a pretty perfect fruit tea! It's ideal to be served with hot cross buns, which are flying off the shelves this time of year. In fact, I'm saving some of this tea for Easter Sunday. I'm working Easter Sunday and am saving the tea for a after work treat - something to keep me going through what I already know will be a horrendous shift.

This is a very well put together blend. It's tasty, refreshing and incredibly moreish.

Well done to Bluebird Tea. Yet again, you've made this fruit tea sceptic, fall head over heels in love.

You have made a tea that is Easter in a cup, and will be delightful in summer as well. So far, this is my favourite Bluebird Tea. Why not treat yourself and see if you feel the same!