I absolutely love tea's that have floral elements to them. Whether that element be rose, lavender or orange blossom, I find that a good black tea and floral additions work really well together, so this evening I was incredibly exciting to try something in a tea that I've not had before - dandelion! I love Dandelion and Burdock on a hot summers day, ice cold of course. But never had I experienced this before.
I have come across OTeas before. I tried some of their wonderful Christmas tea's and was impressed with them. I had high expectations for their dandelion tea!
I will admit I also have a fondness for the brand because they are partly based on the Isle of Man, a place where I have visited and a place which I think is the most beautiful place on earth (though I will admit my travels have been somewhat limited!).
This tea was sent to me through my monthly teatourist box. I have to say with each month that passes I'm more and more impressed with teatourist. The amount of tea and the sheer selection is just fabulous and it's perfect for those who love to experiment with new tea's but don't want to buy huge amounts of something they could potentially not like very much. It's just so much fun and for a tea lover, it's impressive, too.
So, what of this exotic tea?
The base tea of this blend is a darkly coloured Sri Lankan black tea. This is a aesthetically pleasing tea because the darkness of the tea contrasts beautifully with the stark yellow colour of the dandelion. It so very pretty to look at.
I filled up a empty teabag with three teaspoons (a generous amount which I always use when sampling tea) of the tea and let it infuse. On the packet it says you can infuse for between three and five minutes. Unsure of the flavour and strength I opted to go midway for four minutes. It was a joy to watch this tea brew as it it changed colour from a light pink colour right through to a bright copper. So far, so good!
I loved the smoothness of the Sri Lankan tea. It has a slightly nutty element to it, but also a delicateness which I love in black tea. I do like a strong, robust tea, but I find with floral flavours, a lighter tea works better because you can not only taste the tea but also the strength of tea doesn't outweigh the possible delicateness of the floral additions.
I was surprised to find that the dandelion provides a herbal like flavour rather than a floral, so any early idea's I may of had about this tea were misconceptions. It provides a really solid flavour, strong, and satisfying, but I am finding it hard to compare it to anything else that I've tasted. It may of been me but there was something almost liquorice like about this tea. Also slightly peppery as well.
This was a really different type of tea that was satisfying and enjoyable. According to the little taste testing card that comes with each tea teatourist turns out this could have possible health benefits to, apparantly in the digestive area. Also, the tea is claimed to help with weightloss, too. I can't comment on the health benefits, but I do believe this is a truly lovely tea.
I love how the flavour of the dandelion stayed with me long after the cup of tea was finished.
I will say, and this is no means any detriment to the tea, but I do prefer floral tea's such as rose or lavender. But there is something very charming too in this earthy tea. It's a tea that you can get your teeth into, it's sturdy, solid, yet at no time is it overpowering or so strong it's unpleasant.
The quality of the base black tea is very good too. It has no bitterness even after a substantial amount of brewing. It's just nice and mellow and very enjoyable.
On the tasting card it also states that you can add either milk or honey to this tea. Well adding milk to tea is a huge no go for me, but I could see the honey working well. It would add just a slight dash of sweetness. However, I found it pretty lovely on it's own. I don't feel the need, on the whole, to add stuff to tea anymore, however, even I'm tempted by the suggestion of honey ...
I liked this tea very much. It was familiar with the base tea, yet different enough to keep me interested and I've enjoyed a couple of cups of this already and with each tasting my liking for it increases.
If you haven't heard of OTeas and are interested to find out more, than do check out their website. They have some really interesting and exciting tea's on there, and I'm looking forward to experimenting with other tea's in the future.
And, whilst you're online, do check out teatourist for more information on their great service. Honestly, I've tasted so many tea's since I've received some of their boxes. Not all of them I've liked, that would be impossible I suppose, but at least I am getting to try new tea's and experiment with new tea companies I may not of encountered before. For the fully signed up tea lover, receiving the teatourist box through the letter box is truly a very happy moment!
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