Basilur Tea: Rainbow Tea

Last Friday was National Tea Day. I was absolutely devastated that I couldn't attend. One of the main reason's was Robert from Basilur tea was attending and I really wanted to go up and say hello to him. He's been really supportive of my reviews of their glorious tea's and it would of been nice to have had a chat with him. However, what did cheer me up was over Easter, feeling tired after working, I ordered some of their tea and at the end of last week it arrived. It did soothe a bit of the disappointment of not being able to attend the celebrations.

I had ordered the Rainbow tea and this is what I'm reviewing this evening. When the tea arrived it was in this gorgeous little caddie that I was kindly gifted by the company. It's just so pretty and I'm a total sucker for a nice caddie! It's beyond cute.

Whenever I go on Basilur's website I honestly can get lost, and I have actually lost half hour one afternoon just so smitten I am with the products they sell. I can browse and browse and browse all afternoon. Thinking I deserved a treat I ordered one green tea and one black tea.

Rainbow Tea is a blend made from black tea from Ceylon. Within the tea the added flavours which are featured are cherry, strawberry, marigold and safflower. I absolutely adore black cherry tea but I've not had it with strawberry and when I saw it on the website decided it was the blend for me!

Whenever I open this lovely caddie the gorgeous scent of strawberry just hits you and it's totally mouthwatering. Just delicious. As I fill my own teabags, which is a lengthy process, I just love being able to inhale the fruity scent for quite some time! Even my mum, who likes her tea decaffeinated and simple loves the smell of this tea and often find her opening the caddie when she thinks I'm not looking!

Visually this is a beautiful tea. I love how the leaves of the Ceylon tea are so wonderfully dark. Then you get splashes of colour from the added fruits. The dashes of red from the strawberry, blue from the cornflower and yellow from the safflower are just stunning and against the dark tea leaves make for a most appealing looking blend. I just love the dramatic black and bright colours. They work so well together.

As this is a black tea you are bit freer on how long you can infuse this tea. Of course you don't want to stew the tea, but I think you can infuse this comfortably for up to five minutes for a decent cup of tea. However, if you don't like your tea too strong then three to four minutes is good.

Although I haven't taken a photograph of the final tea (probably because I was too impatient to wait!) believe me this brews to a glorious, very dark brown colour. Very pleasing to my ever critical eye!

I will start the main part of this review by saying this is a very warming, comforting tea. I personally find that it's ideal to relax to after a stressful day. And I have taken this blend into work with me, filling my trusty Bodum travel cup with two tea bags stuffed full of this tea. My boss has kindly allowed me to take it to the till and I honestly will swear that it keeps me relaxed and able to deal with even the most difficult of customers. As I drink this now, tucked up warmly in bed, it's almost as though this tea absorbs all the worries and cares and sadness that I can feel at times as a sponge absorbs water. It takes it all away and I can focus solely on it's wonderful taste.

I love fruity black tea. Not much else in life gives me as much pleasure as a fruity black tea or a really good green tea. As long as it's done well and with Basilur I can trust in it's quality.

The fruity flavours in this blend are lovely and if you closed your eyes it's almost like you have plump cherries and strawberries actually in your cup.

Upon first sipping the tea the flavour that comes through initially is the familiar taste of strawberry. I've had strawberry in black tea before and in this blend it really works. It's the stronger of the flavours.

Not long after you get hit with the strawberry comes the flavour of the sweet cherries. I am absolutely mad for cherries, I love them and between you and I it's my favourite of the two. It's not a strong flavour but the sweetness it brings to the tea compliments finely the tartness that you get from the strawberry. The cherry and it's sweetness is rich and satisfying.

What I also like is the slightly floral flavour, which isn't as strong as the flavour from the fruits, but hovers quite happily in the background. It adds an interesting, herbal element to this tea, a different edge which makes this tea interesting to the very last sip.

The base black tea is from Ceylon and I can tell you this: it's superb quality. I have tasted several of the companies Ceylon both flavoured and unflavoured and having drunk plenty of their Pure Ceylon it's just heavenly it truly is. I love the richness of the Ceylon tea, it's smooth qualities and deep, slightly nutty flavour. Just scrummy!

And, having taken this tea to work in my travel cup, and having taken the tea when it's started to cool significantly, this does not go bitter and stays full of flavour to the very end.

I'm totally smitten with Basilur. And I don't mind admitting it. This is simply and honestly down to the quality of the tea. They produce excellent quality tea and from that they also add dreamy flavours. Their White Magic milky oolong and Cream Fantasty Green Tea (soon to be reviewed) are almost too good to describe.

Alongside the wonderful tea the packaging is also very fantastic. It appeals to my romantic, dreamy side. A side I don't reveal very often but is certainly there as my eyes light up when I window shop on the companies website.

This Rainbow tea is unique in as much as it combines wonderfully light flavours yet still is satisfying as any black tea can be.  Recently, due to me taking tea pretty much everywhere I go when I'm out, it's also become like a companion.

I don't regret buying this tea and I'm so glad I picked it. And I urge you to try it too. Simply because it's beautiful.