A few weeks ago the lovely folk at Chash Tea kindly asked if I'd like some tea samples to review here on the blog. Of course I cannot turn down a very lovely invitation like that. I browsed with great interest the website. Then I came across a very interesting looking tea. That tea was Shakespeare Tea.
I will admit it was rather cheeky to ask for a sample of this tea as it's a blend that is a wee bit more expensive then other tea's on offer. "Please" I asked "Could I have enough of this for just one cup?". Luckily, and rather kindly I thought, I was sent enough to make several cups.
When the tea arrived a couple of days later, I had a lovely little handwritten note from Dan, telling me it had been blended that very day. So if this tea was nothing else it was freshly prepared!
There were several reason's this tea appealed to me when I was browsing Chash's website. Firstly, I loved how very British this tea sounds. You cannot get more British then a tea based around our most famous bard! Instantly I thought of the lush greenery of a summer's day in Stratford-Upon-Avon. This is a tea that made my tea loving mind run in so many different directions.
What may not be known about me is I'm absolutely mad on anything about the Tudors and in fact anything about life in general in Tudor and Elizabethan times. So, naturally, I was delighted to read about a tea that covers my obsession with tea and love for history. And, as you'll see in Chash Tea's description of the product, the ingredients featured in the tea are manly floral and herb based and these have been picked because they are items mentioned in the bard's many plays. So is there a tea more perfect for Laura? I think not! This could almost of been created for me!
I COULD NOT wait to try this tea. And I was not disappointed.
Oh this tea is just so pretty! I couldn't quite believe my eyes. How gorgeous is this tea? I love how you have such a pretty pink colour from the rose, bright sunshine yellow from the chamomile and a dark green from the fennel. Seriously, if you choose to order some of this tea, take a minute to just look at it. It's beyond gorgeous. It's lush, almost like Britain's countryside in a tea.
I couldn't not include within this blog this picture of this cute, tiny rosebud. Honestly, it's just so pretty. (I've actually saved this little rosebud and put it in a safe place, so taken with it am I!)
I generously filled my teabag with tea from the packet and let it infuse for several minutes. I love the floral scent and as it gently wafted around the kitchen it really piqued my interest. What was it going to taste like, I wondered to myself.
The tea brewed to a gorgeous amber colour. So far, so good ..
Shakespeare Tea is extremely interesting and very, very different. When I think of floral based tea's I think of sweet rose or aromatic lavender. However, this tea tasted totally different to what I expected it to me and what years of tea drinking experience led me to believe it would taste.
This tea is interesting, different and keeps you on your toes. For though it contains rose, it's not traditional in any sense.
The base tea is a lovely first flush Darjeeling. I have to admit I don't drink Darjeeling very often as I have stated on here recently I prefer Ceylon, however, I have nothing against Darjeeling so I always enjoy drinking it! I loved the smooth taste of the Darjeeling though, and it is a natural and perfect partner to the lovely ingredients that are contained in this tea.
The reason this tea feels very different and fresh compared to other tea's is the ingredients contained within. Yes, you have delicate rose, but you also have the unique herbal flavour of chamomile and then the spiciness from fennel! It's certainly different.
When you first sip on this tea there is a lovely, sweet flavour from the rose. It's familiar and gentle and I absolutely adore rose in tea. It's subtle yet can still be tasted amongst the other flavours.
The chamomile brings to it a earthy flavour. I will admit I'm not a huge fan of chamomile and don't really drink chamomile tea, however, I have regularly taken it when it features within another blend and I find it's natural herbal taste brings depth of flavour and another level of taste to this tea. So though I'm not a great chamomile fan on it's own, it has natural and delightful qualities that add that extra special something when added to a blend.
But it's the fennel that makes this tea really different. I wouldn't of thought that rose and fennel would work together, one being delicate and subtle, the other strong and impressive. However, towards the end of the sip, when your tongue is dancing from the spicy fennel I realised that this does work! That two flavours from the opposite end of the spectrum and on paper should not work together, really does. And I have to say my tastebuds were popping from the fennel long after the cup had been finished.
Shakespeare Tea is a hard tea to sum up in words. What I will say is that it's totally unique and I have to admit I've not tasted a tea quite like it. When you read the description of the tea you imagine it would taste one way, when actually, in reality it's totally different.
When thinking of tea that features rose you expect something delicate. It is on first sip, then you get the thunderous explosion from the fennel and takes this tea to a totally different stratosphere.
I absolutely loved this tea. If you are wanting a traditional rose flavoured tea then this may not be the tea for you. But if you are looking for something exciting yet familiar this is ideal.
The unique qualities of this tea feels fresh and new. It's a genius of a blend and I'm hugely impressed. It brings a modern twist to something so traditionally British.
Chash Tea say on their website they hope they have done the bard justice. They absolutely have. They have created a real treat of a tea.
I loved it! And as I sit writing this review on Good Friday bank holiday I can consider myself very fortunate to have been able to try it!
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