Whittard: Blend #142: Orange Blossom

It's fair to say that I have become a bit of a devotee of Whittard in recent years. I was initially put off years ago when I was a newcomer to the tea world. I had prepared a pot of their Christmas tea and had taken it without milk. The overpowering  taste of the tea, with it's cinnamon and cloves was too much and I chucked the tea away - a criminal offence, but at the time I had absolutely no idea about how to prepare such tea's.

However, when I became more accustomed to tea and how it should be correctly prepared, especially things like seasonal tea's, I decided that it was time to investigate Whittard and I did that with their fabulous Bohemian Raspberry blend. A blend that remains a firm favourite many, many years after I first tried it.

Since then I have dipped my toe in the water many times, so when last Friday, on payday, I decided to treat myself to some tea after a horrifically stressful week, I knew where to go. When I put my order in I had promised myself that I would stick to the one blend that I wanted to try (which will be reviewed at a later date) and which cost just £8. However, that and two caddies later my order was considerably larger than I had planned!

So this morning the tea arrived and I was genuinely struggling as to which to try first, but, with my love of all things orange, I decided to go with blend #142: Orange Blossom.

Firstly, I want to mention the lovely caddies that the tea came in. Of course, Whittard do offer different packaging options so you don't have to pick the caddie option, but their caddies are just so beautiful that I'd find it hard not to purchase the tea in one. They are elegant, a light grey colour with a handy label so you know exactly what tea is in the caddy. I am partial to Whittard's caddies and will probably buy most purchases in that form. I like how elegant they are, how they, with their interior lid, keep the tea fresh and if the tea is highly flavoured contains that flavour so neighbouring tea's do not absorb the scent.          

Orange Blossom blend is a black tea that is blended with orange peel and orange blossom with additional flavouring.

This blend is a wonderful tea to look at. The base tea, which is a black tea of blended origin has a lovely, reddish hue to it. It's dark and aromatic. Dotted within the tea is the pale yellow of the orange blossom and the bright orange of the orange peel. It is both attractive and aromatic. When I removed the lid and then the interior lid, the aroma of orange was delicate, pleasing and natural.  

There were no specific brewing instructions with this tea, so I took a general view that three minutes should be fine and that I could alter it if it was over or under brewed. It seemed to me that three minutes was perfect. Though, of course, taste is a relative thing, so you may have to experiment to see what pleases your tastebuds.

As I sat and took my first sip, I was immediately pleased. I have a "thing" for tea blended with orange and I've tasted some divine ones and some truly dreadful. This is simply beautiful.

This is a most delicate of blends. Sometimes orange tea can be strong, this is not. The base tea, which as I stated earlier was made up of blended tea, is rich and smooth and slightly nutty. It's incredibly easy to drink because of it's smoothness. It reminded me of a gentle orange pekoe tea. It's strong enough to hold the orange flavour, yet delicate enough as not to dominate.

The problem that I have had in the past with orange flavoured tea's is sometimes they can be slightly oily, artificial and with perfume like qualities. This absolutely does not. It's one of the most natural tasting orange tea I have experienced.

The flavouring is incredible delicate. With the orange blossom it takes on floral tones. With the orange peel there is a slightly sharp citrus twang. Together those elements work hand in hand to make a delightful tea.

Despite the presence of the floral like tones within the tea, you do not feel as though it's a herbal tea.

This blend is incredibly refreshing and I predict that this will be my go to tea over the summer months when it's warmer. It's almost as refreshing and thirst quenching as if you had drunk a bottle of water. Yet, at the same time, it's comforting for a slightly chilly evening - certainly the best of both worlds, I must admit.

Considering I am on the WeightWatchers plan, there is, due to the lightness of the orange, a almost dessert like quality to this blend.

On the Whittard website it said that this tea is best drunk alone, but I think it would go well with a lovely piece of lemon cake or a light and fluffy cupcake.

This is perfect for afternoon tea with friends, perfect to give away as favours at a wedding and perfect to serve in your finest bone china!

I am, perhaps, a little biased considering my love for all things orange, but honestly, I have to say that having tasted some dreadful orange tea's, I appreciate this fully for it's delicious, natural qualities. It's refined delicate taste and the way it's been masterly blended.

So, I became a Whittard devotee, and I remain one. I've yet to be disappointed with any of their tea's. And I think, once you've tried this, you won't be either!