Chash Tea: Iron Goddess Of Mercy

I've been fortunate to taste quite a few blends of tea from Chash. And, without a doubt, each one of them has been of a really wonderful quality.

As I was going through my (quite substantial) box of samples, I was intrigued by the name of this tea. Iron Goddess of Mercy - what a cool name for a tea!

In the photograph above the tea is formed into small balls which uncurl into large leaves when they are brewing in the pot, or infuser (whatever you like to use!).

This is a photograph of the tea ready to go in the infuser. You have a better view of the balls that the tea is formed into. What was really interesting is as I poured the tea into the infuser you can hear the little balls of tea clank in the infuser! They are quite hard to the touch and are rather like pellets but would they taste any good?

I love the glass mug that Chash kindly sent me, as I can watch very closely the tea brew. Although this picture doesn't reflect it too well, the experience of watching the tea go from tightly curled balls into large, lush, green leaves was fantastic.

I boiled the kettle and let it cool for a while and then brewed the tea for a few minutes.

Inhaling the aroma of the tea, it smelt to me like melted butter! That was the first thing that popped into my mind but as it continued to brew it reminded me of orchids, the type of flower you often find in green houses. It was delicious, really nice.

I will admit the only other thing I've tasted with the word mercy in it was a extra hot chilli pizza, so I was expecting this tea to be quite strong, overpowering even. When I sat down to try this I had completely the wrong idea about this tea - the old saying never judge a book by it's cover has never been so true.

Iron Goddess of Mercy, far from being a strong tea, is actually wonderfully delicate. It brews into a light yellow colour and has a wonderfully floral aroma to it.

By the time I sat down to try this blend of tea, I was thirsty after having worked out for forty minutes beforehand, so the first sip was greatly welcomed.

This blend is very refreshing. It has a wonderful, almost jasmine like, taste to it. Its very gently scented and the tea is of a high quality, as always, so the two flavours work really well together.

Iron Goddess of Mercy is one of those tea's that is perfectly balanced. The tea is strong enough so that you feel as though you have a really satisfying cup of tea, yet, at the same time delicate enough so you feel as though you are drinking something really special.

I'm so glad I made this tea when the house was quiet and I had a hour or so before I started work as I had the chance to really enjoy the experience of drinking it. It's not a tea that should be rushed, it's blended for you to sit and relax to! It's brilliant for a lazy weekend.

For more information on Iron Goddess of Mercy please visit Chash Tea's website.

The Five Tea Items That Make My Tea Wish List!

Today, I was thinking about what tea and tea related items are on my wishlist. These are the things I do not own but honestly believe would enhance my tea drinking. In a ideal world, I'd buy all of these tomorrow. What sort of things would be on your list?

1. Clear Teapot.

 

 (photo sourced from google images)

 

I will admit that yes, I have a glass tea mug and a special glass for flowering tea's but the one tea item I'm missing and would kill for is a glass teapot. How fabulous it must be to watch your tea not only brew, but if your making something like jasmine pearls, see them uncurl as they brew. I know there are some cheaper glass teapots out there, so they need not be expensive!

2. Teasmade

Yes, I know, Teasmades are so 1974, but I can't help but love them. How wonderful it must be to wake up to a cup of tea that is already brewing without having to leave the comfort and warmth of your own bed. And, as you can see there are some funky designs out there too! The boyfriend isn't too keen on having one of these but I just love this model!

3. Tea Bin

I think Tea Bin's are a brilliant invention. If you don't like putting wet teabags directly into your rubbish bin (I hate the messy leaks if there is a hole in the bin bag) then they are a convenient and smart looking item to sit on your work top, and it's a marked improvement on my plastic bowl with a freezer bag invention! I am seriously going to look into this shortly!

4. An Endless Supply Of Twining's Jasmine Pearls. 

I know this is the most impossible of items on my wishlist, but would honestly love to have this tea in endless supply. I'd even like it on tap! It's just a perfect tea with a wonderful aroma, tangy taste and a lovely smooth feel to it! Honestly, I could bathe in the stuff if it were possible!

5. A Bodum Travel Mug

Wait ... I already have one! YAY! Well that is one item ticked off the list!

Do let me know what your ideal tea items are. I'd be interested to hear!

Flora Tea's Flying Snow

 

As today is a bank holiday, I have the wonderful chance to try lots of tea's that need a little time to brew and enjoy.

Flora Tea kindly sent me a selection box of their beautiful flowering tea's, so this morning, I decided to brew one. I absolutely love the magic of flowering tea's. It is mesmerising to watch them unfold and develop into a beautiful flower.

Today I chose Flying Snow. It's a tea that contains a yellow flower, but also coconut fruit fiber. You can see the fiber dance around in the water, and it does resemble snow!

Each flowering tea is carefully packaged in it's own protective foil envelope.

 

Each tea comes tightly bound in a handmade ball. They are small enough to fit into the palm of my hand!

 

Upon opening the foil package the tea smells very herbal like. But, from previous experience this does not always represent the final tea. 

I popped the tea in the glass and watched it develop. It is always so much fun to go from this small ball of tea to a bright yellow flower in less then a minute!

In the photo above you can see the coconut fruit fiber dancing around in the water!

This tea is really delightful to watch. The previous flowering tea that I wrote about on this blog, Lily Fairy made a very different flower. That tea was very tall and thin, whereas the flower in Flying Snow was bright yellow and very large! Of course, when you pick the tea you do not know what flower it will blossom into - and that is part of the surprise.

Flying Snow tea brews to a pale amber colour. It is slightly herbal in taste, but there is a sweet after taste which is really pleasant.

The flavour is delicate and is very reminiscent of a gardenia tea that I've tried recently. It has floral tones to it, but is gentle and sweet. It was a refreshing tea.

Whilst trying this tea, I did get caught up on some jobs and the tea cooled quite a lot, which seemed to bring the sweetness out even more. This is a perfect candidate for a iced tea on a hot day!

I really enjoyed Flying Snow. I love the sweetness to it. It's very cooling and refreshing on a warm day.

For more information on Flying Snow and Flora tea please visit their website.

Celebrate The Long Weekend With Ahmad Tea's English Tea No.1

A month or so ago, I contacted  Ahmad Tea to ask if they could possibly spare some samples so I could write about them for this very blog. Normally, I will get some loose tea or bagged tea carefully packaged up, and every sample that drops through my letter box is received with thanks and a little bit of excitement!

When Ahmad Tea's samples arrived, I was thoroughly spoiled. I received two gift boxes. The Classical box (seen above) which contains a wonderful selection of six black tea's and the Evergreen box which contains flavoured and pure green tea's.

The packaging of both of these selection boxes is utterly beautiful. As you can see from the photograph, the Classical box uses paintings of various London landmarks, and they are really lovely. Most tea packaging nowadays is very modern so the classical theme of the box is very different.

Although I was tempted to first try the Earl Grey that comes in the box, I instead opted for a blend called English Tea  No.1. Curiosity got the better of me!

Each tea in the Classical box is individually packaged. I love the bright colour of this package. But I will admit that drawing of Tower Bridge made me feel just a tiny bit homesick!

English Tea No.1 is a blend of Ceylon, Kenyan and Assam tea and it's a rather sturdy tea, so you can use boiling water on this tea. Instructions suggested to brew between three and five minutes. I opted to go for four, long enough to get a good flavour, but not too long in case it brewed too strongly.

So, what is different with this black tea? Well, it's ever so slightly flavoured with bergamot. It's taste is very delicate, but it adds something special to the three robust and strong tea's.

You may ask what is different to Earl Grey, as we all know that bergamot is used in Earl Grey. The difference being, of course, that Earl Grey tends to be made with citrus flavours as well, and English Tea No.1 is not.

It's actually very nice to experience the flavour of bergamot without the citrus for once. It really does give a nicely sweet flavour to the tea.

I found English Tea No.1 to be a perfect cup of tea to enjoy on this bank holiday. I brewed a cup and put my feet up and enjoyed the afternoon film. It is delicious, refreshing, and very moreish.

This is a different tea because it makes a change from the normal Earl Grey, but adds something special to plain black tea. I can't recommend this tea highly enough. It would be perfect to serve up with cake for afternoon tea!

You can brew this tea with or without milk, and sweetened or unsweetened. Whatever takes your fancy!

I can honestly say that I've enjoyed every tea that I've tried, so far, from Ahmad Tea. They are a brand I've only discovered recently, and certainly look forward to trying more of their fantastic blends!

For more information on English Tea No.1 please click here. 
If you're interested in the Classical Selection Box, follow this link.

Revolutions Brilliant Acai Green Tea

I was very fortunate recently to receive some samples from Revolution Tea (UK). I have reviewed already, the lovely Green Earl Grey which was fantastic.

It is about time that I reviewed another one of their tea's. This evening I choose Acai Green Tea.

Revolution Tea samples come in these cute little boxes. They are tiny and easily fit in the palm of your hand. Inside these wonderful little boxes come's a quite sizeable mesh pyramid containing loose tea.

Inside the pyramid is loose green tea. What this photograph hasn't picked up is there are bright red pieces of acai berries. It makes for a really colourful tea. The mesh pyramid is nice to the touch as well!

I have to admit that I've not heard of acai berries. Here is a picture of the berries, which I have sourced from Google.

 

Apparently, acai berries are native to Central and South America. They are round, dark purple berries and are used in cooking, drinks and some say they are beneficial to weight loss. They are classed as a super food as they are high in anti-oxidants.

Follow those golden green tea rules, I boiled the kettle and let the water cool, brewing the tea for a couple of minutes. 

The tea that Revolution sell is of high quality, and it's one of those rare tea's where you can re-use the teabag without anything detrimental happening to it's flavour. I made two cups from the Green Earl Grey which was fantastic!

Acai Green Tea is a fruity and flavoursome. The acai berries are very tasty indeed and are slightly similar in taste to blackberries. 

The acai berries leave a very pleasant, fruity taste in your mouth.

The green tea is very delicate in this blend, and because I've brewed it correctly (which is vital) and because of the wonderful sweetness brought to the tea because of the acai berries, it's not bitter. It's pleasant, and it doesn't actually taste of green tea because of acai flavour.

Acai Green is a marvelous pairing of two flavours. The berries blend well with green tea. It's sweet and particularly moreish. I'm on my second cup, using the same bag, and the flavour is just as inviting the second time around!

You certainly do get the feeling you've drunken something very healthy. We all know the benefits of drinking green tea, and that, combined with a super food is just a great mixture. 

This tea is perfect for those who not only love green tea, but love it with a fruity overtone. It's also another great tea to use if you'd like the health benefits of green tea but are worried about the taste, which I've discovered during the writing of this blog, is an acquired one!

For more information on Revolution Tea's Acai Green Tea please click here.

I'd highly recommend giving this tea a whirl. It's gorgeous, fruity and just delicious!

Fancy A Cup Of (The Teashed's) Rosie Lee?

 (Photo sourced from www.the-teashed.co.uk)

I've been very fortunate to try two of The Teashed's delightful tea's. The first was Mr Grey's Tea and the second being Out Of Milk Tea.

Today I thought I would give Rosie Lee a go. The other two were delicious, so, I was wondering what this tea would be like.

Rosie Lee is a light Darjeeling tea. It's a bit sturdier then green or white tea, so you can pour boiling water on it without worrying about burning leaves. The tea can be brewed for up to four minutes but I brew this wonderful blend for around about four minutes.

This tea is light and refreshing, but has a strength about it so you feel as though your getting a really satisfying brew. You do not need milk in this, and sugar and sweetener, in my opinion, would ruin the delicate taste this tea has.

Rosie Lee is perfectly blended. I love black tea, but find some blends hard to drink, now that I no longer take milk or sweetener. Assam, for instance, is a gorgeous tea, but far too strong to drink without sweetener or milk. With Rosie Lee you don't get that bitterness, or slightly metallic taste you can get from some tea's. It's just brilliant!

However, this tea is the exact opposite. It's soft and gentle, so it's perfect for those who take their tea black, and even more perfect for those who have made the decision to stop using milk in their tea.

There is something about Rosie Lee that is almost addictive. Twice today I've made a cup of it and before I've even finished the first, I'm getting ready to make a second one. It's just divine and tasty.

The tea is made of high quality tea, and it reaches the standard that I expect from Teashed, who produce the most tasty and gorgeous tea's. They are a brilliant and modern tea company and I really like them!

For more information on Rosie Lee or Teashed please visit their website.  Not only do they sell utterly fantastic tea's, but they also sell edibles such as biscuits, teaware, homeware and a gift section that is to die for!

Have a good look around the website - it's utterly fantastic!

Twinings Tangerine And Verbena Green Tea

(Image from Twinings website)

From what I can gather, Twinings Tangerine and Verbena green tea is a relatively new product. According to their website, in February this year it was available for pre-order, so I don't think it's been on the shelves for very long. I discovered it at the store on The Strand and decided to try a box.

As regular readers will know I do enjoy tea with added citrus fruits, especially those from the orange variety, so to see a tea with tangerine added, well, it immediately caught my eye - and my interest.

The tea, which costs £1.69 for a box of twenty is really nicely priced.

I was really interested in what verbena was, so a quick look on Wikipedia showed that it's a small plant on which multi-coloured blossoms grow.  And it's the verbena that adds a nice sweetness to drinks that it's added to.

I boiled freshly drawn water and let it cool for four minutes. This tea is really delicate, so you have to be careful how you prepare it. After the water cooled, I let the tea brew for just over a minute.

The tea brews to a lovely green colour and the tangy scent of the tangerine was really lovely.

As today is Sunday, I made a cup of tea and then got back into bed, waiting for the Archers omnibus. A perfect way to try a new tea!

I love the fruity flavour of the tangerine. It's is really lovely. It's is quite strong and it's lovely to be able to actually taste the flavour of the fruit.

Underneath it all, the taste of verbena is there, but in no way does it detract from the main flavour of tangerine. I like the verbena. It's very unique and is evenly balanced with the fruit, though I do feel that if the verbena were stronger, then it would make a blend of tea that is just a bit "off". I think it's a wonderful addition to tea.

I liked the use of tangerine rather then the normal orange. Tangerine has quite a sweet flavour and it makes for a really lovely little tea. If you like orange and lotus flower green tea then you'll certainly enjoy this.

Twinings have worked really well with the tangerine. I recently tried a PG Tips Mandarin Tea  which I was bitterly disappointed with. It had so much potential and fell flat  - but as with most of their products, you can rely on Twinings to come through, be inventive with flavours, and do the blend really well.

If your interested in this tea then please pop over to Twinings online shop and check the tea out.

I'd really give this tea a go. It's refreshing and will make for a wonderful, light, summery brew. And it would do really well as a iced tea.

I was really impressed by this tea. Well done to the master blenders at Twinings!