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!

Twinings Pomegrante White Tea: A Fruity Twist On A Solid Tea

When I was writing my shopping list ready for my recent trip to Twinings on The Strand, Pomegranate White Tea was on the top of my list. I love white tea, it's light and refreshing, perfect to take when you don't want a heavy black tea, or if you fancy a change from fruit or green tea's.

I really enjoy Twinings Pure White tea, so this was, for sure, something I wanted to purchase. White tea is very hard to purchase in the average supermarket so I took full advantage and brought a box in the Strand shop.

Pomegranate White Tea is sold in boxes of twenty and come individually wrapped in their own packaging.

 

To make life a little easier, you can use boiling water on this tea which is fab if your in a rush or just can't wait for the water to cool a little. As you can see in the picture, it says you can brew it for 1-2 minutes, but I tend to brew it for just one minute. You still get the rich, fruity flavour of the fruit, whilst, at the same time, avoiding any risk of bitterness you can get with white tea if you over brew it.

This tea does not need milk nor sugar - it's perfect as it is!

Today is a utterly grey, wet and thoroughly miserable day, so it was lovely to sit down, after doing all the chores and have the luxury to just sit and enjoy this tea.

The pomegranate flavouring in this tea is absolutely gorgeous. It's so sweet and tangy, and the flavour is all the more stronger because the white tea is very delicate. The two work well together. 

The sweet taste remains with you for some time after you have finished the cup. Not in the sense of it repeating on you, but, it just lingers nicely in your mouth. 

The white tea is rounded, but very delicate, but it still retains it's own special taste. 

Pomegranate White Tea would make a perfect cup of tea to serve after a heavy meal, or, indeed, between courses as it's very refreshing and cleanses the palate.

One thing I would say about white tea is that because of it's delicateness, it's prone to take on flavours from other things, so please keep white tea, whether it be pure or with flavouring, away from anything that is strongly scented. If possible keep it in a caddy (you can find some really sweet, inexpensive caddy's around!). If you don't have a caddy available store it in all it's original packaging away from other tea's that have strong flavours.

Please visit Twinings online shop for more information on this tea.

Laura's Bargain B&M Buy: Twinings Sweet Summer Fruits.

When I arrived at Mum's house last week, she excitedly told me about the new B&M Bargains store that has opened near to her. Mum lives in London and the chain of shops is just starting to make a presence in the South. So, my brother drove us down there to have a look.

As I do with all shops I headed off to the tea aisle and found two amazing Twinings bargains. I brought two boxes of Defence tea at the very high price of 39p a box, and then, I stumbled across this little beauty.

Earlier this year I treated myself to the Delicate Earl Grey caddy, which is similar to this caddy. I paid £5 in Tesco's, which I think is a reasonable price for a lovely tea in a pretty caddy. Sweet Summer Fruits, which is part of the same line was one I had sort of wanted to try but I never came across it, until I saw it at B&M. And how much did I pay for this? £5 - no! £3 - no, £1- no! I got this wonderful caddy and twenty envelopes of tea for just 79p! I had to keep checking and even asked a member of staff and yes, it actually did cost me 79p!

Granted, the tea has to be drunk by August this year. But really, does tea go off? Well, it may go a little stale but I doubt slightly out of date tea would kill you! Besides, I can't see this lasting much past June!

Anyway, this evening, as I was wondering what to try I had remembered about this little gem and decided to make a brew.

As with all of the caddy's in the line, the tea comes in it's own envelope.

The tea is a black tea that has added fruit flavours. The flavours listed includes:

• Elderberry
• Strawberry & Vanilla Flavourings 
• Strawberry Pieces 
• Orange Pieces 
• Marigold Petals 
• Rose Petals

The brewing instructions say you can brew it for four to five minutes so that's what I did. I boiled the tea and left it to brew whilst I did couple of jobs. I came back into the kitchen to find it filled with a lovely fruity aroma.

I really enjoyed this tea. I loved the strong black tea base, and the sweet flavours really complimented the black tea. If you like your brews strong but with a little extra this is a great blend for you.

There was a unique taste to this tea. Although the strawberry was lovely, I felt the elderberry was the stronger of the flavours. I've never experienced elderberry in a tea before, and it really works. It makes for a really different taste. I can't quite put my finger on it it, but it's refreshing and totally lovely. I'm really glad I stumbled across this tea.

I am not really sure why the tea is so cheap, considering it was in a caddy. Besides the date, I think it may be a caddy issue. As you can see above the caddy is grey but on Twining's website it's red. Either way, I couldn't turn my nose up at such a bargain.

This is a fantastic tea that doesn't need milk as the flavours are so sweet, so it's perfect if your cutting down on milk, or cutting it out entirely. Also, you don't need sweeteners, so if your dieting, it's brilliant.

If your in B&M do have a look around to see if you can find a caddy.

If you'd like more information on Twinings Sweet Summer Fruits please visit Twinings Online Store.

Tea Palace: Organic Rose Grey - Gorgeousness In A Mug.

Yesterday, I wrote about my trip to London and, in particular, my visit to Tea Palace who are based in Covent Garden.

Honestly, I found it so hard to choose what to buy, the choice that Tea Palace have is plentiful. As I have a real love of floral based tea's, I finally, (after much deliberation and eyebrow raising from mum!) opted for Organic Rose Grey.

What is lovely about Tea Palace is that the customer service assistant will open up their huge caddy's so you can enjoy the aroma of the tea before buying. When I smelt this tea, I instantly fell in love with it.

The assistant carefully weighed out the tea and sealed it in a plastic bag before putting it in the caddy.

As you can see, Organic Rose Grey is a beautifully black tea, with pink rose petals.

Organic Rose Grey is not only pretty to look at, it's incredibly fragrant too. The scent of rose is very, very strong, and for me it is perfect - likewise this will be absolutely ideal for those who like floral tea's.

I placed a heaped teaspoon of the tea into my infuser. To brew this tea (and because the base tea is black tea) you can be quite tough with it. I poured freshly boiled water onto the tea and waited four minutes for it to brew as I wanted to have the really strong scent of rose come through. Here is a picture of the tea in the infuser.

 

I love that Tea Palace do not scrimp on the amount of rose petal's they use. As I have said, I used a heaped teaspoon and the amount of petals was more then generous.

It was an absolute pleasure to experience this tea as it was brewing. The aroma of the tea was mouthwatering and strong. This was not going to be a wishy washy tea.

I decided to brew this tea after a really busy day so as I sank down on the sofa, I took my first sip. 

And how glorious this tea is! I had let the tea cool a little before drinking it, and I couldn't believe how much like rose this tasted. It is fragrant and sweet, but does not have a artificial, perfume taste about it like some cheaper floral tea's can have. 

It has a very strong taste to it, and it could be a little overpowering for some, but I honestly believe if you love floral tea's this will be absolutely perfect for you. I fell in love barely a quarter of the way through the cup, and I was so glad I followed my instincts in the shop and opted for Organic Rose Grey.

What I really love about this tea is it reminds me of one of my favourite chocolate bars - Fry's Turkish Delight. Honestly, it's almost like you've melted a bar in the cup and are drinking it rather then eating it!

There is a gorgeous richness about this tea, and a element of unadulterated luxury. It's indulgent, perfect and warming. 

I like the natural flavour of this tea which means you are not left with a strange aftertaste that you can get with cheaper blends of floral tea's. (I experienced a truly awful rose tea whilst in Norfolk once which left a chemically taste in my mouth for hours). It tastes as though someone has just picked some petals fresh from the garden and brewed it with a tasty, malty and exceptionally high quality black tea. Perfect.

I purchased 100g's of this tea, along with the caddy, for £12.50, which I think is brilliant as not only is this a high quality tea, but, also you get quite a lot for your 100g's. I'm planning to visit again in September so hope to make this batch last till then, though, of course, you can purchase online.

If you'd like more information on Orangic Rose Garden please follow the link. Or, if you'd like to learn more about Tea Palace then please visit their homepage.

I'm really, really impressed with my first purchase from Tea Palace. And what a delightful purchase it was!

My Trip To Tea Palace Covent Garden

The second tea shop that I visited whilst staying in London is a lovely little shop called Tea Palace, which is based in the covered part of London's Covent Garden.

I will admit that I visited this shop out of blogging curiosity. When I first established this blog I had written to Tea Palace requesting some samples. I got a nicely written email back, but they firmly said "no" as my blog wasn't large enough. (And probably not well written enough too!).  So when mum asked if we could go to Covent Garden to the Birkenstock shop, I jumped at the chance!

Interestingly, Tea Palace is based opposite a extremely small (and understocked in my opinion) branch of Whittard. I did have a look but found little of interest in there. (There are bigger Whittard shops in London which I didn't manage to get to but will visit next time).

I was stunned to see Tea Palace's window display. It was absolutely gorgeous as well as tasteful, elegant and inviting. It was really stunning and the best dressed window in Covent Garden.

Now, I must apologise to the staff at Tea Palace, but I sadly lost my receipt, and have no idea of the name of the man who served me, but all I can say he was working around lunchtime on Saturday 17th May. The gentleman was really friendly, and helpful and though I was interrupting his work, he was nothing but polite.

Tea Palace keep all of their tea's in purple caddies that are huge. They are lined up neatly on different shelves, and the man serving me was more then happy to open up the caddies and pour some tea into the lid so I could smell the tea and see what was contained within the tea. I really couldn't make up my mind as I smelt the different tea's.

"Do you have anything rose based?" I asked him. He replied that he did and showed me Organic Rose Grey which I brought.

The caddy is wonderful. What is really clever is all the caddies have Tea Palace etched on them, but, Tea Palace keep a book of stickers so they can stick the blend of the tea on the front and the brewing instructions on the back. I thought that was really clever.

I loved watching the member of staff in action. Once I had decided that Organic Rose Grey was for me, the man weighed it out carefully and put it inside a plastic sleeve which he sealed in front of me, then popped it into the caddy. I believe you can buy tea without a caddy, but I thought, why not! I was on holiday, after all!

There is a downstairs to this shop, but I will admit that hauling the Twinings bags around in incredibly hot weather, I decided to pass on the downstairs section, which housed tea accessories. But I will be going back and exploring the rest of the shop.

I thoroughly enjoyed my trip to Tea Palace and will certainly go back for more tea and a look around the rest of the shop when I'm back in September.

I thought the range of tea's was expansive, the prices were actually very good and the staff were both friendly and knew their products really well. The shop was tidy, and well organised and as I said previously, the window display was lovely.

I've not had the chance to test the tea yet as it's been manic since I've returned home but as soon as I have tasted it, I will post a review. But, somehow, I think I'm going to like it!

My Wonderful Experience Of Shopping At Twinings On The Strand.

 

Last Friday I went away to London to visit my family. I live in the North West of England, (a six hour coach trip away) so I only get to visit my family a couple of times a year, so I get really excited when it comes to a trip to the big city.

It seems I picked a wonderful week to go. The weather was hot, sunny, but, most importantly, dry. Aside from visiting London, I spent a wonderful day in Great Yarmouth enjoying the seaside. Even though I live at the seaside it's nice to visit different locations and see what other promenades and seaside town's look like.

But, the first thing I did after arriving (well, the day after!) was to take my mum up to London to go ... TEA SHOPPING! My mum is very good she doesn't mind walking all over London, and she knows that a trip to visit her will always include a trip to my beloved Twinings! 

So, last Saturday we set off nice and early. It was quite a trip to London as the tube wasn't working on the line we needed so it involved two buses and a train trip to get to Twinings. But it was well worth it. We arrived at the store twenty minutes before it opened so we had a cup of tea in a nearby cafe. It was quite nice, but they gave us red tea and it's not a favourite of mine, but, we soaked up the atmosphere and watched with interest as a company cleaned the outside of the Royal Courts of Justice which sits opposite.

Once the shop opened, I grabbed my basket and I was off .....

I had in mind what I had wanted to buy. I knew I wanted to stock up on Jasmine Pearls and a few other bits. Anyway, here is what I brought.

 

• 3 boxes of Jasmine Pearls.
• 2 boxes of Orange Pekoe
• 2 boxes of Classic Earl Grey
• 1 box of Pomegrante White Tea
• 1 box of Tangerine and Verbena White Tea
• 1 box of Lemon and Honey Green Tea
• 1 box of Winter Spice (for a friend).

I also brought a Bodum travel mug. I have been after one for absolutely ages, but they had always just been out of my price range. But on this trip, like the previous ones, my luck was in. The Bodum was on a reduced price. I paid £12.99 for it, saving myself £8. I choose the purple one and was beyond excited because now, I can take some decent tea when I'm out and about.

The one disappointment was that the shop had none of the Basil Lemondrop's Silky Pyramids that I'm desperate to try. I was told by a friend that she had brought the tea there, but the sales assistant told me they didn't have any. But, that was the only down side of the trip.

Twinings is well stocked, and has plenty of each blend of tea. The selection there is awesome and you can get some marvelous tea's. What I really love about this tiny little shop is you can get lovely larger sized caddies of the popular blends such as Earl and Lady Grey, but they also have a wonderful selection of fruit and green tea's too.

The shop is tiny and I mean tiny but somehow, even when it gets busy, it doesn't feel claustrophobic or as if your hemmed in. I tend to spend my time walking up and down, up and down!

The staff are really friendly, too. There is nothing you can't ask them, they are always there, willing to help and willing to do so with a friendly smile. I feel very comfortable there, and that is partly down to the wonderful staff who run it so well. It would be very easy for such a small shop to look messy and untidy but it is kept immaculate and has appeared so every time I've visited.

My mum got to taste some Pineapple and Grapefruit green tea. I don't think she was very keen on it, but it's good to be able to try before you buy, but she did come away with a box of Nettle and Blackberry.

I even got a glance of the one thing I'm desperate to own - a Royal Wedding caddie. I asked the nice girl on the tea tasting if she had any but alas they did not. And I still feel very sad about the fact I'm missing it from my collection.

I left Twinings walking on air. I feel really lovely once I've been there. And that has to be because of the wonderful staff who are not only friendly, but allow you to shop in peace without trying to pressure you into buying more then you want to, or something you may not like. And I appreciate that.

Twinings wasn't our last stop and we were off to Covent Garden to look around the shops. And I know that my Twinings bags got some interesting glances too!

 

And I will be the first to admit that coming away with just two jammed packed bags is rather restrained for me! 

I'd like to end this blog by saying a huge thank you to all the Twinings staff who made us feel special. We both really loved that. And you can be sure I'm visiting again in September when I'm in London once again. 

Goodbye For Now - I'm Going On Holiday!

I wanted to write to everyone to say that I wont be posting from now till next Thursday.

I'm off to London to visit my family. I haven't been to the big city since September last year so I am beyond excited.

But, tea will not be far from my  mind. I'm going to Twinings on the Strand, Tea Palace in Covent Garden and hopefully a trip to Whittard if I come across one!

I will genuinely miss blogging, but everyone deserves a break away! The last few days have been frantic with washing, ironing and packing and I need a rest.

I'll see you all when I get back, fresh with excited news on new purchases, experiences and stories!

Until then, have a good week everyone and enjoy your tea drinking!

Best wishes
Laura x

teapigs Chilli Chai: A Spicy & Hot Treat

 

I'm fast becoming a fan of teapigs. Well, I'd say I'm already a huge fan. I love the quality of their tea's, their unique flavours, cool packaging and ease of online ordering. There is something modern and funky about this brand which I really love. 

Reece from teapigs kindly sent me a package which contain three of their tea's. Chilli Chai was one of them. In fact it's the first tea from the package that I've tried. It looked so different and interesting and I couldn't wait to try it. 

Chilli Chai contains the following ingredients:

• Assam 
• Whole cardamom pods
• Ginger pieces
• Cinnamon
• Vanilla
• Pieces of chilli

You can drink it with or without milk and with or without sugar. I decided to drink it "raw" (as teapigs describes it) without milk or sugar. I really find it hard to tolerate milk in my tea nowadays. I just love to taste  the tea as it is without masking it behind milk or sugar. However, this tea is ideal if you like your tea milky and sweet - it's all down to personal taste.

I brewed this tea for a little over four minutes. It brewed to a wonderful dark amber colour. I loved watching this tea brew because you can see so many things in the teabag from the ginger pieces to the chilli pieces. It's a really interesting tea to watch brew.

I love the richly spiced tea that comes along with chai. It's full flavoured and wonderful. Perfect for cold winter nights, so to add chilli to the mix was going to be really interesting.

What comes through first when drinking this tea is the normal chai flavour. A sweet mixture of spices comes through making a wonderfully tasty tea. But, then you get the kick of chilli, and it's really quite hot!

The base tea of this blend is assam, itself a very strong black tea, which makes for the perfect ingredient in this tea. It has a rock solid base tea, in which the spices and chilli can be added to. Everything within this tea can hold it's own, and most of the flavours are really strong. Mixed together it makes for a tasty tea. The only flavour I couldn't detect properly was vanilla, but I think if it wasn't added the blend would be missing something. Maybe I will pick the vanilla up on second tasting.

I've read reviews of this tea on the teapigs site and many people who have tried the tea feel there is no kick to the chilli. I happen to disagree. I found it actually quite hot, and it really did make my taste buds jump!

And there is quite a hot, serious afterburn as well! It took me a while to finish the cup of tea, I sipped it slowly but I enjoyed every bit of the tea.

This will make a perfect cup of tea if you like hot, spicy things that have kick to it. If you don't like such things this may not be the blend for you. But, teapigs do a chai without chilli, which you can read about here. I haven't tried this, but have been reliably told by a friend that it's sweet and very delicious. Maybe I should treat myself to a box!

For more information on Chilli Chai then pop onto the teapigs website.

Chilli Chai makes for a really different spin on chai tea. It's really tasty and enjoyable. And teapigs do a teapiglet sample pack (two teabags), so why not try a smaller pack if your unsure! You won't be disappointed!

Chash Tea's Gorgeous Gardenia

I'm going to start my review of Chash tea's Gardenia blend by including what Chash themselves say about this marvelous tea, as I believe, it's such a unusual tea that it's best described by professional's.

Here is what they say about the tea:

A Japanese green tea is added to a selection of green and white teas from China. This forms the foundation.

For fruitiness we then add a smattering of redcurrants, blackcurrants and apricot bits. The proverbial cherry on top comes in the shape of cornflower blossoms and jasmine blossoms.

A combination of tea, fruit and flower that is wonderfully balanced.

I really love floral based tea's. They just appeal to me because they are completely different and the flavours are extraordinary. Gardenia is a different tea because it also is blended with fruit, which is very evident when it's brewing as the aroma of fruits is simply gorgeous.

I find the blend of white and green tea very unique as well. It really makes for a lovely, rich taste, which is really quite sweet which is lovely.

The addition of apricot is what makes this tea delicious. I love apricot in tea, it's wonderful. It is a natural sweetener which just gives your cup of tea another level of loveliness.

This tea is a perfect tea to sit down and relax with after a very long day. It's very mellow and fragrant. It's blended perfectly to make a light and refreshing tea.

I really enjoyed Gardenia tea, and I'm positive you will, particulary if you love fruity or floral tea's, or if your in the mood for something a little bit more delicate. This is a perfect tea to serve after dinner, too. It's cleansing and refreshing.

For more information please visit Chash tea's website.

Canton's Green Jade Tips: The Perfect Choice For Green Tea Beginners

Rather strangely this week, I have been told by three separate individuals, who do not know one another, that they love green tea but lack the courage to go "pure", meaning unflavoured.

I, too, was like that until I found teapigs Mao Feng which is lovely. That, coupled with the fact that I really do understand how to brew green tea now, I've taken to trying green tea in it's various different pure forms.

This evening, whilst deciding what tea to drink I opted to try Canton's Green Jade Tips.

The tea comes in pyramids and contain quite a substantial amount of tea, which is nice to see! The leaves are rather small but will expand when the hot water is added.

 

There isn't much aroma to this tea when brewing, but it does brew to a lovely light green colour that is really attractive.

On first tasting I absolutely fell in love with this tea. It really is delicate, gentle and soft. But it has substance, too. 

It's not a strong tea at all, there is no bitterness to it and no grassy aftertaste. It is a light blend of green tea, not strong, not overly fragrant but totally enjoyable. 

Even when the tea had cooled (I am currently watching Dr Who and got a little bit distracted) it retained it's lovely gentleness. Many tea's, black, white or green tend to go very bitter when cold, meaning there is always a little bit of tea left in the bottom of the cup. Not with this tea. It's still very drinkable and tasty.

There are some tea's around that are just so lovely that as soon as your finished one cup, your boiling the kettle ready for cup number two! This is definately the case with Green Jade Tips!

I would hugely recommend this tea to those who are either wanting to try green tea for the first time, or, who are eager to try pure, unflavoured green tea. There are so many lovely and exotic flavoured green tea's around, but this is pure tea at it's loveliest,  making it nice and easy to drink, enabling you to experience the taste of pure green tea without the nasty side effects you can get from some brands. 

I've been lucky enough to try some really great pure green tea's lately, but I've also experienced some awful ones in years gone by. So, when you find a truly nice one, which this is, then I think it's only fair to tell people about it!

For more information do click here. Have a read of the customer reviews, it's a tea that gets very positive feedback!

Jasmine With Flowers By The Great Tea Co: A Beautiful Brew.

Last week the door went and it was my trusted postman. The lovely Ben, from The Great Tea Co, had told me there was a parcel coming, so I couldn't wait to see what was included. So, it came as a shock when the postie handed me the parcel. I almost dropped it. It was really heavy! My god, I thought, how much tea is in here?

Upon opening the parcel, I discovered two wonderful treats. The weight of the parcel was down to this wonderful blue cast iron teapot, and it's matching trivet. It's really, really heavy but utterly wonderful, and makes for a lovely cup of tea (more on this later!).

Also, included in the package was this wonderful tea, Jasmine With Flowers.

There is something utterly delightful about Jasmine tea. It has a wonderful taste, a fascinating aroma and is just a tea that is really different and really hard to describe in words. It's something that really ought to be tried and experienced.

However, I really will try my best to describe this wonderful tea.

This morning I decided to try not only the tea but the new pot. The night before I had washed the pot and let it dry naturally. As the pot is made form cast iron, if it doesn't dry properly it could be prone to rusting.

Inside the pot is a removable infuser so I filled the infuser with two heaped tablespoons of the tea and set it aside for a short while whilst I heated the pot.

It didn't take long for the pot to warm and I reboiled the kettle, let it cool and poured it over the tea. Almost instantly I could smell the very familiar and much loved scent of jasmine. I let the tea infuse for several minutes (around the five minute mark), removed the infuser and popped on the lid.

I couldn't wait to pour a mug of this tea!

When brewed the tea takes on a lovely amber colour. Normally I use a nice posh glass mug for the purposes of this blog, but this morning, as it was the first cup of the day, I used my trusty Cadbury's mug!

 

This is a perfect tea to have at breakfast time. I had warmed some crumpets and settled down to enjoy this fragrant tea. I have not brewed loose jasmine tea before so was a bit nervous on first tasting as I wondered if I had brewed it correctly. I need not of worried. I had brewed it perfectly.

My first impression of Jasmine With Flower tea is that the aroma of the tea is very, very strong, far stronger then Jasmine that is available in teabags (and that is not exactly weak!). It fills up the whole kitchen with it's flowery scent. It's almost like summer in a cup - and it's what I imagine the Italian countryside to smell like. Very fragrant, floral and delicious.

I let the tea cool a little and took my initial sip. It  is a strange tea in as much as the flavour is present and strong, yet, at the same time, it's also delicate. It's so refreshing and the floral tones are so natural and wonderful that you feel as though you do not want the mug of tea to end. 

For the first tea of the day, it has enough oomph to it to get you going but isn't so strong that it's overpowering. This is a perfect tea to go with something very lemony, such as lemon curd on toast for breakfast or lemon sponge cake for afternoon tea. 

If I were to hold an afternoon tea this would make for a brilliant blend of tea. Not least because of it's wonderful aroma and taste, but also it's a visually pleasing tea due to it having jasmine blossom's included.

I do think this tea is something really rather special. On the one hand it's something I'd love to share with friends over lunch, but, if I'm perfectly honest, part of me wants to be selfish and keep it all to myself!

So, what of the pot? Well this pot is fantastic. Due to it being made of cast iron, it keeps your tea piping hot till the very last drop, without having to worry about having to use a tea cosy! It's also very sturdy too which I like, and the trivet is wonderful and comes in handy when brewing pots of tea.

This tea is rather special. It's of a very high quality, is sweet, flavoursome and moreish. It's inviting, delicious and tasty. 

For more information on Jasmine with Flowers click here. 

For more information on the company itself please visit their home page 

For more information on the Shimizu pot please click here.

Ahmad Pure Green Tea: Green Tea At It's Purest

If you had told me a year ago that I would be enjoying green tea, I would of said never! If you had said three months ago that not only would I love green tea but also drink it pure (unflavoured) I would of been even more sceptical!

As I mentioned in a earlier post, I was put off green tea many years ago by a badly brewed cup in St Bart's canteen. It was bitter, the leaves were burnt and it was just awful.

Then, earlier this year, fed up with the normal black tea's available in my local Tesco's, I made my first tentative steps into the world of green tea. I opted for three flavoured ones, apple and pear, peach and cherry blossom and orange and lotus flower.  And do you know what? I really loved them.

Since then, I've expanded even further, and my tea treat, the one thing I rely on is green tea with jasmine pearls.

Last week, Ahmad Tea kindly sent me a sample box of green tea. I have already tried the Lemon Vitality which was gorgeous. So, this evening, I stood and wondered what to try next and thought I'd go with Green Tea Pure.

I'm still a little nervous around pure green tea as it's such a strong tea and it has such a distinctive taste. But, I brewed it according to the instructions and have just sat down to taste it now.

Firstly though, I just wanted to show a picture of the little tag that comes on the string of the teabag. It's so classy!

 

So, what does it taste like?

It's absolutely delicious. Not at all bitter, it's mellow and gentle and smooth. 

It's incredibly tasty too, and the whole mug hasn't lasted too long! I enjoy green tea after my dinner, it seems to settle my stomach and is the perfect brew to end the day on. 

I loved the fact that this didn't taste grassy like some green tea's can. It was totally lovely.

Ahmad Pure Green Tea is made of high quality tea, and, I think that is the difference between a successful pure green tea and a downright awful one. As I've explained in previous blogs, it's vital to brew it properly, but you need a high quality tea in the first place to make the tea an enjoyable one. 

It is very tempting to buy cheap tea and expect top results. Green tea doesn't work like that. In order to enjoy it I honestly believe you need to buy the highest quality tea you can afford. That may sound snobbish, but that's the truth.

Of course, when it comes to flavoured green tea's it's slightly different. Supermarkets do their own brands and some of them are really nice (Morrisons Berry Green Tea is really nice). 

But, I digress ...

Ahmad's Pure Green Tea makes for a most satisfying brew. It's light and refreshing, calming and enjoyable. A little bit of luxury that is a real treat. 

I really enjoyed this. It's makes a perfect cup of Pure Green Tea. 

If you'd like more information then please check out Ahmad's fabulous online shop.

Laura's Tea Room: Blogging Policies And Other Boring Stuff!

Here is a little run down on my policies regarding this blog and the tea reviewing process.

I am happy to receive tea's to review on this blog. I am happy to review teabags and loose tea. I love black tea, green tea and fruit tea. Mint tea upset's my tummy and I can't get on with herbal tea, so I don't tend to review these tea's as I don't feel as though I can review them fairly.

If you send me samples to review, I will review one tea straight away. Further reviews may be a little slower in appearance, but ALL tea's WILL be reviewed, but I can only drink so much tea at one time!

All reviews are put up on my personal Facebook and Twitter pages as well as your Facebook and Twitter. I will also send you a email letting you know that the tea has been reviewed and it will contain a direct link to the review in question. 

I will always be honest with my reviews, no matter if the tea has been sent via samples or if I have purchased them myself. I will never be rude about a product, but I will be honest. (It does seem to be that I generally love all tea's I've tasted, but please don't be offended if you've sent me a blend that I am not keen on - we can't like everything that we try can we?) Likewise, I can also take it on the chin if you feel I've been unfair in a review. Also, if I've made any mistake in relation to a product, do let me know and I will correct it immediately.

All reviews will contain a direct link to the product page on your website.

I am also happy to receive tea related products for review!

When writing a review, I will always try the tea with a blank mind. I do not compare teas to other blends/brands during the tasting process. I may refer to other brands within the review, if I feel that readers are likely to have tried that other brand. I feel it gives readers a good idea of what tea's are like, but I will keep comparisons within blogs to a minimum.

I always try to take my own photographs for the purposes of a review. However, on occasion I may not be able to, therefore will search for images via Google. I will only take pictures from your website if you give me permission to do so. All photographs not taken by me are credited within the blog.

I do not get paid for any blog that I write and do not represent any tea company. All opinions and views are my own. I am not told by tea companies what to write in return for samples being sent out. 

Contact Information:

You can contact me fairly easily. Just leave a comment in any tea review that you so wish. Comments left on tea reviews come straight into my inbox. I have to manually publish comments myself to avoid spam, so no messages you may want to send me will automatically appear on the site. So they are as good as a private message.

If you do want to contact me, please include your email address as I can email you there directly therefore saving time and saving ourselves hassle!

I love to hear from tea companies and those who read this blog. Your opinions and views are important to me so anyone should feel free to contact me or comment on my posts.

Many thanks and happy tea drinking!

Laura x.