Easy Teasy: Orange Blossom Oolong

Today has been a oolong type of day. My first cup of the day was a fierce Iron Mercy oolong which was strong and gave me the oomph I needed to get up and get going.

As I was going through my box of samples which I received from my teatourist subscription box, I found this tea. Why not continue the oolong, why not enjoy it with my much loved orange flavouring.

This lovely tea is from Easy Teasy and is their Orange Blossom Oolong.

I have to say I'm relatively new to oolong. When I say new, I'm not a oolong virgin exactly but I've only really come to it in recent years and my exposure to it somewhat limited. 

But, one of oolong's main characteristics is that it is a tea that has serious strength. It's like a hyped up green tea. It has the lightness of a green tea, (sometimes with black tea it sits a little heavy on my tummy) but the strength of a robust Assam. It's a pleasant and satisfying mixture of the two. The only downside I guess to oolong is I find it's better to drink it as hot as you can bear it. Once it cools, there are some blends of oolong that go bitter. However, this didn't stay in the cup long enough so I can't comment on this tea!

The addition of orange into this tea is just wonderful. As you all know by now I LOVE orange in tea and so it was, perhaps, not too surprising when I picked this tea to try. The orange is lovely and refreshing, perfect for this time of year, when the weather is getting a little warmer. It's so lovely and fresh tasting, as if the orange's were picked yesterday.

The tea does include orange peel in it's ingredients, so to look at this tea is gorgeous. The dark green leaves and the sparkling dash of orange peel is just really pretty to look at. But, perhaps, how it looks is the least important thing. The taste is sublime, the orange is mouthwatering and juicy and it's exceptionally flavoursome.

Orange Blossom Oolong is a satisfying and rich tea. It's strong, but the sweetness of the orange evens that out, making this a perfectly balanced tea. I just love how it's delicate on the one hand, with it's orange flavour, yet has a good, solid strength to it through the oolong.

I know on good authority that it makes for a excellent pick me up, ideal for that first cup of the day. As it says on the website, a good alternative to English Breakfast if you fancy a change!

I was hugely impressed with this blend and am excited to delve into Easy Teasy a little bit more to see what tea's they have to offer! I'm sure it's going to be awesome!

Basilur Tea: Earl Grey

If you cut me, I bleed Earl Grey. My love for Earl Grey is as stark and simple as that. So the day I first tired Earl Grey when I was stood in the kitchen too scared to try it, seems a long distant memory. Earl Grey is now as much as part of me as my blue eyes or my brown hair, or that half smile I give that hides a mulitude of feelings.

You, the reader, may think, 'oh my god not another Earl Grey review'. I honestly wouldn't blame you if you did, there are so many. But this little gem of a tea, from Basilur Tea, which arrived in a box of samples a couple of weeks ago, has been starring, seductively, at me through the glass of my tea jar. Each day, it's called to me 'try me, Laura. You know you want to'.

So far, I have resisted. But, I will admit the last week has been slightly fraught. Things are more settled now, but as Father Merrin says in The Exorcist, on being asked if he wants brandy in his coffee 'I really shouldn't, but thank god my will is weak'.

Indeed, the will gave way totally and just a few minutes ago, I found myself gently tearing open the sample sachet. And that gorgeous aroma of bergamot, the mouthwatering, soul soothing smell, the comforting  friend. The hug in a mug. The Earl Grey, suddenly appeared.

'Ooh, that's lovely' was my initial response. And that was before water was added!

As you will have read from previous reviews, Basilur Tea use a gorgeous Ceylon Black Tea as their base tea, and that is no different with this Earl Grey blend which comes from the companies Speciality Classics range.

The Ceylon tea, as always, is perfectly smooth and delicate. It's utterly, utterly gorgeous. I do have a sample of their pure, unflavoured Ceylon tea, which I will review at a later date, and which I expect to be delightful. But with this Ceylon tea, there is a element of it that is almost addictive, cripplingly moreish, and once you have taken your first sip, you are desperate for more, which in this case, is hard as I mainly have sample sizes, which are single servings.

I have never known a tea to be so delicate, so dainty, so feminine almost, and yet, provides you with such a satisfying cup of tea. That, I believe, is where my love for Ceylon lies. It tends to cover all bases, which is good. With Basilur's tea's there are no impurities. It is as close to perfection as I've found so far in Ceylon tea.

I also believe that Earl Grey, despite being one of the worlds most popular blends, is so hard to get right. Believe me, after three years of writing this blog I have crossed the whole spectrum of Earl Grey's. I've enjoyed dainty ones, I've enjoyed strong, robust ones. I've endured bitter and artificial ones, I've been made nauseous by cheap blends. I've been left feeling as though I've just drunk a cup of perfume, I've had heavenly tea's - I'll be honest, I've experienced them all! And many a time I've been left surprised by so many tea companies. Expensive blends have been undrinkable, cheaper, shop brought ones, have provided a fabulous cup of tea.

Drinking Earl Grey is rather like playing roulette. You really are not sure what colour the ball will land on, and price, reputation of the tea company and even the packaging, are no indication of the quality you'll get. Some companies get Earl Grey spot on, some get it so very wrong.

So when I infused this tea bag I had my thoughts about what I may get when I made the tea, but there is no certainty. However, I was not disappointed.

For this Earl Grey is one of the best Ive tasted in a long, long while. Now, there are huge differences with this tea. On the website description of this tea, it says that it has Earl Grey essence, and I honestly couldn't sum that up any better.

The Earl Grey element to the tea is light, subtle and delicate. It's rather reminiscent of Twinings Delicate Earl Grey which came out several year's ago.

The flavouring is so light and airy, it's gorgeous. I love the delicate element of this tea. The delicate Ceylon tea and the delicate essence of Earl Grey are just so beautiful. I love the fact this Earl Grey is subtle, it does make a change from the stronger, out there elements that other blends have.

There is also a natural feel to the tea. As I have said before, some Earl Grey's are so strong they taste like perfume which is hugely unpleasant. Here, with this tea, you can sink back in your chair (or in my case bed, which is where I'm writing this review from), savour the lovely flavour and just enjoy a tea that has such fine qualities.

After a hectic day such as today was, this is ideal to unwind with. But it's also a tea that deserves to be savoured, sip by sip. It's far too elegant to be glugged back in five minutes. That would do this tea a huge injustice.

As with the rest of Basilur's tea's, this is refinement at it's very best. This is Earl Grey at it's very best. And to be quite frank, if someone were to say this is the only Earl Grey you'll ever be able to drink again, I'd be more than happy.

This is about as close to the perfect Earl Grey that I've ever gotten. And I didn't want the cup to end. I wished it was bottomless. Sadly it was not.

I have reviewed a lot of Basilur's tea's in very rapid succession. And there is good reason for this. It's just damn good tea. There is no other way of putting it.  And it's Earl Grey, the top blend for me, is where I hold it's standard, and it's hit an exceptionally high standard.

After trying this blend, I'm rather worried that any other that follows it will be somewhat lacking.

I will admit I hadn't heard of Basilur tea till I was contacted by Robert. How I have missed this company I do not know. But I'm truly glad I know of them now.

As someone who bleeds Earl Grey. Who has it pumping through her veins, I can sit here, happy and satisfied this evening. For I may of just tried the ultimate blend. And that surely, can only bring contentment, can't it?

OTeas: Black Tea And Dandelion

I absolutely love tea's that have floral elements to them. Whether that element be rose, lavender or orange blossom, I find that a good black tea and floral additions work really well together, so this evening I was incredibly exciting to try something in a tea that I've not had before - dandelion! I love Dandelion and Burdock on a hot summers day, ice cold of course. But never had I experienced this before.

I have come across OTeas before. I tried some of their wonderful Christmas tea's and was impressed with them.  I had high expectations for their dandelion tea!

I will admit I also have a fondness for the brand because they are partly based on the Isle of Man, a place where I have visited and a place which I think is the most beautiful place on earth (though I will admit my travels have been somewhat limited!).

This tea was sent to me through my monthly teatourist box. I have to say with each month that passes I'm more and more impressed with teatourist. The amount of tea and the sheer selection is just fabulous and it's perfect for those who love to experiment with new tea's but don't want to buy huge amounts of something they could potentially not like very much. It's just so much fun and for a tea lover, it's impressive, too.

So, what of this exotic tea?

The base tea of this blend is a darkly coloured Sri Lankan black tea.  This is a aesthetically pleasing tea because the darkness of the tea contrasts beautifully with the stark yellow colour of the dandelion. It so very pretty to look at.

I filled up a empty teabag with three teaspoons (a generous amount which I always use when sampling tea) of the tea and let it infuse. On the packet it says you can infuse for between three and five minutes. Unsure of the flavour and strength I opted to go midway for four minutes. It was a joy to watch this tea brew as it it changed colour from a light pink colour right through to a bright copper. So far, so good!

I loved the smoothness of the Sri Lankan tea. It has a slightly nutty element to it, but also a delicateness which I love in black tea. I do like a strong, robust tea, but I find with floral flavours, a lighter tea works better because you can not only taste the tea but also the strength of tea doesn't outweigh the possible delicateness of the floral additions.

I was surprised to find that the dandelion provides a herbal like flavour rather than a floral, so any early idea's I may of had about this tea were misconceptions. It provides a really solid flavour, strong, and satisfying, but I am finding it hard to compare it to anything else that I've tasted. It may of been me but there was something almost liquorice like about this tea. Also slightly peppery as well.

This was a really different type of tea that was satisfying and enjoyable. According to the little taste testing card that comes with each tea teatourist turns out this could have possible health benefits to, apparantly in the digestive area. Also, the tea is claimed to help with weightloss, too. I can't comment on the health benefits, but I do believe this is a truly lovely tea.

I love how the flavour of the dandelion stayed with me long after the cup of tea was finished.

I will say, and this is no means any detriment to the tea, but I do prefer floral tea's such as rose or lavender. But there is something very charming too in this earthy tea. It's a tea that you can get your teeth into, it's sturdy, solid, yet at no time is it overpowering or so strong it's unpleasant.

The quality of the base black tea is very good too. It has no bitterness even after a substantial amount of brewing. It's just nice and mellow and very enjoyable.

On the tasting card it also states that you can add either milk or honey to this tea. Well adding milk to tea is a huge no go for me, but I could see the honey working well. It would add just a slight dash of sweetness. However, I found it pretty lovely on it's own. I don't feel the need, on the whole, to add stuff to tea anymore, however, even I'm tempted by the suggestion of honey ...

I liked this tea very much. It was familiar with the base tea, yet different enough to keep me interested and I've enjoyed a couple of cups of this already and with each tasting my liking for it increases.

If you haven't heard of OTeas and are interested to find out more, than do check out their website. They have some really interesting and exciting tea's on there, and I'm looking forward to experimenting with other tea's in the future. 

And, whilst you're online, do check out teatourist for more information on their great service. Honestly, I've tasted so many tea's since I've received some of their boxes. Not all of them I've liked, that would be impossible I suppose, but at least I am getting to try new tea's and experiment with new tea companies I may not of encountered before. For the fully signed up tea lover, receiving the teatourist box through the letter box is truly a very happy moment!

Basilur Tea: Kandy

I will admit there are many, many posts on this blog about a hugely varied amount of tea. But it's easier to find the words to write about highly flavoured tea, then it is to write about tea's that are not overly scented or are just plain and simple.

However, the delight of drinking a very high quality, pure tea, is out of this world. There is nothing like it, nothing as good for a hurt soul, or nothing as lovely to share through the good times. That, is why I love tea. For me it's not simply a drink, it's a comforter. It has many guises and does many different things for me!

Over the last couple of day's I've reviewed a lovely Cherry Sencha and a spicy chilli tea. So, in this review, I've opted for a tea that is far more subtle but is stunningly beautiful. That is refined but still impressive.

That tea is from Basilur Tea and is their Kandy blend.

Essentially, this tea is a pure Ceylon tea which has a ever so mild bergamot flavour. Simple? Yes. Delicious? Absolutely.

I loved this tea as it brewed. It went through several different colour changes till, after a four minute infusion time, it brewed to a lovely mahogany colour. Just beautiful.

As I cupped my hands round my lovely warm cup and took my first sip, I realised that there is nothing better, or nicer on earth then to taste a premium, high quality tea.  When a tea is such high quality, as this is, it's absolutely devoid of any bitterness or acidic qualities.

This blend is smooth, rich and full flavoured. As I stated in my blog about the recent Christmas tea I reviewed, I just love Ceylon tea, it has it's own unique qualities and to taste it in a pure form as it is here is lovely! I would highly recommend this tea if you're planning to start taking your tea black or without sugar, as it is strong enough to provide a decent cup of tea, but isn't too over powering as a blend such as Assam could be. I wish I had access to this tea when I decided to start taking my tea black.

But there is just a ever so slight flavour added to this tea that gives this tea it's own uniqueness. It has a very delicate bergamot flavour, making this tea a extremely mild Earl Grey. This gives the tea a little more depth. But it's so slight I would not class it as a Earl Grey tea. It just has hints of Earl Grey. As a Earl Grey lover this is enough to have put me totally in a spin - to say I was excited was a understatement!

I just thoroughly love this tea. I find it the perfect mix of pure, high quality tea, with a light twist of a gorgeous flavouring.

This is the ideal, perfect tea for afternoon tea and would go so well with a lovely, dainty cream cake. My old battered mug does this tea a huge disservice. It really ought to be sipped from a dainty cup and saucer, poured from your favourite teapot!

I really struggled to write this review as I can't seem to find the right words to describe this tea in the nicest way I can, except to say it's pretty perfect!

Don't forget to have a look around Basilur's website. There are so many beautiful tea's on there!

Wise Owl Tea: Peruvian Azteca Fire

I will start my review of Wise Owl Tea's fabulous herbal blend, Peruvian Azteca Fire on a rather poignant note. Writing this review for a Wise Owl tea is making this blog come full circle. I started this blog in 2014. It came about for several reasons, a obsession with tea, a passion for writing (what I cannot say via my mouth will always come out in the written form!) and, at the time, it was a way of easing a terrible form of loneliness, as the person I was living with at the time has started to walk a different path to me, leaving me alone for hours on end, and which contributed later that year to me leaving.

Wise Owl tea was there, at the beginning, willing to send me samples to feature on this blog, creating more interesting and diverse content. From day one, I had fallen head over heels for their Bali Bamboo tea, and it remains a firm favourite, and that is from someone who doesn't really "do" herbal tea. I have a lot to thank Wise Owl (and other tea suppliers too!) for helping me out in the very beginning. A kindness I've never forgotten.

Just the other week I decided to treat myself to a caddy of Bali Bamboo and whilst leafing through the little leaflet that came with the tea noticed this superb Peruvian Azteca Fire blend that I had not tried. After a rather difficult few weeks at work, thought, well, I'll treat myself. Today it arrived and today I am reviewing it!

Sometimes in life, even us hard set traditionalists need something different in their life. As much as I love a solid Earl Grey, a girl sometimes needs a bit of spice in her tea drinking life, and with this  you get more then you bargained for!

 The blend comes in a beautiful silky pyramid. I will admit I am a huge fan of silky pyramids. I just love how they look and how they feel. And you can actually see what you're getting, and the bag is filled with a more than generous amount of ingredients!

As this is a herbal tea, the longer you can infuse this drink, the better. I infused it in the end for about six minutes as I was caught up on the phone, but that by no means detracted from the taste. The longer you can infuse this blend, I honestly think the more you will get from this tea.

Included in this tea are several ingredients: Ginger root, chilli, ginseng, lime flower and Cacao nibs.

From the very, very first sip this blend shocks your taste buds into life. As each flavour develops,  your tongue just experiences new sensations. It's a tea that is moreish, and honestly you just want cup after cup because it is so different. It takes you out of your tea drinking comfort zone, and it's alright to like something so very different to what you may normally take. Variety is the spice of life, and there is more variety and certainly spice in one cup of this blend then I have experience in anything else vaguely similar. (And I have experience plenty of tea's that have chilli and other spices in!)

Perhaps obviously, the first thing I encountered in this tea was the chilli. It certainly has some heat to it and makes a startling impression and even now I can feel it on my tongue! It's not so hot it burns you but  you certainly know that you're drinking a tea with it in, that's for sure!

What I love the most though is the ginger. It's just as spicy as the chilli but it adds a touch of subtle sweetness to the tea. I'm a bit of a fan of ginger in small amounts and I think it adds a depth of flavour to a tea that is full on. I have recently been drinking a iced tea that features ginseng so possibly due to that, but I could detect it in this tea which made a really pleasant addition as I LOVE the flavour of ginseng!

Another reason why I love this tea is you do get the distinct feeling that you are drinking something so very healthy that you will benefit from this tea, not only through it's gorgeous flavour, but that if you continue to drink it regularly you'll feel amazing. It certainly perked me up on a morning where I was feeling sluggish and finding it hard to get going!

As much as I champion Wise Owl's Bali Bamboo for it's subtle, herbal taste, I will champion this tea as something so vastly different that it stands alone as a good example of how creative thinking from tea manufacturers can create something utterly unique.

For as much as Bali Bamboo is an awesome tea to drink in the evening, so you can unwind after a stressful day, Peruvian Azteca Fire  is the perfect drink to get you going in the morning or to help you in that mid afteroon slump.

Honestly, it was a absolute pleasure to drink this tea. It may not be a every day tea, but it will be a tea that you can rely on to provide something extra special, different and just that little bit unusual.

Tea makes me happy, emotionally. This blend made my tongue happy with all of it's buzzing flavours. So, yes, I'm guess I'm just a happy Laura today!

Cheshire Tea: Cherry Sencha Green Tea

This morning I woke up craving green tea. As much as I love black tea, it simply wouldn't do. I wanted a lovely, light green tea. After going through the tea cupboard(s) I couldn't find anything that tickled my fancy, but delving into my sample jar, I found this gorgeous tea.

It's a fabulous green Cherry Sencha green tea by a tea company that is new to me, Cheshire Tea.

This wonderful blend was sent to me through the excellent tea subscription service by teatourist. 
If you'd like to know more about teatourist please have a read of the post I wrote about the service at the end of last year. 

I absolutely love green tea. I am as much obsessed with green tea as I am with black tea, albeit for vastly different reason's. I very much appreciate that green tea isn't for everyone, but for me, there is nothing more delightful then it's earthy qualities. I love how you can get a good, strong, robust green tea and you can get blends that are as light as air. It is, I think, a thing of beauty.

As much as I love a nice, strong, gunpowder green for example, there is something equally mouthwatering about a nice green tea that is lightly scented with flavours. Of course, not all flavours work with green tea, I'm not a huge fan of peach in green tea, for example, however, cherry is one flavour that works hand in hand with green tea.

Cheshire Tea have created a wonderful blend of tea with their Cherry Sencha.

The blend is a delight to experience from the moment you open the pack. I love the very large, dark green leaves that look as though they were picked only yesterday. Within the blend you have dots of pink from the rose petal's and red from the cherry. Attractive, pretty and very lovely to smell, too!

I infused the tea for around three minutes and the picture above does it no justice, but it brews to a gorgeous, light honey colour. Very inviting indeed.

Oh, and before I forget, this is a tea that (due to my error when first infusing) doesn't take well to boiling hot water, so either switch the kettle off before it reaches boiling point, or boil the kettle and wait for a few minutes for the water to cool. If you burn the leaves, this tea can go bitter so that's a handy tip there!

When I finally prepared the sencha tea properly (I was only half awake at my first attempt) I sat down to enjoy it with some breakfast and it truly is a delightful blend. The green tea is smooth, gentle and just perfect not only for this time of year when the weather is getting warmer, but it's ideal for that first cup of tea when you fancy something a wee bit different from your usual black tea.

The cherry flavouring is just gorgeous. It's subtle which is good as it makes for a evenly balanced experience. Sometimes with green tea, the green tea is too strong and washes the flavour out, likewise sometimes too much flavouring is added that you can't taste the tea - this blend is mixed just perfectly so  you experience the lovely, natural flavour of the tea, with the juciy, ripe flavour of freshly picked cherries.

I have always believed that with green tea you should always buy the very best quality you can afford. Not that there is anything "bad" or "wrong" with popping along to the supermarket and picking a box off the shelves. However, as a true tea lover I will admit that the difference in quality is staggering. To enjoy green tea in it's purest form you are better off, I feel, to go to those online sellers who specialise, or who at least have expertise in the field of green tea. And it's blends like this cherry  sencha that prove my point. You won't get anything like this in your supermarket.You truly won't.

I was really won over by this blend. Like I said earlier, I believe this is my first taste of Cheshire Tea and was impressed. They bring to you a delight, light and easy to drink green tea. Perfect for beginners, satisfying for those green tea nuts, such as I.

Such a impression has it made that I'm off for a second cup now. And I know that I will enjoy it!

London: "We Will Drink Tea And Jolly Well Carry On"

This week has been horrendous for London. On Wednesday we suffered another awful terrorist attack, leaving one policeman, a mother, a tourist and others dead or injured.

People who live abroad may not realise that those who work on the underground have a fantastic sense of humour, even in the most adverse times. Some staff on stations play music, others write words of wisdom on white boards every morning. An attempt to cheer those poor people who have to struggle around this huge city every morning to get to work and every evening to get home.

There have been several times in my life when these fantastic station attendants have helped me. When I was a young teenager, hopelessly lost I was safely directed home. As a asthmatic city worker who was struggling with smog and bad air quality, it was they who rang for an ambulance when I couldn't breathe. I have a fondness for those cheeky chaps, who give you a wink as they help you through the barriers, and who smile regardless of whatever is thrown at them.

So, it warmed my heart and made me smile when I saw this positive message on a whiteboard at one London underground station. We will drink tea and jolly well carry on. The "thank you" at the end was especially funny.

I was in London myself last Wednesday. I was with a friend from work, we had been to Kensington Palace to see the brand spanking new Diana exhibition. We had a fantastic time. Then the atrocious attack happened. But, somehow, we got home safe and sound, the tube drivers kindly explaining to us every time they had to stop between stations, a nice, calm approach that prevented any form of panic. My friend, though, was worried. She is relatively new to London really, not sure about the tubes or where places are. But, I suppose, having worked as a sixteen year old in London in the mid 1990's, and having to travel to the city through extensive IRA terrorism, I was not used to it as such, but, perhaps, able to stay a little calmer.

I guess us British folk turn to tea when times get rough, when sea's get choppy. We are renowned for it.  And though this whiteboard message made so many people smile at a horrid time, it's actually very true. We will drink tea and jolly well carry on.

My thoughts go out to all those who lost family members in this attack. It goes out to those who died and who are laid in hospital injured.

But I also thank those who work on the underground, who are themselves targets for terrorism. How they reacted and treated passengers was amazing. As amazing as their sense of humour is.