Colne Valley Tea: Strawberry Cream: Bliss, Bliss, Bliss!

Earlier today I reviewed a winter tea, so now, I'm going to the other end of the spectrum and reviewing a tea that is all about summer. And what do we love during summer? Strawberries and cream!

Colne Valley Tea Company kindly sent me some samples of their Strawberry Cream tea. What is very unique about this tea is that it's not a fruit tea, it's actually a green tea! Most green tea's I've come across so far on my green tea journey have been either lemon or peach based. This tea is totally different.

When I opened the packet of this tea I was stunned at the wonderful aroma. This wasn't a random strawberry flavouring that I smelt, this tea smelt of freshly picked strawberries. It was out of this world! I could actually feel my mouth salivating as the mere smell of it. I couldn't wait to get going with this tea.

 

As well as featuring real strawberry pieces, this tea also contains sunflower blossoms, which is what you can see in the photograph above. You can also just about see the large green tea leaves as well. 

I brewed this tea for a three minutes. The picture below was taken half way through brewing so doesn't really do the tea much justice. When fully brewed this tea makes a wonderful amber colour.

 

Where do I start with this tea? It's hard to know but I'll try!

Firstly, this tea features real strawberry pieces, and you get that strange, (almost hairy!) texture that you get from real strawberries. It really is a tea that appeals to all of your senses. It's lovely to smell, lovely to see and lovely to taste.

Also present, rather wonderfully, is a creamy taste to the tea. It's utterly fabulous, and really reminds me of one of those creamy strawberry yoghurts that supermarkets sell under their 'Finest' range.

It's rich, smooth and luxurious. It's also incredibly moreish, but I have to restrain myself with this tea, as I currently only have a sample size, which is enough for a second cup of tea. Until the time (soon hopefully!) when I can purchase a full sized pack, I will be saving this wonderful tea for a special occasion - if I can hold out of course!

It's hard to believe that this tea is not a fruit tea but a green tea. It has none of the grassy elements that you get with green tea and certainly none of the bitterness that you can sometimes get if you don't brew a green tea correctly.

I can honestly say that Strawberry Cream is one of the most unique green tea's I've tasted so far on my green tea journey. It's so sweet, so heavenly that only it would be hard to find any fault whatsoever with this tea!

I would class Strawberry Cream, along with Twining's Rhubarb and Custard as being like a dessert in a cup. This reminds me so much of a really posh strawberry yoghurt, which I love but cannot have on Weight Watchers. It feels as though your having something really naughty, but without any of the bad calories that come with such a treat.

If your really looking for a green tea that doesn't taste much like a green tea, I'd highly recommend this blend.

I can't say much more other then it's totally fabulous.

Click here for more information on Strawberry Cream. And go on, treat yourself to this wonderful tea. I would go out on a limb and say, if you like strawberries and cream, you'll love this tea. You won't be disappointed with it. I certainly wasn't.

Cup Of Tea's Winter Fairy Tale: A Lovely Christmasey Drink

Christmas Spiced tea's bring out very powerful emotions for me. I either love them (as I do Twinings Mulled Spice, or their recent Christmas Cake flavoured tea), or loathe them, which I did Whittards Christmas Spice tea, which for some strange reason, made me feel nauseous. There is very little middle ground for me.

Spiced tea's are also rare in as much as I abandon my strict no milk, no sweetener, rule as I found them very, very strong to drink black, and believe me, I have tried!

Last week, Simon from Cup of Tea kindly sent me a sample of their Winter Fairy Tale tea. What a beautiful and emotive name for a tea!

As it is a bank holiday here in the UK today, I had time to really enjoy my tea, so this was the first tea I decided to brew. I was intrigued as to how this tea would fare!

As you can see below, it's quite a large leaf tea.

 

This exotic blend contains orange peel, pieces of cinnamon and clove, star anise and rose petals. 

The aroma of this tea is very powerful - you are in no doubt whatsoever that this is a Christmas tea. The prominent aroma for me has to be clove, with cinnamon as second. Very strong and very powerful. 

I brewed the tea for four minutes in total. I took a sip of this tea without milk and it was very strong so  I added a small amount of milk and a even smaller amount of sugar. Sugar is very much a must for Christmas tea's because it just helps bring out the spices and the sweetness just adds a bit of  extra depth to the tea.

As I sat down on a rather chilly bank holiday Monday, I took my first sip and it's incredibly warming. It's some time since I've taken milk in tea, and I have to say, I much prefer it without now. However, as I said before, Christmas spiced drinks are just a little too strong for me, I enjoy them much more with milk.

This is a very warming cup of tea first and foremost and it did the job wonderfully on a bleak day like today. Even though I have milk added, the taste of spices was wonderful. In fact, it's very similar, for me, at least, to the mixture used in the mince pies I brought at Christmas.

Winter Fairy Tale is wonderfully spicy and exotic. But it's blended perfectly. I often find with similar tea's that too much of one spice is added, making it almost undrinkable, whereas another spice is lacking. Like Twinings did with their now withdrawn Mulled Spice, everything was measured perfectly making the flavours just blend together so well. 

Amongst the strong flavours of cinnamon and clove, the orange pop's it's head up quite nicely and is easily detectable, which is no mean feat as cinnamon and clove are very strong flavours. For the orange to hold it's own against them is really rather impressive!

This is a really smooth but strong tea.It really is perfect for all of those outside activities we do at the end of the year - trick or treating at Halloween, enjoying fireworks on Bonfire Night, or watching the Christmas lights being switched on. To come home and make a huge pot of this would be the ideal way to round off a lovely evening. Or indeed to serve to guests as you enjoy a mince pie or piece of Christmas cake on Christmas day.

I received an email from Simon explaining that they run down their stock of Christmas tea's throughout the year. If you'd like to buy some, I'd suggest cracking on as I'm not sure how long this tea will be around for.

For more information on this perfect, festive tea, please click here.

This tea is perfect if you like spiced tea's or like milk in your tea. If you don't like strong tea's or can't take milk it may be just a little too strong for you.

I have enough tea left now to make a couple more cups, and I'm saving it now till the end of the year, when we put up our Christmas decorations. Quite frankly, there isn't a more perfect tea to have whilst decorating the tree. 

This has made me feel very festive! But, judging by how quickly this year has flown by already, it won't be long till I enjoy another cup of this wonderful blend!

 

The Teashed: Out Of Milk Tea: A White Tea With A Bit Of Oomph!

This evening I fancied something different from the usual green tea so opted for white tea, instead.

The Teashed's Out Of Milk Tea is a white tea, that, as the name explains, does not need milk. So it's perfect if you don't take milk in tea or if you've run out. (Thanks to The Teashed for sending me this out to sample).

The packaging on this tea is brilliant. It's just so different that when I see it standing next to Twinings Corner in my kitchen I can't help but smile at how cute and smart it is!

I have described on this blog, more then once how delicate and dainty white tea is. It's quite hard to brew because normally you only need to brew it for a minute or a minute and a half at the most. It's a tea that is quick to go from sublime to bitter and awful.

Out Of Milk Tea is a white tea that not only has oomph but it's robust too. You can brew this little baby for four to five minutes, which means it's quite a strong tea!

Whilst brewing the tea takes on a light amber colour. It smells wonderful and is solid and sturdy in taste.

This is the third cup of this that I've made and it keeps getting nicer and nicer every time I taste it.

White tea is always refreshing to drink because it's light and not at all heavy like some black teas can be. The Teasheds is quite different to any other white tea that I've tried. It just seems to have a fuller flavour, has more depth and has a sligthly sweet taste to it. I really have enjoyed this tea immensely.

I love how there is absolutely no bitterness with this tea. I keep expecting, with each sip (as the tea cools) to get that familiar taste of bitterness that you can get with cheaper or lower quality white tea. But, it never seems to appear. The last sip of the tea I've just taken has been really cold, yet, still, it's got that lovely taste without the bitter twist.

The strength to this tea is also attractive to me. I've had some white tea's that are so delicate you can barely taste it. But Out Of Milk is just there, it's tasty and you can have a fuller, stronger tea with a much lower caffeine content, so it's perfect for evening drinking.

I really have become a fan of this blend. It's utterly gorgeous, the packaging is brilliant and it's fun and quirky.

Have a look around The Teashed's website. It's good fun. You'll become a fan, just as I have!

And Now For Something Just A Little Bit Different ....

As everyone knows I'm obsessed with tea. Any tea mainly, with the exception of Lapsang Souchong which I cannot stand.

But, I do actually have other loves beyond tea.

One of my non-tea obsessions is The Beatles. I have loved them since I was eleven. My late Dad was one of the biggest Beatles fan's you can imagine, so I inherited my love of them from him.

I love all of the Beatles (with the exception of Paul - it's a long story!), but I have a very soft, squishy spot for George Harrison. Not only was he impossibly handsome, but, from what I can gather, a incredibly kind soul and if you were lucky enough to gain entry to his very private inner circle and become his friend, there was nothing he wouldn't do for you, apparantly.

All of the Beatles were regularly photographed drinking tea, but, George was the one who was truly addicted to tea. So, I was delighted when this little gem popped up in my inbox from a friend.

I

I do not know who the little boy is but I'd say he is very, very lucky indeed!

I am not sure what tea George is drinking but I pretty much am sure it's something strong and sweet!

Just a photograph that was too cute not to appear here!

Ahmad Tea: Lemon Vitality

 

Yesterday, I was really honoured to take delivery of some wonderful tea samples from UK based tea company, Ahmad.  The company specialise in fine tea's and have been selling tea since 1986.

I received two selection boxes. One of them, Classical, contains black tea, which includes Earl Grey and Traditional Afternoon tea amongst other lovely selections.

The second book, which is called Evergreen (a fabulous name!) contains my now beloved green tea! The choices vary from pure green tea, to lemon to mint and jasmine (and a couple more, too!). 

 

As you can see above, each of the different flavours come in their own boxes, and each teabag comes in it's own envelope. The packaging of Ahmad's tea is really lovely and luxurious. The price of the selection box is £8, which, I think is a bargain. It's so wonderfully presented and alongside that you get a good selection of flavours, too. I just was totally thrilled with this selection pack.

After a day of cleaning, I was desperate for a cup of tea and stood there for some time, deciding on what to try first. My eyes were drawn to the Evergreen box (though, reviews of the Classical selection will be coming up!) and I decided to try Lemon Vitality. I love lemon in tea, but have never actually got around to trying a lemon green tea, so the decision was easily made!

Surprisingly, for green tea, the brewing instructions say you can use boiling water, but out of habit, I took the kettle off just before it fully boiled - old habits die hard! I left the tea to infuse for three minutes. This is a little bit longer then what is normally suggested for green tea, but I did stick to the three minute brewing suggestion. 

As this was going to be the second tea of the day (normally I'd be on my fifth or sixth by now!) I was determined to really enjoy it. So, I put on my favourite episode of Midsomer Murders  and inhaled the really fresh and lively smelling lemon scent. 

After leaving the tea to cool just a little, I jumped right it and took a fairly large sip. Lemon Vitality is a really lovely cup of tea. It's lemon flavour is quite strong, but that's good because it has a lovely natural taste to it. One of my pet hates in tea is when the lemon tastes like washing up liquid. This, thankfully, does not. 

Lemon Vitality makes for a fantastic thirst quencher of a drink, and I was really thirsty when I tried it. The taste of green tea is quite delicate in comparison to the strength of the lemon, but the two flavours really compliment one another. 

What I liked most about the tea is how flavoursome it was, but at the same time it's really delicate and gentle too. It is a really odd mixture of being strong enough to be a really satisfying cup of tea, yet, at the same time it's light like a feather. 

This tea would make for a wonderful pick me up in the afternoon, or it would be great to serve at an afternoon tea. This would go really well with a wonderful lemony sponge cake, or a creamy Victoria sponge. It's making my mouth water at the very thought of it!

I found this to be a real pleasure to drink. It's refreshing and just the tonic after a busy day. I really do love green tea, and this blend in particular works really well. Lemon goes just as well in green tea as it goes with black. 

I really can't wait to try the rest of the green tea flavours, as well as the Classical blends, too!

I have been browsing their website and how can you not like a tea company who sell little gems like this, which I'm hoping to buy in the very near future!

If you'd like more information on Ahmad tea, then please click this link. Do spend a little time having  a look around. They sell some really lovely items all of which are packaged wonderfully.

I was very impressed with my first tea from Ahmad. I can't wait to try the rest!

 

 

Teapigs Wonderful Earl Grey Strong - When Brewed Correctly This Tea Is A Delight!

Tonight's review is about Teapigs Earl Grey Strong. Check out the tea here!

Now,  you may of read my other post about my Teapigs order arriving. But if you've not seen it, here is a little run down.

Teapigs specialise in high quality tea packaged nicely in, what they call, tea temples. I had decided that I wanted to try their Jasmine Pearl's tea and ordered a box of 15 tea temples. But alongside the larger boxes, Teapigs also sell smaller, tester sized boxes called teapiglets, which contain just two teabags so you can try before you commit to purchasing a full box (we've all been there, you buy a tea, decide it's awful and then your stuck with a nearly fully box!).

For some reason, (probably monetary!) I opted to not buy a full box of Earl Grey Strong which is rather odd as I love, and am obsessed, with Earl Grey. But I think, on this occasion, my love of Jasmine Pearls won over!

I will admit that on the first brewing, I totally mucked up the brewing process and the tea was awful and bitter. Then I realised that I had got side tracked and had over brewed this tea, and considering I don't add milk, it made a rather bitter mess.This was no reflection on the tea at all, rather I had let it brew for considerably longer then the three minutes suggested!

So, I decided to try again this evening, and brew it properly.

Earl Grey Strong smells just like it's described. It's incredibly fragrant, and strongly scented. it's absolutely gorgeous. But, sadly, when I picked up the teabag, I realised that there was a massive hole in the bottom of the bag, so what was meant to be a quick brew made in the advert during Googlebox, I had to rip open the bag, find the infuser and then wait for the tea to brew three minutes. Quite a bit of a performance.

Still, I was not going to be deterred. I set the time for exactly three minutes and waited. Oh, the joy of this tea. It really smells utterly divine. It's mouthwateringly so.

I had brewed this tea perfectly - and it tasted it!

First of all I must say that the tea Teapigs use is always high quality, and this black tea is no different to the green tea that I've tried. It's strong, robust, and when brewed correctly is nicely sweet rather then bitter.

It has a nice depth to it and the citrus and bergamot tastes are well balanced and exquisite. As I sat back and curled up on the sofa, I realised how tasty and delicious this drink actually is. So delicate, gentle and easy on the palate.

The citrus taste isn't artificial at all, it's natural and lovely and incredibly moreish.

As an Earl Grey addict, I'm quite hard on Earl Grey blends. I hold the standard up really quite high. When I first tasted this tea, I was let down because it was quite awful. Undrinkable even. But, that was my fault, not Teapigs.

When brewed correctly, this is one of the best Earl Grey's around.

It is vital to brew this tea in the right way, particularly if you can't or wont add milk to it. If you do it wrong, not only will you have a cup of tea you won't enjoy, but you also waste precious teabags, (or temples in this case!).

I can quite easily kick myself having made such a mistake when I first brewed this tea. But, you learn by your mistakes and I certainly will - don't load up the washing machine when you have a tea brewing!

I will certainly invest in a full sized box of Teapigs Earl Grey Strong. It will be hard to resist doing so!

As for the hole in the bag, it was a bit of a pain, however, these things happen and I have experienced this with many different brands. Normally, Teapigs is spot on and the bags are fairly robust, so I've no worries about that. I'm just grateful I had an infuser!

As a Earl Grey nut, I put two thumbs up for Teapigs Earl Grey Strong. It's ace, and hope you get the chance to enjoy it too!

P.S - Love the cute little Bulldog on the packaging.

How Do You Store Your Used Teabags?

How do you store your used teabags? For me, it's a old, plastic bowl covered in multi-coloured spots lined with a freezer bag.

You can just about see it here!

What I can't be doing with is the faffing around of taking the teabag to the bin, dropping tea all over the floor in the process, then that awkward moment when you try to get the teabag off the spoon, and into your bin without your nice clean spoon touching the dirty bin.

Well, today, I discovered this fantastic looking product:

The product is called Teabag Bin and doesn't it look fantastic? Now, I have to stress, I do not own one of these, as I only discovered it ten minutes ago but I'm really impressed. I love how sleek and modern it is.

Apparantly, according to the Teabag Bin's website all you need to do is flip the lid and place your used teabags inside, making it far more convenient to dispose of used bags.

Now, again I will stress that I do not own one of these, but I wanted to pass onto you this fantastic looking gadget. And lets be honest, anything that makes clearing up after drinking tea easier is well worth a look.

Have a nose around the website it's really interesting.