Tea and Me

Today’s tea — G + Tea — is another from the limited edition cocktail trio and is the third of the teas on the Bluebird Tea Co. ’ s keep poll that I have access to. Ingredients: Chinese sencha green tea, juniper berries, spearmint, angelica root, coriander seeds, lemon peel, almond pieces, liquorice, cardamom, natural flavouring. They describe it thus: “Close your eyes, imagine the first sip of an ice-cold gin & tonic – this is it. Super light + energising, the different flavours hit your taste buds separately. From citrus to spearmint, coriander to cardamom. It’s a brew asking to be cold brewed, tea cocktail if you wish!”  So, I’ll be honest and say straight up that I wasn’t expecting to like this tea. I’ve never really been a fan of gin and I detest tonic and would never choose to drink a G&T of my own accord (unless there really was nothing else to drink — I did once go to a party where it was the only drink on offer, I didn’t stay long) so...

Like the previous review, today's tea is one of the limited-edition teas from Bluebird Tea Co. which is in their poll to decide which ones will become a permanent blend (as will be the next few reviews, no doubt). It is called Bramble Ramble and is one of a trio of teas inspired by cocktails. This one is, apparently, based on a gin cocktail called The Bramble , of which I've never heard, but then I'm not really a cocktail aficionado (not since the dark days of the 1980s, anyway, and gin was never really my tipple of choice). Ingredients: Chinese Chunmee green tea, juniper berries, elderberries, apple pieces, hibiscus, angelica root, coriander seeds, freeze-dried blackberry, liquorice, lime leaves, cardamom, lemon peel, blackberry leaves, blackberries, raspberry pieces, strawberry pieces, flavouring.  They describe it thus: " The Bramble cocktail is a delicious, blackberry based, sweet yet sour gin cocktail, garnished with a slice of l...

Below, for those of you who are interested, is the list of teas that are in the Bluebird Tea Co. poll for a new permanent tea. If you've tried any of them and have a view on which should stay please go and add your VOTE . Otherwise, go and check out the teas still available for yourself before they disappear (hopefully not forever, but who knows?) Having finally read the voting page, it turns out that the 4 teas with the top votes will all be made permanent, not just 1 — this is excellent news as it means Ginger Beer has more chance of staying.  However, you do only get one vote still  —  so make it count! Now, I don't want to influence the voting here, but I'd just like to say that if you're not sure, a vote for Ginger Beer won't be a wasted vote.* *Message brought to you by the Ginger Beer is best party 

Today’s tea is the rather wonderful but sadly, at the moment anyway, limited-edition Ginger Beer tea by Bluebird Tea Co. It has moved up my reviewing schedule as it was mentioned in an email I received from them today, which reminded me that I had it and really needed to try it. Ingredients: Rooibos, ginger, lime leaves, lemon peel, calendula petals, natural flavouring. They describe it thus: “This Caribbean classic is here to set your taste buds on fire! Packed with flavour, punch + fruity freshness but with a cooling creamy lime finish. Perfect hot or iced, with a splash of spiced rum and a lime wedge!”   As I’m sure you’re all aware by now I am a huge fan of ginger flavoured teas and this one is no exception. The first thing to say about this tea is that it has a truly wonderful aroma. I made a pot of it and left it to brew while I did something else and when I came back to the room I could smell the ginger and lime before I even got anywhere nea...

Rejoice! I managed to complete the gargantuan task of reducing my extreme document holdings (that have been steadily rising over the years) to the minuscule allowance we were allowed to keep in order to be able to transfer to our new computer system over the weekend. As I suggested earlier in the week, to celebrate this magnificent feat (and it truly was — you have no idea how much stuff I had to get rid of) I treated myself to a visit to the Bliss Tea Rooms in Walderslade to partake of one of their cream teas and celebrate, once again, Afternoon Tea Week . Bliss is a tiny tea room but somehow feels perfectly sized although to be fair, when I went it wasn’t particularly busy. If it was full it might feel slightly less perfect especially for someone who gets a bit claustrophobic (there is seating for 18 people and there is also a table outside). Bliss Tea Rooms, Walderslade While I have never been to Bliss before, I have looked at the menu (in the window, when it w...

This week, as I’m sure you are all aware, is Afternoon Tea Week . As you know, I love any excuse to have an afternoon tea and with a whole week dedicated to it, you would think I would be in my element. Unfortunately, we are currently a tad busy at work, desperately trying to get ourselves sorted for an impending IT system change, so there isn’t time to go swanning off to a café, restaurant or hotel for the afternoon. However, not wanting to miss out on the fun, today we decided to have tea and cake – a kind of mini afternoon tea. And very nice it was too, providing a little break from the on-going madness of the week. Sadly, there are no photos of the event, but colleagues brought in various delicious cakes (and some crisps) and I, of course, provided the tea. The most popular selection and ideal for any afternoon tea was Garden of England Afternoon Tea by Kent & Sussex Tea & Coffee Co . This was closely followed by Gingerbread Chai by Bluebird Tea Co . There is ...

Tea hasn't really been on my mind much this week as I've been suffering from a bad headache which made drinking anything but water or something mild like Milk Oolong pretty much unbearable. However, I'm now fully recovered and back to my old tea-swigging ways and I really need to get on and do some reviews. I have a lot of tea to get through as I seem to have collected rather a lot over the last few months (I was quite shocked when I returned from holiday to see how many packets of tea I actually have waiting to test — I guess they have been steadily building up so I hadn't noticed but suddenly seeing them all together was quite an eye-opener).  Having so many different teas can make my tea tasting quite tricky as I have so many new flavours to try that I can't decide which one I should go for first. This often means that I get overwhelmed, particularly if I don't have a lot of time, and so I give up and revert to old favourites (Milk Oolong (of course)...

I’m back from my wonderfully relaxing holiday and ready to drink tea again. While I was away it was far too hot for tea apart from a quick cup of Tetley every day for breakfast (not an ideal choice but the only one my hosts had). So, having returned, my thoughts turned, of course, to Oolong. I’ll admit that my first mug (or three) was of my favourite blend – the Milk Oolong, but this morning I have turned my attention to the rather pleasingly named Oolong Shalimar by Kent & Sussex Tea & Coffee Co.   Ingredients: mango, rose petals They describe it thus: “Oolong Shalimar Flavoured Tea. A beautiful creation which will enchant every Oolong lover. In the far away Orient the name Shalimar stands for immeasurable wealth and unlimited power. The name best describes the flair of the lovely soft flowery half-fermented tea with the long slightly curled leaf flavoured with fruity fresh passion fruit. This wonderful flavour finds its counterpart in the decora...