Bird & Blend Tea Club (July) – Birthday Cake

Today’s tea is the only one of the Bird & Blend July Tea Club teas that I haven’t already reviewed — Birthday Cake. On the accompanying card, they say they’re celebrating their sixth birthday, so this tea is particularly relevant.

My apologies in the long delay in posting this, but I was unwell and then have been too busy to get near the blog. Reviews for the August and September tea club teas will be coming shortly, as I really need to get up to date.

(sorry, I forgot to take a picture of the individual packet)

Ingredients: Rooibos (84%), Sri Lankan Black Tea, Sprinkles (Sugar, Potato Starch, Rice Flour, Corn Starch, Vegetable Fat, Spirulina Extract, Colours (E160a Carotenes, E160c Paprika, E100 Turmeric, E163 Anthocyanins, E162 Beetroot), Stabilisers (Maltodextrin), Almond Pieces, Vanilla Pieces, Mallow Flowers, Flavouring.  

*Please note that this tea has less than 1% of Ceylon black tea, it's not just a Rooibos blend.

They describe it thus: 

Let's be honest, there is nothing better than cake. Except perhaps a cup of tea and cake! Our Birthday Cake Tea is delicious, has both and almost no calories! Oh and did you notice the pretty sprinkles in there too? Talk about having your cake and eating it!

In my preview of the July box, I mentioned that I had already tried this tea as it was one of the first samples I bought when I discovered Bird & Blend (Bluebird as it was at the time). I hadn’t started the blog then, but the fact that I still had most of the packet left meant I’d probably not been that keen on it and had never felt the urge to revisit it.

I’ve talked in a previous review about my love/hate relationship with rooibos tea and how Bird & Blend’s Gingerbread Chai pretty much changed my mind about drinking it, but although I have found a few I quite enjoy (Ginger Beer, Rhubarb and Custard etc.) nothing has so far beaten it for flavour.

When we opened the packet and gave the Birthday Cake tea a sniff we all thought it smelt quite nice, with Olivia instantly picking up on the sponge cake smell. Vicki said that to her it smelt quite flowery — picking up on the mallows that make up part of the tea.

Unfortunately, even after a second tasting I still think this is a really weird blend and I don’t think it suits me at all. It smells pleasant enough, both in the packet and in the teapot, but the taste is wrong for me – I can’t decide if it’s too flowery or what, so I’m afraid it’s a thumbs down from me. It’s also a thumbs down from Vicki, who refused to even try it because it smelt too flowery. However, Olivia loved the tea and her review is below:

"Today I shall be reviewing the birthday cake tea, which is a delight for all occasions, as it is someone’s birthday somewhere. The aroma of this tea is very reminiscent of artificial vanilla batter you would sniff in ready-mix cake boxes. It tastes just how I think the vanilla cupcake Yankee candle would probably taste (but in a lovely drinkable form).

This is a very sweet and rich tea, which is best served with milk and although sugar would work, it is not necessary. I would give this tea 4.5/5 stars."

July Tea Club Thoughts

I was obviously a little disappointed that I had already tried the teas included in this month's box, but once again they were well received within our group.

As you'll have gathered from the above review, Olivia's favourite was the Birthday Cake, but Vicki and I both chose Mulled Wine as our favourite, although there was an honourable mention for the Christmas Cake - I still think it would have been better received later in the year.

Next month is honey flavoured teas, which should be interesting. Reviews for those will be coming shortly.