Tea and Me

So, I was still trying to recover from the disappointment of discovering that the Rice Pudding + Jam tea from Bluebird Tea Co.’s Spring Collection that I was so looking forward to trying (and was expecting to be my favourite by a country mile as I absolutely adore rice pudding) inexplicably contains coconut (I have no idea why — no self-respecting person would ever put coconut in a rice pudding — and believe me I’ve done extensive polling on this subject) so I can’t even try it. That left me with three others to try — Peach Cobbler , Raspberry Liquorice Laces and Mint Pistachio . Today I want to talk about the Peach Cobbler, which is a black flavoured tea. Ingredients:  Sri Lankan black tea, freeze-dried peach, pink cornflowers, natural flavouring. They describe it thus: Our first black tea + peach pairing and a heavenly one indeed! This blend tastes like a classic cobbler straight from the oven... warm, gooey, sweet with that delightful gold brown crust....

Blimey, it’s been forever since I last posted, hasn’t it? Sorry, I’m afraid I’m not a very good blogger. To be honest, since the last post the weather has been mainly atrocious and so I did the only sensible thing a winter-hater could do — I buried myself indoors with a decent supply of Kent & Sussex Tea & Coffee Co.’s Winter Tea (you’ll remember I raved about it in my last review) in an attempt to hibernate until Spring came. But then Bluebird Tea Co. (who are changing their name shortly to Bird & Blend Tea Co. — click on the link to read why if you're interested) released their Spring Collection of teas, the sun came back (very briefly) and suddenly all felt right with the world again (until the Rice Pudding + Jam tea turned up — but that’s a story for another time). I had intended to blog last week to coincide with National Tea Day , but unfortunately, disaster struck in the form of a migraine, which as we know means no tea drinking for me unless it’s t...

This week's tea is Chocolate Digestives . It was another of the entries in Bluebird Tea Co. ’s recent poll to decide on 4 limited edition teas to transform into part of their permanent stock. The last time I looked at the poll this was one of the high performers so it’s clearly very popular, although I have to admit, not with me. Ingredients: Ceylon black tea, cocoa shells, cocoa nibs, chocolate sprinkles (sugar, cocoa mass, anhydrous  milk  fat, fat-reduced cocoa powder, whole  milk  powder, natural flavouring), fenugreek, liquorice, cardamom, caramel pieces (condensed skimmed  milk , sugar, glucose syrup, butter, humectant sorbitol E420 from  wheat , emulsified E471, natural flavouring)  They describe it thus: “The Chocolate Digestive… arguably on top of the biscuit pyramid, we thought it was about time it had its own tea blend. A velvety smooth, caramel + chocolate delight, best enjoyed whilst dunkin’ the real thing.” So, I b...

So, I haven’t had much time for tea tasting recently as I spent last weekend at the Harry Potter convention called LeakyCon  which was held at the Citywest Hotel in Dublin — if you were there you would have seen me dressed either as the Fat Lady, Doris Crockford or in my Slytherin robes. It was an amazing weekend, full of magic and fun, but it was also pretty non-stop so there wasn’t much time for sleeping. As I already knew this was going to be the case I prepared in advance by making up my own tea bags — Morning Kick to wake me up and get me going in the morning, Apricot and Garden of England to get me through the afternoon, and Milk Oolong Caramel for the evening wind down. I didn’t just drink my own tea, though. Over the course of the weekend, I also had several excellent pots of generic tea in the hotel lounge (as well as quite a few pints of their rather marvellous Orchard Thieves cider). However, unfortunately, despite my best attempts, I didn’t manage to try...

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...

Hola a todos, I am on still on holiday in sunny Spain but couldn't pass up the opportunity to tell you that Kent & Sussex Tea & Coffee Co.'s summer sale has started, in case any of you lovely people want to treat yourself to some of their wonderful range of teas (I'm sure their coffee is equally as good but I don't drink it so can't confirm). Everything on their site is currently 15% off with the code SUMMER , so it seems to me like a good time to stock up, and if I wasn't currently out of the country I would definitely be doing so.  I can't see anything about an end date but if I were you I'd get in quickly to be on the safe side. Fingers crossed that it's still on when I get home.

I'm back, and with the weather returning to more normal English summer levels (i.e. a bit chilly, grey and gloomy) I'm drinking tea again.  Today’s offering is the extremely interesting and very pretty-looking Arctic Fire Tea from the Kent & Sussex Tea & Coffee Co. Ingredients: china black tea, cornflowers, mango, papaya, peppermint They describe it thus: “Arctic Fire is a scented China Black Tea with blue cornflowers. Beautiful flavours of Tropicana Summer Fruits and Peppermint. A powerful aroma when you open the packet! Mint and fruity flavours of Mango and Papaya make this a very refreshing tea for mid-afternoons.” Despite being a medium caffeine black tea, Arctic Fire has an extremely light taste if you brew it for the recommended 3 minutes. It also has the distinction of being the most unusual tasting tea I have ever tried. This is due to the mixture of peppermint with the fruity flavours of the mango and papaya, which combine to...

Hi everyone, I know it’s been a little while since I last posted but with the unbearably hot weather we’ve been having in good old Blighty (which does not suit me at all), and with getting home from work too late to do anything much but slump in a chair and moan about the temperature in my (33 degrees) sitting room, I haven’t really been drinking much tea, and where I have it’s tended to be an Oolong (usually Milk Caramel as I’m jealously hoarding my minuscule remaining stock of the China Milky for a day when I really need it). Yes, I know ice tea is a big trend at the moment, but to be honest, it’s not one I’ve ever really got into as I remember the pre-made stuff like Liptons Ice Tea and Snapple, which I tried and hated in the 1980s, and it was enough to put me off trying it again. Having said that, with all my favourite tea sellers now pushing their ice tea selections, and with warm weather no doubt set to continue for the foreseeable future, it is probably time for me to r...

Yes, I know I said I was going to review some teas from another brand, and I will, soon, but today’s tea is Blue Spring Oolong by the Kent & Sussex Tea & Coffee Co. (yes, it's another Oolong). Ingredients- Chinese Oolong and Mallow Petals They describe it thus: “Blue Spring Oolong is a very fine and rare Ti Kuan Yin Special grade tea from the Chinese tea growing province of Fujian. Blue Mallow flowers were added to this tea to represent the freshwater spring that was created by Guan Yin, The Iron Goddess of Mercy to rescue villagers from drought. This semi fermented tea is still traditionally hand crafted in small batches.” This is a delicate tea but is extremely drinkable. It has a light flavour, slightly floral, with that quintessential Oolong coming through strongly.  Of all the Oolongs I’ve tried, I would say this is the smoothest yet and one that you could easily drink a lot of without feeling that you’ve overdone it. Kent ...

I have found a new favourite relaxing afternoon tea blend and I am extremely pleased to be able to share it with you. The tea is Garden of England Afternoon Tea from the Kent & Sussex Tea & Coffee Co. Ingredients: Black Teas from India and Ceylon, Green Tea from China, Natural flavouring, Cornflowers and Safflowers. I was having a relaxing day today after all the stress and excitement of the election (yes, of course I stayed up all night to watch the drama unfold) and decided that I would give this pretty-looking tea a try as I wasn’t feeling in the mood for any of my usual teas and wanted something that wasn’t going to be too heavy on flavour or caffeine. They describe it thus: “Using a blend of teas from all over Asia, it creates a complex blend of sweet, floral and malty notes. The mixture of the delicate addition of blackcurrant softens the otherwise slightly astringent blend, to a sweet, well-rounded tea that would complement Afternoon Tea or Cream ...

Evening all :) On a day when I really need to relax I am trying Milk Oolong Caramel tea by the Kent & Sussex Tea & Coffee Co. and very interesting it is too. Ingredients: white tea, green tea, half fermented tea and natural flavouring They describe it thus: "Milky Oolong Caramel Tea is a new variation on our most popular Milk Oolong. This tea is based on a premium blend of white green and semi fermented loose leaf teas. This is a very special tea with a soft milky aroma and taste. Natural caramel flavour is added to make this a creamy temptation!" So, as I’m sure you’re all aware by now I’m very partial to Oolong tea and particularly Milk Oolong. I have to admit that Kent & Sussex Tea & Coffee Co.’s Milk Oolong isn’t my favourite version as it has a very subtle flavour, which is rather too mild for me. I much prefer something with a stronger milkier flavour and this is where the addition of the caramel makes this tea a winner. ...