Tea and Me

Today’s tea is White Fuzzy Navel by Adagio . It is one of their currently available seasonal teas (along with Key Lime Herbal tea) and I was sent a sample pack of it with my last order from them.   Ingredients: White Tea, Rooibos Tea, Apple Pieces, Orange Peels, Hibiscus, Natural Peach Flavour, Mango Pieces, Natural Orange Flavour And Marigold Flowers They describe it thus: The Fuzzy Navel, a sweet and lightweight highball of peach schnapps and orange juice, was an iconic beverage of the 1980s club scene. We've decided to throw it back this summer with a beverage for the 80s kids who grew up, and for those of us who only wish we'd experienced what was arguably the most ostentatious decade of the 20th century. Fear not - we aren't here to police the height of your hair or question the elasticity of your spandex. Enjoy an iced glass of White Fuzzy Navel and party on! So, I know you all thought the cold brew bottle I got last week would sit th...

It’s the second ghost of Christmas Past  —   White Christmas . Ingredients: Chinese white tea, Apple pieces, cranberry,  Hibiscus, Rosehip, orange peel, Cocoa shells, Morello cherries, Rose petals, Flavour. They describe it thus: Apparently everyone is dreaming of a white Christmas… One full of white tea, white chocolate and Morello cherries by any chance? No?! Well, you sure will be once you've tried this brand new limited edition Christmas blend. Packed full of juicy cherries + white chocolate chunks, this tea is sure to be top of your Xmas gift list!  Just as the Mulled Wine was brought back for the day yesterday, so Bluebird have resurrected White Christmas for one day only and made it the advent calendar tea bag of the day. The first thing to say about this tea is that it smells absolutely fantastic, with the most mouth-watering cherry smell that transfers in colour to the mug. This isn’t a particularly strong flavoured tea tho...

Today it's another matcha — this time it's Mixology Matcha . Ingredients: Ground green tea, ground white tea. They describe it thus:  Bluebird's Mixology Matcha contains rare and unique white matcha, grown at higher elevations to ensure an antioxidant boosted, even more nutrient rich cup.  The white tea in this blend is grown in Kenya and has 3 times the normal antioxidant levels of Japanese matcha. You still get the traditional Japanese ocean taste and grass green colour, but the antioxidant levels are significantly boosted. So, it's another matcha. I have to admit that with the quite impressive selection of flavoured matchas available at Bluebird I'm disappointed with what has been put in the advent calendar so far. Obviously, this is personal taste and I don't know what is still to come, but if I was doing it I would have put things like cocoa, salted caramel and gingernut in as they're slightly more festive — and might even...

Well . . . sort of. Yesterday, I was lucky enough to be taken for afternoon tea at the Corinthia Hotel’s Crystal Moon Lounge in London as a late birthday present from my friend Beryl. As it’s tea-related, I thought it would be good to share my afternoon and the lovely sandwiches and cakes they served us. As both a tea lover and a cake lover, I am a big fan of afternoon teas (I am actually considered the Queen of Afternoon Tea in my office because I’ve had so many – my 50 th birthday seemed to consist of nothing but afternoon tea for several months) and to my mind the Corinthia is one of the best venues in London and I have been there several times now. Unlike better-known establishments, the Corinthia is extremely easy-going and they don’t impose a 90-minute time limit that the more touristy places such as the Ritz, the Savoy and the Dorchester do and they always, unfailing, provide excellent service and a good level of knowledge about the products they serve. We spe...