Tea and Me

Happy New Year! Gosh, it’s been a long time since I last posted, hasn’t it? Although, actually, it’s been a long time since I last had a cup of tea. You might recall that just before Christmas I went down with the lurgy and was unable to enjoy the last of my Bluebird advent calendar teas as I couldn’t taste a thing and I promised I would review as soon as I recovered. I also promised to try all those Matcha’s once I got my milk frother, which the pesky Post Office were trying their hardest not to deliver. Sadly, the virus was a bad one, as everyone knows, as it seems most people I know were struck with it at some point over the holidays and for several weeks now I’ve drunk nothing but plain tap water as it’s been the only thing I could face drinking (apart from the odd medicinal tot of Glayva). I did try a pot of my beloved Milk Oolong just after Christmas, but as it has a subtle flavour I couldn’t taste anything and so it seemed a bit pointless, and a waste of money, ...

So the final window on the advent calendar has been opened and it’s another tea bag —  the extremely festive-sounding Christmas Cake . Ingredients: Ceylon black tea, vanilla pieces, almond pieces, cinnamon, cloves, orange peel, spruce needles, snowflake sprinkles (sugar, rice flour, hardened peanut oil, potato starch, flavour, gum arabic (E414), potassium sorbate (E202), colours (E171)), flavour. They describe it thus: Holding its own for the title of best Christmas tea of all time, this blend tastes like cake, contains real life actual Christmas tree (spruce needles!) and, as if that wasn't enough, it has little candy snowflakes. Still not impressed? Well brew it up and watch it glitter like icicles!  In the same way that I don’t like mince pies and Christmas pudding, I don’t like Christmas cake — not the fruit ones, anyway — I used to like the chocolate topping, the frosting and the marzipan fruit on a Tunis cake but n...

It’s the second to last day of the calendar and we’ve returned to the matcha  —  Gingernut Matcha to be precise. Ingredients: Japanese matcha green tea, ginger, cinnamon, natural flavour granules, chilli They describe it thus: Our limited edition Gingernut biscuit matcha blend is so moreish with milk! Get your matcha kicks with a ginger tingle this Autumn - Winter season!  I have to admit that I was extremely pleased to discover that today’s tea was matcha as it meant I didn’t have to drink and review it straight away. Now, that might sound a bit harsh, but there is a good reason for it. Unfortunately, Father Christmas has visited my house a few days early and left a not-so-nice present for me, one for which the following are required, and as I opened the calendar door I have to admit I was praying for matcha, while all the while wishing I could go back to bed (I couldn't as I have a hairdresser's appointment, and my hair takes many ho...

It’s the final of Bluebird’s ghosts and another Christmas Future  —  Mrs Claus' Raspberry Prosecco . Ingredients: First Flush Darjeeling black tea, apple pieces, rosehip, hibiscus, Siberian ginseng, freeze-dried raspberry, orange peel, natural flavouring. They describe it thus: First Flush Darjeeling, the champagne of black teas, and real raspberry chunks; this light + classy fruity flute is perfect for toasting special occasions (or just after a long day out on the sleigh!). It is a not-so-secret that all would grind to a halt at Christmas time without the help of the fabulous Mrs Claus so she sure deserves this tea treat! I was expecting to really like this as I have tried and enjoyed several raspberry-flavoured teas ( Adagio’s Veritaserum from the Magic Potions sampler is one of my favourites, as is the Blue Raspberry from Bluebird) and raspberries are one of my favourite fruits so I’m willing to try just about anything they appear in. Unfor...

It’s another ghost of Christmas Future  —  Spiced Clementine . Ingredients: Hibiscus, cloves, apple pieces, ginger, star anise, orange flowers, rosehip, orange peel, natural flavour. They describe it thus: Remember when you were young and you got to decorate clementines with cloves? Remember how amazing and Christmassy it smelt? We're bringing you back with this delicious tangy but sweet Christmas blend! The perfect stocking filler or the best accompaniment for your Christmas pud! This is actually a far more subtle blend than I was expecting although it is a very nice tea. It smells lovely and orangey and spicy and tastes just like Christmas with the cinnamon offsetting the orange flavour perfectly. I left it to brew for about 7 minutes to bring out the flavour a bit more. Next time I’ll probably leave it for 10. Whilst this is a tea I could have drunk it without sugar as ever, for me, the addition of a teaspoon of demerara enhanced the ...

The third ghost is apparently of Christmas Future  —  Mince Pie. Ingredients: Sri Lankan black tea, cinnamon, almond pieces, orange peel, pomegranate flowers, natural flavouring. They describe it thus: Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without homemade mince pies- surely the staple of the festive season? (and everyone knows puff pastry is the best!). Guilt-free, gently spiced + deliciously sweet, great with or without milk! So curl up in a warm duvet and sip on this inspired blend, before Santa gets his hands on it!  I have to admit that I don’t like mince pies but as this tea bag contains no ingredients I dislike I will be trying it as it sounds far nicer than its namesake. However, as it’s black tea, I can’t drink it in the evening otherwise I won’t get any sleep. I was intending to try it today at work, but unfortunately, I was extremely busy so didn’t get the chance. Therefore, I shall have to return with a review for this tomorrow. ...

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...