TeaTeas Gifts – Masala Chai

Time for Tea Please?

Thanks to the lovelies at TeaTeas Gifts for sending me a sample of their Masala Chai to try.

TeaTeas

* Self-love, self-care & body positiviTea.*

Absolutely love TeaTeas headline and couldn’t agree with it more.

Direct from website: We want everyone to feel beautiful inside and out, so we made some little cozy treats to boost our wellbeing and self-esteem.

The more good stuff we put in our cuppa, the better we’ll feel, so we decided to ditch the powdered chai from the shelf full of sugar and additives, and make our Chai from authentic whole spice…and that’s it!

You may have been able to guess not just from the from the brand name and their packaging TeaTeas is also raising awareness and funds for breast cancer charities.

To find out more or to try their tea hit the link: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/TeaTeasGifts

Masala Chai

As soon as you open the tea pouch you are engulfed with spices warming your senses and enticing you. It’s rich sweet cinnamon and aniseed being the main aromas in your face.

For this blend TeaTeas uses a mixed spiced tea blend. It’s a secret blend which is fair enough but doesn’t it look BeauTEAful.

Let’s get Brewing

Whilst brewing the aroma of the tea doesn’t massively change, it’s tones are slightly more peppery and the aniseed has now mellowed out.

As with most teas that contain black tea in the brewed liquid is of a brown colouring. The liquid may look a bit a strange to some of you but I live in a hard water area.

Let’s get Sipping

First sip is just tealicious. From the strength of the dried tea , to it mellowing whilst brewing I wasn’t sure what to expect but the blend is magic.

All the flavours work together rather than fighting against each other for your attention. By this happening it makes the tea sip sip just calming. The spiced aspects of the blend adds an extra warm ness and is like drinking a hug in a mug.

It’s not till the after sip of the tea that you get a peppery aniseed punch. Which injects an extra added heat to each mouthful.

The only downside to this blend was that my mug just wasn’t big enough !

Happy Sipping 🙂

Tea India – Chai Latte

Time for Tea Please?

Today I’m trying out something a little bit different, thanks to Tea India, I’m able to try their Chai Latte.

Tea India “master blenders Chirayu Booroah and Jimmy Jal Medhora have created a range of authentic tea blends inspired by their motherland, India. From Chai to Ayurveda blends they have created a tea to help you find joy, balance and contentment.” (Direct from website)

To find out more about Tea India hit the link https://www.teaindia.co.uk

Chai Latte

On opening the chai pouch you are instantly engulfed with the spiced aromas.

One perk of having a chai latte sachet is that all you have todo is open the packet , pour it into a cup , boil the kettle , pour the water in , stir and sip!

First sip is just tealicious !

Now I know it doesn’t really count as a tea but the tea and spices work perfectly together. You get enough of a kick but it’s also nice and balanced.

The latte consistency well balanced of watery yet thick too which sounds weird but if your an instant coffee/ hot choc sachet drinker you’ll know what I mean. With a nice spicy frothy head.

A chai latte is just perfect this time of year , the spices add a little kick to the autumn days.

Happy Sipping 🙂

Liverpool Tea Warehouse – Wellness Blend Turmeric Gold

Time for Tea Please?

Thanks to the lovelies at the Liverpool Tea Warehouse I’m about to start brewing up their Wellness Blend Turmeric Gold.

Liverpool Tea Warehouse a tea specialists located in the Baltic Triangle of Liverpool City centre. Where the shop contains over 200 different types of loose leaf teas, sourced from numerous countries. The business is owned by Debbie Kelly and Mark Hensby. Debbie is a trained Tea Sommelier and Mark has various business within Liverpool. It was their shared passion for quality tea led them to opening the Liverpool Tea Warehouse. For more information and check out their teas hit the link below ! https://liverpoolteawarehouse.com

For this blend the Liverpool Tea Warehouse uses : golden turmeric, cocoa peel, ginger root, fennel, aniseed and vanilla.

The tea blend itself is part of the Liverpool Tea Warehouse wellness tea blends. Where through the use Ayurvedic medical knowledge it’s more than just an ingredient within Indian cooking but also a “superfood”.

As soon as you open the tea pouch you are instantly engulfed in the spicy notes of turmeric , aniseed, fennel and ginger with an under laying earthy kick from the cocoa peel.

There’s is a sweetness to the aroma presumably from the use of the vanilla pieces and blackberry leaves.

Let’s get Brewing!

The aroma whilst brewing completely changes. The flavour combination in its dry smell to that of its now brewing smell really emphasises they cocoa aspect. It’s giving off a real rich and earthy scent.

As expected given the turmeric aspect within the blend the brewed liquid is of that of a dark yellow with an orange tinge.

Let’s get Siping !

First sip and I am beyond intrigued. After smelling the tea blend in its dry state and then its brewing aroma it doesn’t taste like I was expecting at all.

This tea is what I like to call a two part sip. By this I mean that you get two different flavour combinations all within the one sip. Therefore with this tea blend part 1 of the sip consists of the flavourings of the turmeric and the cocoa and part 2 is where the kick comes in with the aniseed , ginger and fennel.

The combination of the earthy flavours and spice is something very unique to this blend. The closest I’ve ever tried before would be a sort of chai style tea. I’m sure this tea would work well as tea latte. As the flavour is punchy and the colour would also look fantastic.

Their is also a natural sweetness to the sip so no need to add anything to sweeten it up , which fits in the wellness side of the blend.

Happy Sipping 🙂

Debonair Tea Co. Persian Chai

Time for Tea Please?

Today’s Tea Tuesday tea review is brought to you thanks to the lovelies at Debonair Tea Co.

Debonair Tea Co. Is a family run tea company founded by Louisa and Phil Johnson as they were tired of seeing both poor and good quality tea served badly! Their mission to “make exceptional tea a daily pleasure”.

From starting as a pop up tea bar to meeting the demands of retailers the Debonair Tea Company soon expanded to sourcing and creating over 30 unique teas and infusions. Louisa is also the first person o achieve accreditation as a tea sommelier from the UK Tea Academy.

The tea company gets it name from its inspiration for high quality teas and infusions but also for the couples 1968 Bedford Debonair CA van.m

To find out more about Debonair Tea Co. Hit the link below.
https://www.debonairtea.co.uk

Today I’m sipping on their Persian Chai.

For this blend Debonair Tea Co. uses : Chinese Rose Congou Black Tea (54%), Spices (39%) (Ginger, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Fennel), Rose Petals, Lavender.

Doesn’t it just look beauTEAful !

Upon opening the tea pouch you are instantly engulfed with the floral tones of Rose and Lavender with the spicy notes blended together to add the spiced kick to the blend. It’s only on a massive big sniff that the black tea starts to sneak out. I am more than intrigued by what this tea is going to taste like given the ingredients which makes it.

Let’s get brewing !

While brewing the aroma is very much a mixture of toasting spices with some floral undertones. More than ready for my first sip now.

First sip is just exquisite !

I’ve never sipped on a tea quite like it. Especially a chai tea.
There’s just something perfectly balanced between the use of the rose and that of the herbs and spices which make up this blend.
The sweetness of the Rose almost magically hides any spicy aspects which can be found within some chai blends. Allowing an almost perfect match.

I wondered if the use of Rose within the chai blend may be hidden by the powerful ness of the flavour of Ginger, Cardamom, Cinnamon and Fennel but somehow it works alongside each other perfectly. With the added extra of the lavender it just adds perfectly to the overall blend.

There’s just something Magic about this tea and I don’t know how Debonair Tea Co have managed it but I’m sure glad they have !

Happy Sipping 🙂

Tea India – Espresso Chai Latte

Time for Tea Please?

Today I’m trying out something a little bit different, thanks to Tea India, I’m able to try their Espresso Chai Latte.

As soon as you open the tea pouch your sense are instantly engulfed with the spicy tones which are distinct to chai tea.

As an instant tea powder it’s very quick and easy to make ! All you have todo is boil the water, pour the contents of the sachet into your mug , pour in the hot water , stir and away you go.

While I say brewing , the aroma of the tea is more intense wether has anything to do with the use of the espresso who knows.

First sip and hello chai tea. I always find chai tea quite hard to dres robe as chai is chai , although blends differ and are unique.

The texture of the tea sip itself is quite thick , I have a feeling this down to the use of the instant tea powder, compared to brewing the individual components like in some other chai teas.

A plus side of wanting to try this tea and now don’t hate on me for this tea lover but I do enjoy the odd latte and was very intrigued to try a tea that blended both tea and espresso. However can I taste the coffee within this blend for me not enough ! Like my tea I like my coffee strong. For me though I can tell that the espresso is present within the blend. Although not overly being able to taste it along side the other flavours I know it’s there because to my tastes buds the flavours are more intense and are enriched by the use of the espresso. Until I get sipping on another one their chai’s I won’t know if this how they choose to blend or it’s the use of the espresso.

Happy Sipping 🙂

Liverpool Tea Warehouse – Turmeric Chai

Time for Tea Please?

Thanks to the lovelies at Liverpool Tea Warehouse I’m able to bring you my latest tea review featuring their Turmeric Chai.

Liverpool Tea Warehouse a tea specialists located in the Baltic Triangle of Liverpool City centre. Where the shop contains over 200 different types of loose leaf teas, sourced from numerous countries.

The business is owned by Debbie Kelly and Mark Hensby. Debbie is a trained Tea Sommelier and Mark has various business within Liverpool. It was their shared passion for quality tea led them to opening the Liverpool Tea Warehouse.

For more information and check out their teas hit the link below !

https://liverpoolteawarehouse.com

Turmeric Chai

A black based tea from India is blended with cinnamon, turmeric, ginger, aniseed, peppercorns, cloves, cardamom, chillies to form the teas blend.

Upon opening the tea pouch you are instantly engulfed with aromatic fragrance with spicy tones which really get the senses and the taste buds going.

Let’s get brewing !

While brewing the aroma of the tea doesn’t overly differ from its dry state other than the spice level is coming through more via the use of the chillies. Hopefully it tastes as good as it smells.

With a brewing recommendation of 3-5 minutes I went straight down the middle with a 4 minute brew time. Leaving behind a browny orange tinged liquid.

First sip is a a little bit of a revelation. It’s delicate yet powerful in equal measures. The black tea is the perfect base for the blend, it’s in the forefront of the sip yet the combination of the spices adds the perfect depth to the tea. Allowing almost all the aspects of the tea to be combined as an equal.

The turmeric within the tea doesn’t just add to the slight orangey tinge to the tea but it also adds to a slight bitter earthy taste. This combined along side the spices within the blend adds an extra flavour and depth to each sip. Especially as Turmeric is believed to have menu health benefits such as the potential to prevent heart disease, Alzheimer’s and cancer. As well as having anti-inflammatory and antioxidants. Just another added bonus this tea has.

I also love the use of the chillies within the blend as it adds a slight kick to the sipping experience and in doing so tingles the senses.

Happy Sipping 🙂

Balaggan – Tropical Chai

Time for Tea Please?

What better way is there to spend a day off than by sipping tea. Thanks to the lovely people of Balaggan I’m able to be sipping on their Tropical Chai.

The first thing that always get me excited about trying a new Balaggan flavour is their packaging. It is always bright and colourful and the ombre style cubes are just exquisite. Especially the gold detailing , it just adds an extra specialness to it.

Upon on open the tea box , the smell is just tealicious, it’s super FruiTEA with an underlying spiced touch. I sure hope it tastes as good as it smells.

I love being able to see all the components , they look beauTEAful.

For this particular blend Balaggan uses: pear pieces, rosehip, cinnamon , apple pieces, lime peel, freeze dried pineapple, red peppercorns, cardamom, orange peel, sunflower petals, hibiscus & natural flavourings.

Let’s get brewing!

I have to say I’m rather surprised with the brewed liquid. I’d describe it as being pink in colour rather than it being more of a brown that for some reason I was expecting it to be.

The aroma while brewing was completely different from its dried state. All the components are perfectly blend and provide the essence of tropical ! A fruity madness that just works.

First sip is just tealicious!

The balance of tropical with the chai is just perfect. The blends of all the fruity components all work alongside each other perfectly. There isn’t necessarily one component that shouts louder than any of the others, together they just scream tropical. Now I was a bit unsure of a tropical chai but I have to say Balaggan has proved me wrong! The spice aspects of the tea are in perfect quantities to add a depth of flavour rather than over powering the overall brew. Allowing the spicy hint to work with the tropicalness adding an almost warming aspect to the tea experience.

It’s certainly one of those teas, will add sunshine on a cloudy day.

Happy Sipping 🙂

Whittards – Shanghai Chai

Time for Tea Please?

Today I had the chance to pop into my local Whittards for a cheeky tea tasting! I love trying all of their teas especially as they give you the chance to try before you buy. On offer for tasting today was Shanghai Chai .

A green tea blended with spices with a depth nutty tones. You’d almost not even realise you were sipping on a green tea. Plus what a great name.
Happy Sipping 🙂

Balaggan – Ginger Chai

Time for Tea Please?

When the lovely people from Balaggan contacted me about trying out some of there chai, I obviously jumped at the chance !

One thing that strikes straight away about Balaggan Tea is their packaging, it’s bright ombré effect along with the golden detail is exquisite and just screams India to me! It would certainly grasp your attention.

Today I’m going to try out their Ginger Chai.

The ingredients for this tea are: Indian Assam Black Tea 50%, Ginger 30%, Spices (fennel, cardamom & cinnamon) 20%.

Upon opening the tea pouch you are instantly engulfed with an almost fruity ginger aroma. It’s almost like smelling a Christmas pudding . Its smell being rich, intense and enticing.

While brewing it is the aroma of he tea that blossoms being balanced with cinnamon notes. The brewed liquid is of a dark brown colour.

First sip and helloooo ginger ! With 30% of the blend being ginger I was ready for a kick and you get that as well a punch. It is great ! I love it when a tea does what it says it will.

Unlike other chai teas where the spices attack from the front within this blend it’s used for warmth and flavour but as a second element after the ginger. Where it’s followed on by the third and final flavour the Assam.

The blend is almost like magic , it’s warming and heartfelt and is very much a hug in a mug ! The ingredients combined in the quantities that it has been allows for a taste sensation in perfect quantities.

A mug of Balaggan Ginger Chai will certainly cheer you up.

Happy Sipping 🙂

National Tea Day

Time for Tea Please?
Today is National Tea Day in the UK as well as the Queens 92nd Birthday!
Let’s raise are mugs and ParTEA!