Really Rather Good Coffee House – Summer Tea

Time for Tea Please?

After a stroll around the beauTEAfully quaint Bury St.Edmunds it was time for a much needed cuppa!

Coming out of the cathedral grounds we stumbled across the Really Rather Good Coffee House ! Now with a business name like that it was well worth a go.

Don’t worry they serve tea as well as being a coffee house, phew!

With a menu of over 20 house chosen loose leaf teas I was more than surprised at the selection of teas on offer, considering its coffee house status. For my much needed afternoon pick me up I decided on trying their Summer Tea.

Summer Tea

For this blend the Really Rather Good Coffee House uses the following ingredients: black China tea, with natural apricot and strawberry flavours and cornflower and sunflower petals.

I love a flavoured black tea so I was very intrigued my this flavour combination. Upon opening the brewing tea leaves you are instantly engulfed with the fruity notes of the strawberries infusing with the floral tones of the cornflower and sunflower petals.

The brewed liquid is of a lift brown colour which you’d expect to see with a black based tea. It’s lighter shade of tone could be down to less black tea within the blend or extra fruit and floral aspects.

First sip is just beauTEAful !

I know I was desperate for a brew by this time but I think we are going to be on to a winner!

The tea is super light and refreshing! From a personal point of you I feel this tea is perfect without the need to add any milk. This doesn’t of course mean you can’t , as tea is unique and drank to how you like it

From this tea The strawberry flavour is very much in the forefront of the sipping taste. It has a slight peach Melba twang to it. With this being blended with apricot flavouring this could be a sign of why. What else I like about this tea is the floral depth. On first sip you are hit with fruity aspect of the flavours, but on second hit you get the floral side of the tea. Together

This tea like its name sake Summer Tea is just perfect with the warmer weather. Without the need to have milk it makes a refreshing afternoon tea. I’m also sure that with its flavouring it would make a lovely iced brew!

It also made a nice change to be given an extra jug of hot water , if you need it that is. Which was a really nice touch!

Happy Sipping 🙂

If your looking for some where for lunch then make sure you pay a visit to Papakapis Deli. Their chicken Gyros will take you back to Greece ! Banishing any holiday blues!

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 🙂

Wedding Breakfast

Time for Tea Please?
Today at my cousins wedding I was more than great full for a cuppa!

Just beauTEAFul!

The London Tea Company – Earl Grey

Time for Tea Please?

There’s nothing better than having a brew ! Especially when is first thing on a Tuesday morning at work. Come on all we know that we need a good ol mug of tea or twenty to get us through the day !!!!! Today I’m sipping on The London Tea Company and their Earl Grey.

For this blend The London Tea Company uses 98% Ceylon Black Tea with flavourings.

As soon as you open the tea pouch you are instantly hit with the aroma of bergamot followed by that of the black tea.
Let’s get brewing !

The aroma while brewing doesn’t overly change from its dried state it just allows the intensity to increase.
As expected with a black based tea the brewed liquid is of a dark black colouring. Now I just love the aroma of an earl grey tea, so let’s get sipping!

I always find earl grey teas quite hard to describe. All I know is that I haven’t found one yet that I dislike! So here’s hoping this one lives up to my expectation.
First sip oh hello!
I like my earl greys well any tea to be fair to pack a punch and this one certainly does. The intensity of the black tea mixed with the flavourings add an extra strength that can sometimes be missing. One aspect that sings within this blend is that of the bergamot and flavour it brings to the tea with its citrus tones adds the much needed flavour sensation that everyone recognises as earl grey.

The only slight flaw in this tea for me is the fact the flavour isn’t fully as intense at the last sip. Wether this down to the way the flavourings is used within the blend I don’t know it just seems to have slightly lost its bergamot taste.

All in all this an Earl Grey worth drinking !

Happy Sipping 🙂

Heywood Tea – Chrysanthemum Wolfberry

Time for Tea Please?

As you all know I love receiving TeaPost , so when Heywood Teas contacted me about trying their tea all the way from Hong Kong I was very excited . I’ve never received TeaPost from Hong Kong before.

Heywood Teas “specializes in producing high quality functional tea in Hong Kong”. They also mix their herbal ingredients based on Chinese medicinal formula.
To find out more information hit the link below.
https://heywoodtea.com

Today I’m sipping on Chrysanthemum & Wolfberry Tea.

For this Tea blend their is only the use of two ingredients being that of Chrysanthemum and Wolfberry.

Within the use of Chinese Herbal Medicine :

Chrysanthemum: Clear excess heat and toxins, benefit vision and promote cardiovascular and liver health

Wolfberry: Relieve eye fatigue, improve eye function, delay aging and boost immune system

This product may assist in stabilizing blood pressure

(Info from : https://heywoodtea.com/collections/frontpage/products/chrysanthemum-wolfberry-tea)

When opening the foil tea pouch which Heywood Tea favour, to block out heat and moisture you are engulfed with the floral notes of the chrysanthemum. I’m not overly getting any hint of Wolfberry. However more of you may know the Wolfberry known as the Goji berry.

Let’s get brewing !

Aroma brewing is completely different to that of its dried state. Their is still floral notes to the tea but it almost smells gingery. A bit like a gingerbread green tea I’ve tried before.

I didn’t overly know what to expect from the brewed liquid of the tea and was rather surprised with how yellow it was. Although it does make sense considering the yellow aspects of the packaging which is the perfect colour match.

First sip is very interesting. I’m not overly able to specifically pin point a specific taste. It is however very light and refreshing . It’s not bitter and from the the use of the Wolfberry their is an added sweetness to the brew.

Mellow Yellow certainly fits not just the colouring but the taste too.

The tea itself isn’t unpleasant it’s just an acquired taste and something I don’t think I’ve actually tasted before. It’s one of those teas that makes me want to sip it all to the end due to the amazing health benefits the tea can give for you. From the herbal medicinal benefits mentioned earlier it sounds like it could be a perfect hangover brew or after a heavy weekend of eating too many treats.

Happy Sipping 🙂

Savoury Tea

Time for Tea Please?

A perfect accompaniment to a good cup of tea is a homemade scone!
Today I paid a visit to Mad Hatters Tea Shop, which you can find in Wymondham, Norfolk, England and had their savoury tea.

Which consists of a cheese scone, butter, red onion chutney, salad, coleslaw & crisps. A long side a pit of tea of your choice, of which I chose lady grey.

I just love the pairing of the floral tones within the lady tea grey blend alongside the savoury notes of the cheese scone. Making it the perfect light lunch.

Happy Sipping 🙂

Black Dog Teas – Pitta Blend

Time for Tea Please?

Today’s Tea Tuesday , Tea Review features Black Dog Teas and their Pitta Blend.

The Pitta Blend is part of Black Dog Teas tea range called the Ayurvedic Blends.
“The ancient Indian doctrine of Ayur (life) Veda (knowledge) has been passed on for thousands of years helping those who follow it to find balance in their emotional, physical, mental and even spiritual energies. We can be categorised into three “Doshas” (temperaments/types), and have elements of all at the same time with one or two dominating.”

The three tendencies are :

Vata tendencies – Slim physique, creative, quick to learn and to forget, discomfort in cold climates often has cold hands and feet.

Pitta tendencies – Medium physique, sharp mind and focus, strong appetite, discomfort in sun or heat, can be impatient.

Kapha tendencies – Heavy build and high physical strength, easygoing, compassionate and reliable, discomfort in cold, damp weather.

For more info visit https://www.blackdogteas.com/collections/ayurvedic-blends

The Pitta Blend is made up of : cinnamon, cardamom, liquorice root, coriander, fennel, ginger, rose petals.

Doesn’t the blend of colour within the ingredients just look beauTEAful.
They also smell it too! The combination of all the herbs is certainly tantalising the taste buds.

Let’s get brewing!

The brewed liquid is of a light yellow in colour.

First sip and it’s very inTEAresting. I don’t think I’ve ever sipped on a tea quite like this before. When knowing the ingredients I was a bit sceptical as some of the flavours I tend to avoid when choosing teas, however I’m up to trying anything once!

Each sip tastes completely different. Rather than the ingredients being fully blended each sip almost takes it turn in being one of each ingredient. Sip one cinnamon, sip two cardamom, sip three liquorice root, sip four coriander, sip five fennel, sip six ginger, sip seven rose petals. Obviously in a more random combination !

It’s the subtle herb hints of the tea combined with the floral tones of the Rose petals which makes it an almost serial sipping experience not quite like anything I’ve tried before.
There’s also something quite special knowing the pitta tendencies and the reasons behind the tea blend adds something almost spiritual to the sipping experience.

Happy Sipping 🙂

OTeas – Cranberry Delight

Time for Tea Please?

The sun is shining , the birds are singing and the kettle is boiling !

Today’s Tuesday Tea Review features OTeas and their Cranberry Delight Tea.

I just love a herbal tea in the late afternoon and as this ones naturally caffeine free too it won’t be keeping us up all night.

For this blend OTeas uses apple pieces, carrot flakes, grapes, beetroot pieces, cranberry slices and natural flavourings.

Upon opening the tea pouch you are instantly hit with a supper FruiTEA hit of the ingredients combined. There isn’t one an ingredient that shouts smell me more. The only thing that comes to mind when thinking about the aroma of the dry blend is strawberry laces. The liquorice type red cable sweet. Hopefully you know what I’m going on about?!?…

Let’s get brewing !

The aroma of the tea whilst brewing doesn’t overly change from its dried state , this always a bonus as it can be a fairly good indicator to what the tea might taste like. The only minor difference in its smell compared to the dry state is possibly just lost some of its sweetness.

The brewed tea liquid is just what it says on the tea box, a bright cranberry red.

First sip is just tealicious. Your instantly hit with a fruit cocktail which is excites the taste buds leaving you wanting more. I’m even surprised that from its aroma it does actually taste like the strawberry laces. If that’s not a taste that takes you back to your younger days I don’t know what will. Not going to lie but I am a little shocked by how good it does taste. It’s not very often that you get a herbal tea which completely matches its aroma and taste so well done OTeas.

The only thing that puzzles me with this tea is the name of Cranberry Delight. As you can see from the ingredient list cranberry is not the only ingredient and isn’t essentially the obvious flavour within this blend. However neither are any of the other ingredients. However the cranberry certainly doesn’t let you forget that it’s there. The almost sweet and sour tang certainly adds a a twist to the sipping experience and alongside the other ingredients does like it names suggest make it a delight to drink.

The sweetness of the tea will certainly give you that much needed sweet sensation without the added guilt. Bonus !

Now this tea is also the perfect brew to be a oh no I forgot to drink my tea and now it’s gone cold, come on we’ve all done it at some point !
The fruity flavour makes it a perfect cold brew and allowed the cranberries to add an extra sharpness to sipping experience.

Happy Sipping 🙂

National Tea Day

Time for Tea Please?

Happy National Tea Day to all you tea lovers out there!

It’s also Easter Sunday so hope your all enjoying the sipping on tea and eating an Easter egg or three!

Creme Egg Cake

Time for Tea Please?

With it being Easter Weekend this weekend , it only seems right to bake up a yummy Easter treat. One thing I love about Easter is a Cadburys Creme Egg!

Ingredients:
225g Self Raising Flour
350g Caster Sugar
85g Cocoa
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp bicarbonate soda
2 eggs
250ml milk
125ml veg. Oil
2 tsp vanilla essence
250ml boiling water

Method:
You’ve guessed it the all in one method ! Just make sure you add the dry ingredients first, mix it all together till all combined.
Add to a greased proof tin, pop on your Creme eggs and bake for around 20 minutes.

make it extra gooey mix 2 tablespoons of icing sugar, with a tea spoon of cocoa with some cold water to make a glaze.

If you can wait allow to cool, but if you can’t I don’t blame you 😜

Baking Tip:
If using the small creme eggs add these near the end of the bake as they melt too much as I find out hehe

Now get that kettle on and eat up!