Monthly Archives

March 2017

Black Tea Chai Green Tea Rooibos Tea Reviews

Bluebird Tea Co. Spring & Easter Teas Reviewed!

28th March 2017

This week I’ve been lucky enough to have a delivery of some of the Spring teas from Bluebird! 😀

I’m really excited by the inventive packaging Bluebird have used for their spring line up, it’s always nice to see tea packaged in unique and different ways. There’s a carrot filled with teabags and an egg box with plastic eggs filled with tea that you’re gonna love!

The range includes Carrot Cake, Hot Cross Buns and Easter Eggs Nests, along with favourites MojiTEA and Earl Grey Creme.

The weather has been unusually nice the last couple of weeks so I decided to take my camera and Bluebird’s products outside and take some sunny Spring photos 😀

Review Time!

Easter Egg Nests

First up is Easter Egg Nests, which I aboslutely adore! These teabags smell insanely chocolate, I could literally smell them all day!

I love that this tea really captures the flavours of Easter egg nests, it really took me back to being a child and making them with my mum! I’m usually a bit disappointed with chocolate teas but this is one amazing tea! I love the sweet chocolatey goodness, so much that I’ve nearly run out :O

The green and black tea combo works perfectly and the toasted rice is fantastic. All round one of my favourite Bluebird teas of all time!

 

Hot Cross Bun

This is another tea I was really excited to try, I’m a big fan of hot cross buns so I was looking forward to seeing if Bluebird managed to recreate the flavour in their tea. These teabags also came in a super cute carrot package which I loved finding when I opened the delivery 🙂

This tea has a really nice sweet spicyness to it that really embodies the essence of Easter and Spring time. It has a beautiful cinnamon flavour, which is paired perfectly with the sweet Rooibos base to create that sweet glazed fruity flavour of a good hot crossed bun.

It’s quite similar to Bluebird’s gingerbread chai but less spicy so if that’s one of your favourites you’ll love hot cross bun too.

 

Carrot Cake

Carrot cake is another Rooibos base that’s quite similar to Hot Cross Bun but has a sweeter flavouring that reminds me of Carrot Cake frosting. I love baking carrot cake at home and actually made a carrot cake a while back using Bluebird’s matcha honey, you can find the recipe here if you fancied baking it yourself 🙂

This tea produces a beautiful amber coloured tea with a slight spiced flavour and hints of cinnamon. I particularly like the subtle vanilla aftertaste which is immensely addictive!

 

Earl Grey Creme

Earl Grey Creme was one of the teabags in the egg box, each teabag even came in a little plastic egg!:D

I’m not a huge fan of Earl Grey, it’s one of those teas I’ve just never found that exciting and some earl grey I’ve had has been real bad! I knew if I was going to enjoy anyone’s Earl Grey it would probably be Bluebird’s, I don’t think I’ve ever had one of their teas I didn’t like!

I began steeping this tea and was hesitant as I usually find the bergamot too overpowering in most Earl Grey and can usually tell from the smell. The fragrance of this Earl Grey definitely had a sweeter note to it and I was excited to see if this carried over in to the flavour. It definitely did! The bergamot flavouring was just the right strength and didn’t overpower the black tea flavour like a lot of Earl Grey I’ve had in the past.

All round I’d say this is a really good Earl Grey, although Earl Grey isn’t my favourite tea, I did enjoy this a lot more than others. If you’re an Earl Grey fan I’m sure you’ll absolutely love it! 🙂

MojiTEA
MojiTEA was another one of the teabags included in the purple egg box! The egg box with the tea filled eggs inside was probably the highlight of this collection, it’s definitely the most inventive tea packaging I’ve seen.

I loved the refreshing mint flavour and I was pleasantly surprised by a sweeter aftertaste than a lot of mint tea. MojiTEA isthe perfect tea for anyone who struggles to get going in the morning, it instantly wakes you up with it’s cool mintyness. You’ll get several infusions from one teabag and it’s even more refreshing cold. If you’re a mint tea lover you’ll love this exciting blend Bluebird blend!

Finishing Up

That pretty much rounds up my review of these Bluebird Tea Co. Spring/Easter teas. A huge thanks to Bluebird for sending me these teas to review, I really enjoyed them!

The egg box and carrot are two of my firm favourites in Bluebird’s Spring/Easter teas. If you’re looking for an alternative to chocolate as an Easter gift for someone these would be absolutely perfect (and much healthier!).

If you’d like to try any of Bluebird’s products you can find their website here.

Thanks for taking the time to read my review, I hope you’ve enjoyed it. Please share it with the tea lovers in your life and come find me on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.

Bye for now! xXx


Join my mailing list for more posts, competitions and tea related fun from the Russtea’s blog!

0 Comments
Black Tea Fruit Tea Green Tea Herbal Tea Oolong Rooibos Tea Reviews White Tea

TeaTourist February Subscription Box Review

27th March 2017

Lately much of my tea drinking has been tea from my TeaTourist subscription boxes, it’s so exciting to have a varied and well selected set of teas arrive each month.

A Tea subscription box is perfect for anyone that would like to be more adventurous with their choice of tea, especially if you don’t have time to find the different teas yourself. The box fits straight through your letterbox and includes 6 different teas, with a very generous serving of each.

Be sure to read to the bottom for a voucher code to get 30% off your first TeaTourist subscription box.

This is my third subscription box from TeaTourist and all three have been fantastic, if you want to read my other two reviews you’ll find them here and here.

Review Time!

Ben Shan Oolong – Tea in the City

I’m a huuuuge Tea in the City fan! I’ve reviewed their Yunnan Gold and Wuyi Black, followed by their Cranberry Leaf and Rosebay Willowherb. I’m also a big Oolong fan so I knew this tea would be pretty special as soon as I saw it, and I was right!

Ben Shan Oolong is a deep green with a pleasant vegetal aroma, with leaves that really open up when you steep them. This is a great tea if you like to infuse your tea multiple times and it’s really satisfying to observe the change in flavours as you reinfuse.

The first infusion creates a smooth buttery flavour with a pleasant sweet aftertaste. The second and third infusions are less sweet and more vegetal but equally enjoyable. Once this tea goes in my teapot I can reinfuse and drink it happily all afternoon, which is exactly what I like in an Oolong 😀


Cherry Sencha – Cheshire Tea

The smell of this tea blew me away! As soon as the packet opens a super sweet cherry aroma bursts in to the room, it reminds me of cherryade but much much healthier! Alongside the cherry fragrance there’s a slight rose hint too, creating a perfectly paired smell.

When I steeped the tea the cherry aroma became even more incredible, I found myself hovering over the mug inhaling! I love the classic sencha flavour of this tea, which is the perfect match for the beautiful cherry sweetness. The hint of rose is also noticeable in the flavour but I like that the cherry flavouring takes centre stage.


Brockley Breakfast -Good & Proper Tea Co.

Breakfast blends aren’t really the blends I reach for when I’m looking for new tea but my mum loves them so I do keep some in the house, she’s more of a traditional tea and milk kind of lady.

The leaf in this blend is very evidently high quality, which can be seen in the rich amber tea it produces once steeped. Brockley Breakfast has a deeply satisfying malty flavour with a subtle sweetness that I really enjoy. I left the traditional tea and milk test up to my mum (I don’t drink milk) and she was thoroughly impressed, I’m trying to convert her to a loose leaf lifestyle so this is a step in the right direction!


Blend No 45 – Edgcumbes Tea Blenders

Next up is the smokey blend no. 45 from Edgcumbes Tea Blenders. This tea is a combination of Lapsang Souchong, Assam, Keemum and Darjeeling. I’ll be honest, I usually hate smokey tea, it always feels like I’m licking a bonfire but I was excited to find out how it tasted when combined with unsmoked black tea.

Although it did still have the smokey smell I was pleasantly surprised by the flavour! The black tea blended with the lapsang Souchong worked perfectly to ‘water down’ the smokey flavour, creating a good quality black tea with a warming smokeyness. This tea really lends itself to curling up with a mug in the winter and enjoying a Netflix session, I’ll definitely be keeping some for the winter, although it’s always winter in the UK! :p


Black Tea & Dandelion – Oteas

I was a little unsure about this tea when I first opened my TeaTourist box but I trust their judgement!:)

It has a wholesome earthy fragrance with nice high quality leaf, the dandelion fragrance isn’t overpowering and I was pleased to find the same with the taste. It’s nice to have a traditional black tea but with a little excitement on the side. The traditional vibe of this tea makes it perfect to share with the less adventurous tea drinkers in your life, the kind that tend to run for the hills if you mention matcha or oolong! 😛


Gunpowder – The UK Loose Leaf Tea Company

I’m always excited by gunpowder tea, I love to watch the small deep green pellets open up as you steep them and I’m addicted to the vegetal flavour and zingy aftertaste.

This is a high quality gunpowder tea that does have more of a zing than a lot of gunpowder tea to the point that it’s ever so slightly metallic, more than others I’ve tried but that’s fine with me and thoroughly enjoyable! 🙂

Thanks for reading!

Thanks for taking the time to read my review of the February TeaTourist subscription box and I hope it’s helped you decide if a tea subscription is right for you!

If you’d like to try a box you can use a voucher code TeaTourist were awesome enough to give me for you guys. Simply use RUSSTEAS30 to get 30% off your first box, you won’t be disappointed!

A huge thanks to TeaTourist for sending me this month’s box to review, it’s been amazing as always! <3

To keep up to date with the latest posts from Russtea’s you can find me on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook or join my mailing list below 🙂

Bye for now xXx







0 Comments
Black Tea Fruit Tea Green Tea Rooibos Tea Reviews

True Tea Club Tea Subscription Box Review

11th March 2017

I’ve been getting in to tea subscription boxes recently, I love the convenience of not having to look for new and exciting tea and just having it arrive once a month. It’s perfect as a tea blogger to have the tea found for me and to find out about a handful of new tea companies each month, it’s difficult to explore new tea companies if you just want to sample their tea without a big order so this really works for me.

True Tea Club emailed me to see if I’d like to review one of their tea subscription boxes. I jumped at the chance and waited eagerly for the box to arrive 😀

Each month True Tea Club send 4 carefully selected teas, the box fits straight through your letterbox so you don’t need to be in when it arrives. It’s particularly convenient that you can also buy more of any of your favourites from each box, directly from True Tea Club. Another nice touch is the option of three tiers of subscription, with either 40, 60 or 80 cups in each months box.

 

On to the Review!


Rainbow Chaser

First up is a beautifully colourful, aptly named fruity tea. The tea looks stunning loose, with bright and exciting colours and smells delightfully fruity but fresh with a hint of mint.

I’m usually not a fan of mint tea and really haven’t found many I’ve liked but this was different. The flavour was dominated by a sweet Apple and strawberry flavour, with a nice floral hint and just the right amount of mint to add freshness, without being overpowering.

Overall Rainbow Chaser is a unique and enjoyable tea and I look forward to every cup 🙂

 


Mighty Mango

I adore mango and always find it’s the perfect accompaniment to green tea so naturally I was excited to see this tea in my subscription box. As soon as I opened the packet a fresh and juicy mango fragrance erupted in to the room!

The mango is paired with a perfect amount of high quality green tea that creates a beautiful golden drink that I could sit and smell all day!

The flavour is a definite nice and crisp green tea with a pure taste, that’s blended superbly with sweet mango. I really LOVE this tea 😀

 


Vanilla Cupcake

Vanillas is always an exciting flavour that I find pairs well with almost all tea and what could be better than vanilla cupcake flavoured tea?:O

I’m a big rooibos fan so I was excited to taste this blend and it was as good as I hoped! The sweet nuttiness of the rooibos is the perfect partner to the cakey vanilla flavour. It’s the perfect caffeine free blend to curl up with at night and watch a film or in my case play Tomb Raider 😉

I always find rooibos is really economical so this blend goes a lot further than the others. All in all Vanilla Cupcake is an awesome tea that I’m sure every rooibos fan will love!

 


Earl Grey Rebel

Earl grey is a tea that’s a strong favourite among tea fans but I kinda feel it’s a bit played out but I was excited to see how this one compares to others I’ve tried. I find a lot of Earl Grey is overly flavoured and you lose the beautiful black tea flavour but Earl Grey Rebel is expertly blended and manages to successfully retain the malty black tea flavours I love.

It does have a definitely noticeable citrusy bergamot flavour but not to the point that it’s like drinking a scented candle, which many I’ve tried recently have been. The scent of this tea is also very appealing and matches the name of the tea well. This is certainly one of the better Earl Grey’s I’ve tried recently and I’m sure Earl Grey fans will adore it!

Final Thoughts

My time with this month’s True Tea Club subscription box has been thoroughly enjoyable. I love the convenience of the service and that I can easily order more of the blends that I love.

You get empty teabags with each box for those moments when loose leaf is too much hassle, making it great for anyone who’s new to the wonderful world of loose leaf tea. Each box comes with a brewing guide as well which has the brewing temperatures for each tea, they True Tea Club really did think of everything! 🙂

You can get 50% off your first subscription box with True Tea Club by entering LOVE at checkout, meaning you can try your first box for as little as £5.00! You can subscribe easily on the True Tea Club website.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my review, if you’ve enjoyed it please join my mailing list below or come and find me on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.

Thanks also to True Tea Club for sending me this months box to review, I’ve really enjoyed it 🙂

Bye for now! xXx

Join my mailing list for more tea reviews, competitions and recipes 😀

0 Comments
Top 10's

Gifts for Tea Lovers Birthday Special!

9th March 2017

Recently I had my birthday and received an amazing haul of tea related Birthday presents. My boyfriend was lovely enough to give me 30 presents as it was my 30th birthday, so I’ve got quite a few things for this post!

As I hadn’t seen a lot of them before I thought it would be fun to put together a birthday gift post, hopefully it will give you some ideas for gifts for the tea lover in your life 😊

Paper and Tea Humpty Dumpty Sipping Cups

I love visiting Paper and Tea in Berlin, it’s one of my favourite places in the world. It has teaware fit for kings, the quality is incredible and I haven’t really owned anything from there before as a lot of the prices are fit for kings as well! So I was thrilled when I opened these tea cups from my boyfriend, he also included a 50 Euro gift card too 😃 They come in a few finishes and colours but the blue and white crackle have always been the ones I’ve looked at.

 

Gourmet Flower Kit

I’ve been planning to grow my own edible flowers for a while now, I think they’d be perfect to finish off my tea photos. My mum took note and found this kit, I’m really excited to try it out! You get everything you need to grow 6 different edible flowers, which really takes the hassle out of buying the stuff separately.

 


Rick and Morty Mug

Me and my boyfriend have been loving Rick and Morty recently and I hadn’t seen any merchandise for it before so this mug was an exciting surprise. It has Rick and Morty on the front coming out of the portal and then on the back they’re going in to the portal.

 


Tsum Tsum Stackable Cups

Our Tsum Tsum collection is taking over our house at the moment, we’re probably approaching the 200 mark. So this was an obvious choice as a present but one I hadn’t seen before, I definitely would of bought it if I had! Each cup has a different picture, it’s gonna be an exciting addition to our kitchen!

 


PlayStation Coasters

I’ve been looking at these coasters while out with my boyfriend for months, my Pokemon ones I got for Christmas have soaked up water so they’re due to be replaced. I’ve always loved gaming so these coasters with the PlayStation buttons on them are perfect 😃

 


Rainbow Bakes Book

I really love baking but haven’t done any for a while now, I’ve been so busy with uni and my business and just haven’t had the time. When I was baking on a regular basis I used to just add matcha to every recipe, you can’t go wrong combining anything cakey with matcha. This Rainbow Bakes book features 40 recipes that are all rainbow coloured, it’s camp, fun and will definitely leave me struggling to resist the urge to add matcha so I don’t turn everything Green! 😊

 

LSA International Circle Tea for One

I’ve been wanting a nice convenient tea for one set for every day use, that can basically live on my desk. This is the perfect product to fulfil those needs, because it only has the footprint of a cup so it will conveniently sit anywhere where space is limited (I should probably just tidy my huge desk!😳)

 

Star Wars Lightsaber Heat Changing Mug

We’re huge Star Wars fans,mainly the original three, so I often receive Star Wars presents. I’ve been wanting this mug for aaages, because it has special powers! When it’s empty the mug shows the handles of all of the lightsabers but when you add hot water they all light up! These mugs often don’t work very well as you can often see the outline of what will appear before you’ve added the water but you can’t at all with this mug. My mum thought this would be the perfect present for a geeky tea lover, she sure was right!:D

 

T2 Pearly White Ink Teapot

I adore T2 Tea! Their tea is phenomenal, as is there teaware. Recently I caved and bought a new T2 teacup and saucer that I’ve been wanting for months, it’s perfect for photos and a joy to use. As it was my 30th birthday my mum went all out and surprised me with the teapot to go with the cup and saucer! The quality is outstanding, blue’s my favourite colour so it’s a great choice, the finish on the pattern is stunning. It’s pretty much my dream teapot, looking forward to many tea sessions with this beauty!

 

 

Whittard of Chelsea Lucy Yellow Fluted Mug

Last up is this super cute Whittard of Chelsea mug. It’s fine bone china and finished to such a high standard, the whole cup is insanely smooth and glossy. It’s also dishwasher safe which is rarely the case with higher end teaware so it will definitely be in regular use, I tend to shy away from teaware I can’t dishwasher 😛

Thanks for Reading!

I hope this post gives you some inspiration to help you find the perfect gift for someone special or for yourself 😉

If you’d like to keep in touch with all the latest news from Russtea’s, you can find me on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook or join my mailing list below.

Bye for now! xXx

 

0 Comments
Black Tea Green Tea Herbal Tea Matcha Rooibos Tea Reviews

TeaTourist Subscription Box Review

3rd March 2017

I’m extremely excited to share another awesome TeaTourist subscription box with you!

If you’re new to tea subscriptions TeaTourist is a great one to start with. You get 6 teas instead of the 4 that you usually get from other tea subscriptions. The packaging is beautiful and a joy to receive through the post, it also slips straight through your letterbox which is super convenient.

All 6 teas come with a brewing card which gives you some information about the tea and the company it comes from, as well as water temperature and brewing times. If you’re getting more immersed in the joys of tea I’d highly recommend a multi-temperature kettle to guarantee you enjoy your tea at its best.

Review Time!

Reggae Refresh – Born Wild Tea

This tea is a really interesting combo of different fruits, including banana chips! It has an exciting zingy mango aroma to it with a hint of banana, giving it a wonderful tropical feel.

The smell only gets more intense once you begin steeping it. It creates a beautiful yellow brew with a deeply satisfying lemongrass flavour, alongside a nice sweet fruitiness. I really enjoy the variation of tea that the TeaTourist subscription boxes offer and this tea is another fine example.

 

 


Pure Ceylon – Exclusivitea

I’m really addicted to flavoured tea, I find it most exciting and I’m always hunting for something new and unique. Every so often I’ll receive some unflavoured tea that blows me away and this is certainly an example of this.

I love the deep rich malty smell of this tea, it’s a tea you just want to cuddle up with a big mug of and enjoy the fragrance. It has a complex flavour, combining a deep maltyness with subtle earthy tones and a sweet aftertaste.

The tea leaf in Pure Ceylon is really fine so I found it slipped through some of my less fine holed infusers but that’s easily resolved 🙂

 

 


Recover Tea – Blendology

This was my least favourite tea in this months box, I’m really not a fan of herbal, floral or minty flavours and this combines them all. That doesn’t mean it isn’t a great tea, the ingredients are high quality and you get a generous amount, it’s just ‘not my cup of tea’😛

I did find that the second mug from each teabag is actually a lot more enjoyable and offers more refined floral flavours and also that this tea is better at lower temperatures. Overall it’s definitely an exciting and different tea which is all part of being a TeaTourist! 🙂

 

 


Rooibos Earl Grey – Tea Leaf London

This is the second rooibos earl grey infusion I’ve tried and it’s a flavour I always enjoy. I love rooibos and drink it a lot at night, I struggle to sleep a lot so rooibos is a perfect caffeine free fix.

The smell of this tea is incredible, it has a gorgeous citrusy fragrance that I could smell all day. I always find rooibos goes a long way and this is certainly the case with this tea. The amber colouring of steeped rooibos is always enjoyable to watch and looks fantastic in my glass teapot.

The citrusy flavour from the bergamot comes through nicely without being overpowering. I like that you can still definitely taste and enjoy the nutty rooibos alongside the citrus tones.

 

 


Gunpowder – Morgan’s Brew Tea Company

I LOVE green tea, it may even be my favourite kind of tea! I love the vegetal flavour, the slight zing and the crispness of gunpowder tea and this tea definitely embodies these qualities. The portion of this tea is particularly generous given how much flavour erupts from a small amount.

The leaf is really nice quality with a deep green colour, it’s a joy to watch the leaves unfurl as the water turns a stunning golden colour. The tea has an addictive crisp vegetal flavour and a nice zing after every mouthful. This is definitely one of my favourites from this box!

 

 


Matcha – Teaologists

I was absolutely thrilled to find matcha in this box. Matcha is one of my favourite things in the world, I drink it every morning with my breakfast and often have another bowl with lunch. The inclusion of matcha in a tea subscription box is definitely something I haven’t seen before and a really unique idea from TeaTourist.

The matcha is packaged in a little tin and knowing how expensive matcha often is I was pleasantly surprised by how generous the sample was.

I love to see the vivid bright green colour of good quality matcha like this matcha from Teaologists. It froths up nicely and blends well for a smooth and easy to prepare treat. This matcha has the enjoyable vegetal, slightly savoury tones as well as the sweeter umami flavours that are only found in higher ceremonial grade matcha. This is an excellent inclusion by TeaTourist 😀

 

Final Thoughts

I loved the this box, it’s probably my favourite so far! The inclusion of the matcha leaves me excited to see the other unique blends TeaTourist include in future boxes. I’ll have a review of the next TeaTourist box up on my blog soon, I’m a little behind as I’ve been crazily busy at work and with uni but it’ll be up ASAP 🙂

If you haven’t tried a tea subscription box yet I’d highly recommend choosing TeaTourist as your first tea subscription, take a look at their website for more info. TeaTourist have even been awesome enough to provide a discount code for my readers to get 30% off their first box, simply use RUSSTEAS30 at checkout!

A big thank you to TeaTourist for sending me this box to review, I’ve really enjoyed it 😀

Thanks for taking the time to read my review. If you’d like to talk tea or get regular updates from my blog you can find me on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook and sign up to my mailing list below.

Bye for now! xXx

0 Comments