Rooibos | Russtea's

Adagio Teas Green Rooibos Bonita Review

18th June 2016

A few weeks ago I was sent some flavoured matcha by Adagio Teas for review and they were generous enough to include some tea for me to review too. I decided I’d break up the reviews in to separate posts, you can find the flavoured matcha review here.

Next up to be reviewed is Green Rooibos Bonita which is a pretty fantastic name! I was really excited to try this blend as green Rooibos is new to me and I LOVE trying new tea! 😃

As soon as I opened the packet I was hit with an array of citrus smells but also a really tropical aroma. Once the leaves have been steeped they produce a vibrant Amber tea which looks very attractive in my glass teaware 😉

I wasn’t sure how the flavour of green Rooibos would compare to red Rooibos but it’s really awesome. It’s less sickly than red Rooibos which I find can be bit overly sweet when it’s paired with some sweeter ingredients. It’s definitely been one of my most drunk teas since it arrived!

There’s quite an obvious peachy taste to this tea as well which is just the right strength and expertly paired with the green Rooibos.

Overall I’d say this is a fantastic tea that’s definitely worth trying if you’re looking for something new to add to your tea collection. It’s very reasonably priced and can be bought in sample size if you wanna try this tea without the commitment of a large pack.

Thanks so much for taking the time to read my review and thanks to Adagio for sending me this awesome new tea to try. I have a few more Adagio tea reviews coming up so be sure to check back!

Which tea should I try next? Leave any suggestions you have in the comments below or let me know on Twitter or Instagram.

Bye for now! xXx

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Fruit Tea Iced Tea Recipes Rooibos

Sparkling Blueberry & Strawberry Cream Soda Iced Tea

9th June 2016

As it’s finally a bit sunny in the UK I figured now would be a good time to have a play in the kitchen and come up with some new iced tea recipes.

Last summer I made a Strawberry Lemonade Iced Tea recipe that was really popular, everyone liked the fizzy element of the lemonade. I decided I’d do another fizzy iced tea recipe but switch the lemonade out for cream soda, which had me reminiscing of childhood quite a lot actually!

I LOVE blueberries so I decided to use Blueberry Rooibos from Whittard of Chelsea, a long time favourite of mine. Using rooibos as the tea base is great as it has sweeter more fruity tones and is also caffeine-free.

To make this Sparkling Blueberry & Strawberry Cream Soda Iced Tea you’ll need:

Blueberry Rooibos tea from Whittard of Chelsea (or a similar tea but theirs is incredible).

2. Cream Soda

3. Strawberry syrup (I used the ice cream kind but I’m sure it would be even better with strawberry beverage syrup)

4. Ice cubes

How to make it:

I love to make iced tea in my kilner jars, this is the perfect infuser as it fit's right in to them so you only need a little water.

I love to make iced tea in my kilner jars, this AdHoc infuser is perfect for them as it fits right in to them and sits on the bottom so you only need a little hot water 🙂

1. It’s really easy to make and only takes a few minutes. First up you need to steep about 1 teaspoon of Blueberry Rooibos tea for every mug you make, in a small amount of boiling water. Only use a little boiling water so you can make the rest of the drink as cool as possible.

2. Fill the rest of the bottle up with chilled cream soda

3. Add a squirt of strawberry syrup and mix

4. Top with ice and you’re good to go!

This is the perfect drink for spending days in the sun, it pairs amazingly with fresh fruit and kids will love it too. You can swap the tea for a different blueberry or berry flavoured tea but I really recommend Blueberry Rooibos from Whittard of Chelsea for that vibrant blueberry flavour.

Be sure to share this with your friends and family 🙂

Thanks for reading, bye for now! xXx

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Green Tea Iced Tea Rooibos Tea Reviews

New Bluebird Tea Co. Summer Blends Reviewed!

1st June 2016

Not much beats waking up to a surprise delivery from Bluebird! They’ve launched their new summer blends this week and were nice enough to drop some in the post for me 😃

So the first thing I wanted to do, apart from drink them, was get a review written up for you guys!

Strawberry Split

First up is strawberry split, a wonderfully fruity, pretty pink blend. It’s green tea that’s absolutely packed with freeze dried strawberries with a fruity but slightly floral scent, it’s literally summer in a packet!

The tea is so pretty to look at before it’s even steeped, it’s full of floral summer colours that will wow your guests. Once the tea’s steeped it produces an equally pretty pink liquid that also smells fantastic, another plus for entertaining with this tea.

It’s incredible iced with a little bit of honey or agave to sweeten it. I find a lot of teas aren’t that great iced, they always seem not sweet enough and I feel like I want to put way too much sugar in. This is the place this tea really excels beyond it’s competition, it so damn good iced! 😃

Jelly & Ice Cream

This is a rooibos based blend which is great for night time drinking and just avoiding caffeine in general, if that’s your thing 😉 The smell is really sweet and took me right back to jelly when I was a kid, I actually always hated adding the ice cream so I’d just eat the jelly but with this tea I welcome both flavours 😊

One of the things I love about Bluebird Tea Co. is their ability to capture a non-tea flavour in their tea. You’d think jelly and ice cream tea would be a fad and you’d get it and find it tastes nothing like it pretends to, but this is different. It really does taste of jelly and ice cream, the sweet flavours combine with the rooibos base perfectly.

This is another blend that’s great iced and will probably be my drinking buddy on the rare days it’s too hot in the UK to drink tea.

Review Complete!

So that’s my review of these two new teas from Bluebird Tea Co. There are another two summer blends from Bluebird; Red Velvet and Sangria. Both look fantastic but Red Velvet is definitely on my list of teas I need in my life!

You can find these summer blends on the Bluebird Tea Co. website here, or roll in to one of their stores in Brighton, Tunbridge Wells or their new Bristol store!

I’d like to say a big thanks to Bluebird Tea Co. for sending me these teas, it was an awesome surprise to wake up to and very much appreciated😊

Bye for now xXx

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Black Tea Fruit Tea Green Tea Reviews Rooibos Tea Reviews White Tea

Review of a Truly Exquisite Range of Loose Leaf Tea from Jadu Tea

13th February 2016

Recently I was sent a selection of tea from Jadu Tea for me to review. The first thing I noticed upon opening the box is just how incredibly Jadu Tea is presented, the gloss black packaging with the metallic gold labels feel luxurious and modern. I especially love the packaging for the China Green tea I received, which is in a blue velour box with metallic gold writing and wrapped in black paper, I felt like royalty as I opened it!

The teas I received are:

Mademoiselle Grey

Woodland Fruit

Rooibos Creme Brulee

Calming Chamomile

Mint Melange

White Mango Lime

Also included was a selection of individually wrapped pyramid teabags

Mademoiselle Grey

The tea I got most of is Mademoiselle Grey which is high-quality Sri Lanka tea with a citrus scent and a hint of lemongrass, finished off with red cornflowers for a luxury feeling. You can smell the floral bouquet with every sip, with a perfectly refreshing black tea that’s balanced with notes of bergamot and a slightly lemony zing. This tea is also very economical as it can be made quite weak while still tasting fantastic, I was also able to infuse this tea more than once. Overall it’s without a doubt one of the best Earl Greys I’ve ever had.

Woodland Fruit

Next up is Woodland Fruit, the first thing I noticed with this tea is it has whole dry berries, something you don’t often see. The dry smell smells like Ribena with berries filling the room when the water is added, tempting me as I work on my desk. The quality is unbelievable and the liquid is a beautiful deep purply colour. Overall this is a well rounded berry tasting tea with none of the dreaded sharpness often found with other teas.

Rooibos Crème Brûlée

Next to take centre stage is Rooibos Crème Brûlée, this is a really sweet tea with a dessert-like flavour. The dry smell has a cakey pudding feeling that would satisfy the sweetest sweet tooth. I love the flavour of Rooibos and that I can drink it at night without being kept awake by the caffeine. The colour once brewed is a magical deep red colour. This is one of those teas that you just want to fill a big mug with and sit for an evening with a good book.

Calming Chamomile

The quality of The chamomile is amazing, you can literally see the flower buds. It has a soothing summery fragrance with a nice yellow liquid. Chamomile is known for its calming effects so you really do achieve benefits when drinking this tea, it’s perfect to drink at the end of the work day. It’s also subtly sweet and fantastic before bed, you can really feel content as this tea as it eases you to sleep. Camomile tea has never been one of my favourites but this tea is of such high-quality that it’s made me change my mind completely and I’ve drunk a ton of it! 😀

Mint Melange

I usually steer clear of mint tea, I’m not really sure why but it does kinda remind me of toothpaste I guess but I’m always up for trying new things! Mint Melange from Jadu Tea is a blend of peppermint and spearmint and that’s it! The amount of each mint is perfect as you get the cooling of the peppermint while the tea remains sweet because of the spearmint. It’s also not overly minty and is really refreshing, it’s amazing if you have an upset stomach, one mug fixes almost anything! The tea also retains it’s flavour when it’s cooled down and can be drunk hot or cold. As mint tea goes this is one of the best I’ve tried, it’s my least favourite tea out of the Jadu Tea range but that’s probably largely because mint tea just isn’t my thing, I’m sure with this level of quality that if you like mint tea you’ll love this one!

White Mango Lime

I absolutely adore white tea so I’m always excited to get new and exciting flavours. The first thing I noticed with this tea is the incredible fragrance that bursts out of the packet when you open it, it’s a combination of the delicate scent of white tea with the sweet kick of Mango. This tea is packed full of good quality pieces of fruit and nicely sized tea leaves, no dust-like tea here! Every sip is heavenly and really conveys the magic of tea, something Jadu Tea are pationate about promoting. I love that alongside the sweetness of the mango there’s a lime kick to add an element of indivuality and excitemend to the blend, this kick also adds to the refreshment this tea offers. The silvery, almost metallic colour of the tea once it’s steeped is beautiful, along with the smell it really is a luxurious experience that I won’t forget.

China Green

The China Green that I was sent was in the most beautiful box I’ve ever received tea in. It’s a luxuriously soft blue suede embossed with the Jadu Tea logo and China Green in gold, it’s so nice I actually don’t keep it in my kitchen, it lives on my desk by my computer (making it really hard to resist!). The dry tea is a deep green colour with a clean a healthy scent, as well as the grassy fragrance there’s also a sweetness to it. When brewed it makes a lovely golden tea that always wows my guests and even wins over my less cultured guests that usually reject green tea. Watching the leaves unfurl is a magical event and this tea is fantastic made in large quantities as it tastes great at every temperature and any strength, varying the tea between sweet and more vegetal. Tea presented in the Jadu Tea gift boxes makes the perfect gift for any tea fan and is sure to blow them away, you get a little slice of royalty with every infusion 🙂

Pyramid Teabags

The last item sent for a review was a lovely little box with the same sleek black packaging that contained a selection of pyramid teabags. The pyramid bags are great, nice and roomy for the tea leaves to unfurl and swirl around, so maximum flavour is achievable even if you’re in a rush (or lazy 😛).

That’s the end of my Jadu Tea review, I hope you’ve enjoyed reading it as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it and drinking the fantastic tea from Jadu Tea. If you’re still undecided where to by your tea I strongly recommend Jadu Tea, you can find their website here.

The last thing I’d like to say is a massive thanks to the Jadu team for sending me your magical products to try, I really appreciate it! 🙂

As always you can find me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Come say hi or leave a comment below!

Catch ya later! xXx

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Bluebird Tea Co. Christmas Hamper Review, The Best Gift Ever!

11th December 2015

A while back I went to the post office to collect a parcel and was given a box with Bluebird Tea Co. stamped all over it. I wasn’t expecting anything from them so I was instantly intrigued and massively excited! I opened the box and inside I found an incredible Christmas hamper full of tea! I was absolutely blown away, I’m sure anyone who receives one of these hampers will be equally blown away but it was definitely an OMFG moment! :p

The hamper included a selection of Bluebird’s finest Christmas gifts, which included 2 boxes of tea, a canvas Bluebird Tea Co. tote bag, an extending silver tea infuser, a tea bauble (so lovely!), a mulled wine cocktail kit and a Bluebird Tea Co. mug. The sweetest part is they even personalised the mug with my name, my first mug with my name on it! I’ll go through the tea in a bit more detail below but I’ll say up front, these teas are phenomenal!!

Snowball 50g Box of Loose Tea

The first tea I tried was Snowball, a chocolatey marshmallowy black tea treat with a hint of coconut. This tea feels like a dessert, it’s actually really helped having it on hand with the run up to Christmas as I tend to become a bit of a chocolate fiend but this satisfies my sweet tooth! I often find with basically all chocolate tea I’ve previously tried, that the tea isn’t actually chocolatey at all but this is totally different, there’s actual chocolate chips and you sure can taste them! I did actually pick the marshmallows out as I’m vegetarian and my boyfriend is vegan but I’ve been saving them so my mum gets extra when I make a cuppa so her tea is even naughtier!

Gingerbread Chai

Gingerbread Chai is a winner of a Great Taste Award and I can really see why. It’s a rooibos base and tastes phenomenal, my hamper contained tea bags and they go a long way! I have a HUGE Batman mug, I love to come in from the cold and fill it with Gingerbread Chai; Batman mug, Yoda slippers and my dressing gown and I’m all good!:P The Ginger warms the back of your throat and just the right amount of cinnamon is there for a little kick, this is a tea you just have to try. I’ve been trying to build up my collection of caffeine free tea as I do a lot of my tea drinking at night, often in to the early hours of the morning so this tea’s just perfect.

Christmas Cake Tea Bauble

This is something I found so exciting! It’s a plastic see-through bauble filled with teabags. I hung it straight up in my study and while I’m working I reward myself with some Christmas Cake tea every time I finish a chunk of work. Apart from the inventive packaging the tea is beyond words, it really does taste of christmas cake but sweeter with a beautiful marzipan flavour from the almond and a warming orangey fruitiness. It also has little snowflake shaped candy pieces, where else would you find tea this cute?! 😀

Mulled Wine Kit

This would make the perfect gift for anyone who likes mulled wine, it’s so nicely presented and easy to make. I’ll be honest, I haven’t actually ever had mulled wine so this was a first for me, a bit of a complication is I don’t/can’t drink alcohol so I found a non-alcoholic red wine to use instead 😊

The bottle contains all the spices and fruit you’ll need for the perfect mulled wine so you just add your red wine, leave for 48 hours and then simmer on the stove, strain and serve to guarantee that Christmas feeling!

I added more wine at the simmering stage to make the spices less intense but the result was fantastic! A beautifully sweet taste followed by a mouth warming hit of festivity!

The Extras

Also included in the hamper is a super cute Bluebird canvas tote bag, it couldn’t of come at a better time, with this 5p per bag business beginning! I keep it at the bottom of my manbag ready for my shopping. There’s also a really kool tea infuser, it’s telescopic and compresses to about 1.5cm thick, then it extends in to a full size tea infuser and with a classy chrome finish. Last but not least is a Bluebird Tea Co. mug with a festive bluebird, the lovely guys and gals at Bluebird also added my name to the mug which is so lovely <3

Overall this hamper is simply gorgeous, as are all the Bluebird Tea Co. Christmas gifts, they have a lot more to choose from at different price points so there’s something for everyone. I’ll be placing an order soon for some presents for my Boyfs parents and to stock up on more of the Christmas tea while I can, I have a feeling I’ll be drinking Christmas tea well in to the new year! 😉

I really hope you guys enjoyed reading this and I urge you to go and find the perfect Christmas present from Bluebird Tea Co.. One of the gifts I think would be particularly lovely are the tea blending kits, they contain 6 tins of tea ingredients and recipe cards for you to make your own blends, heaven! You can get the exact hamper in this review here, it’s a gift your loved one will never forget! 🙂

I’d like to say a HUUUUGE, MAHOOSIVE thank you to Bluebird Tea Co. for sending me this incredibly generous gift, I’m so so thankful. I’ll be coming to Brighton in the new year so I’ll be sure to call in and see you guys! 🙂

Merry Christmas to all my readers, friends and fellow bloggers who read this! I’d love to hear about any other amazing tea Christmas gifts you’ve found in the comments below or come find me on Twitter!

Oh one final note, you know you wanna be on my mailing list! 😉

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Black Tea Fruit Tea Iced Tea Rooibos

My First Tea Sparrow Tea Subscription Reviewed and Taste Tested!

29th August 2015

Tea Sparrow were kind enough to send me a monthly subscription box this month which I’m thrilled to be able to review for you all today. You can find out more about Tea Sparrow on their website.

I’m happy to share my pictures with you as I cover these four fantastic teas, read on to find out why a tea subscription service could be perfect for you!

All of the teas included by Tea Sparrow over the summer months are teas that are also great iced, this is a really nice idea to keep the subscription service exciting over the summer months.

The parcel arrived and it fitted straight through my letter box in a nice smart brown box. Inside were 4 very different teas, this months selection is Earl Grey Vanilla Rooibos, Pineapple Coconut Oolong, Citrus Sunburst and Mandarin Rose Tea. I also received a nice note explaining how to get the best out of the Oolong tea included in this months subscription, which is a really nice touch 🙂 All four teas are from different sources so the variety is great and they aren’t in any way similar, I’ll cover them in more detail below!

Earl Grey Vanilla Rooibos

This tea is from Aromatica Fine Teas and is really special! When I first began relentless tea drinking I wasn’t really a fan of Rooibos, I found it a bit sickly but I’ve had some truly great rooibos since then and this is one of them!

It smells fantastic, like sweets or dessert and the smell fills the room as soon as the water hits the fiery red leaf. The Earl Grey flavour is very definitely there and works amazingly as the vanilla sweetness swirls around with the bergamot. This tea is a beautiful colour and would be perfect to share with friends in glass teaware.

Earl Grey Vanilla Rooibos is also very economical and the amount provided by Tea Sparrow will be enough to enjoy this tea many times, I’m on about mug 10 and still have a lot left!

Mandarin Rose

Mandarin Rose is sourced from Mighty Leaf Tea. I was a little skeptical about this tea as I’m really not a fan of floral tasting tea but it actually is pretty amazing. Upon opening the packet I was greeted with a burst of a sweet rose smell just like Turkish Delight which I love! The rose petals are a nice size and a beautiful pink colour, paired with high quality black tea leaf. This tea kinda tastes just like a liquid Turkish Delight, and I think because it has a black tea base the rose element isn’t too overpowering.

I also tried this tea iced on one of the few sunny hours this summer and it was AMAZING, the smell becomes sugary sweet when it’s iced and provides the perfect refreshment on a hot day. I took the opportunity to get my Kilner mug set out and drink through a stripy straw, I’ve gotta say it tastes even better through a straw! :p

Citrus Sunburst

This fruit blend is from Tiesta Tea and is another great choice by Tea Sparrow. The smell is mainly citrus but with beautiful berry notes in the background, it smells amazing loose.

When I first added the water it turned a luxurious deep red colour. It smells literally intoxicating when it’s steeping, I found my self hovering over the mug breathing it in as it brewed. It has a multi-layered flavour that’s expertly created using a combination of the sweet berry element with the citrus tone.

Next I decided to take this tea for a spin iced and I’m so glad I did! I used two teaspoons which was enough to fill my bottle and I was also able to refill it from half full to get even more use out of it. It’s so refreshing as the pomegranate and apple flavours bubble to the surface while the citrus seems to take a slightly more refined approach than when hot.

Pineapple Coconut Oolong

I’ve saved the best until last! This tea has been created by Samovar Tea and I can honestly say it is one of the best teas I’ve ever tasted, Tea Sparrow really flexed their curating muscles with this one! 😀

I opened the packet and there was an outburst of a birthday cake like smell, I’m not really sure why as pineapple and coconut aren’t traditionally birthday cakey, either way this is a smell you need in your life! I decided to go all out and invite my favourite ‘special occasion’ teapot to the party. The prepared tea is a nice pale liquid that I still feel smells of vanillary cake, it’s also massively economical as you can brew the leaves 3 to 4 times and experience the full range of flavours this oolong offers.

I LOVE this tea, often tropical flavoured teas have way too much pineapple in them and the other flavours don’t get a look-in but this is different, the pineapple and coconut waltz across your tongue in perfect harmony. I urge you to try this fantastic creation, you won’t be disappointed!

Final Thoughts

I’ve been looking at tea subscription boxes for a while now and always felt that I’d need to find somewhere that I could trust to only send me good, enjoyable teas. Tea Sparrow are that company, all four of these teas are beautiful and the presentation and variation of this subscription box really shows that this service will provide you with expertly curated teas, from sources you probably wouldn’t ever find on your own. The amount of each tea provided is very generous and really will go a long way, Tea Sparrow’s service is actually really great value based on the quantity and quality of the tea you will receive.

Ask yourself, what could be better than a box bursting with character-filled teas arriving once a month, without you having to hunt for them yourself?

I hope you’ve enjoyed this review, I had so much fun with these teas and loved writing this review. I also had so much fun taking the pictures, these teas were deserving of my favourite teaphernalia 🙂

Thanks for reading! xXx

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Rooibos Tea Reviews

Flower Blossom No.15 For Leaves Tea Co. Review!

17th June 2015

It’s time for the 2nd of 4 reviews that I’ll be writing about the wonderful tea from For Leaves Tea Co.

This review will be of their No.15 Flower Blossom Tea. The first review in this series was the No.27 Blackberry Mallow (which I LOVE).

The Need To Know

The No.15 Flower Blossom tea is a rooibos base, with rosehip shells, dried redcurrants, blueberries and blackcurrants among others. Being caffeine free it’s great for a late night drink, my addiction to black, green and white tea leaves me a tad sad when all I’ve got to drink at night is fruit tea, so this is a welcome addition to my tea cupboard (it’s a BIG cupboard! ;).

The Smell

When the pack is first opened it breathes out a sweet nutty fragrance, with a slightly citrusy element but surprisingly it doesn’t contain any citrusy ingredients so I’m assuming it’s the smell of the slightly tart fruit. The aroma is fantastic, there’s nice sized, high quality dried fruit and the rooibos is of equal quality.

The Taste

I moved straight on to the infusing, I used my beautiful clear glass teacups and saucers for the photos and they really show up the beautiful rich colour of the tea. For Leaves suggest adding milk for a delicious chai, I don’t drink milk and soya always tastes a bit odd in tea but I can imagine a chai with this tea would be delicious!

The tea has a rich, smooth flavour that’s delicately sweet, I sometimes find rooibos a bit sickly but the blending with the fruit has been done with expert precision and the rooibos sweetness compliments it perfectly. Every mouthful begins with a sweet roobios hit but then the nutty flavours soak through and the taste ends with a wonderful fruity aftertaste. It’s so comforting to just sit back with this tea, slow down a little and feel the relaxation that a great tea brings, which is the ethos behind the For Leaves Tea Co!

Overall

Overall I think this tea is fantastic, I’m not usually the biggest fan of rooibos but For Leaves Tea Co. have done a fine job blending this. It’s definitely one of my number one night time drinks and eases my craving for something more than fruit tea before I go to sleep.

Thanks for reading, as always I’ve loved writing this review. If you’d like reviews, competitions and special offers for tea retailers you’ll definitely be wanting to join my newsletter 🙂

A huge thanks goes to Forleaves Tea Co. for sending me these teas! Be sure to check them out. I hope you’ll be back for the remaining 2 Forleaves Tea Co. reviews I’ve got coming up! xXx

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Newer Posts

Hi there, welcome to my blog about my biggest passion, tea!

My name’s Russell, my lifetime nickname has always been Rusty or Russtea as my friends now call me (my surname even begins with T!).

Not much beats the feeling of taking a moment at the end of a busy day and relaxing with your favourite mug, filled with sweet fruit tea, or waking up with black tea infused with vanilla shortbread.

Why not take a moment now, make your favourite tea and join me as I share my tea related experiences?