Green Tea | Russtea's

Heard of Kukicha?! Check Out My Adagio Teas Review

25th July 2016

A while back I was sent some flavoured matcha by Adagio Teas for me to include in a flavoured matcha comparison that I’ve been writing, which I will eventually have finished! Adagio were also awesome enough to send me some of their tea to review.

I’ve been a fan of Adagio for a long while now, they were one of the first companies to reach out to me when my blog first got going so I’ve had a soft spot for their tea ever since.

I reviewed their Green Rooibos Bonita a few weeks back which was AMAZING and now I’ll be reviewing Kukicha, which is something new for me.

Kukicha is basically a blend of the stems, stalks and twigs of the tea plant that aren’t used, usually when sencha or matcha is produced, which results in a deep green loose tea. The first thing I noticed when I smelt the tea in it’s packet is it has a really green vegetal aroma with a lighter fragrance than traditional green tea.

When I prepared the tea I was pleased by how economical it is, a little goes a long way and it’s good for multiple infusions. When the water’s added it produces a very light golden tea that has a fragrance that I can only describe as smelling healthy, it does have a slightly sweet nutty aroma too.

I was eager to try this tea as it’s something new which is always exciting to find. The main thing I noticed is how light the flavour is, it doesn’t have any bitterness and is overall quite sweet and nutty. It’s really nice to drink on warm summer evenings, especially when it cools slightly as it’s really refreshing. I’ve been drinking this tea in big amounts, I fill my Adagio IngenuiTEA at the beginning of the evening and I’m good to go!

Kukicha is naturally low in caffeine so if that’s something you look for in a tea then this is one for you 🙂

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading my review of Adagio’s Kukicha, if you’d like to try the unique flavour of Kukicha yourself you can find it here and they even do a wallet friendly sample size 😀

Thanks to Adagio for sending me this tea to review and thanks so much to everyone reading this!

As always you can find me on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook if you have any questions or love tea as much as me and would like to talk tea 🙂

Bye for now! xXx

0 Comments

Matcha Tea Reviews

T2 Cinammon Flavoured Matcha & Teaware Review

11th July 2016

I’ve become obsessed with flavoured matcha over the last few months and watched it go from one or two flavours being available in the UK to a ton of flavours being available.

I decided I’d put together a comparison post for all the flavoured matcha I can find, there’s even a couple from Barcelona thrown in. I haven’t quite finished the comparison yet but in my search I was excited to discover that T2 now do a few flavoured matchas. I reached out to them to see if they fancied being included in my comparison post and they were kind enough to send me their Cinammon matcha and a hella fancy glass mug to go with it.

As they were generous enough to send me these I thought I’d write a post up just about their products to begin with and then add them to the comparison post too. Read on to find out what I thought!

Cinammon Flavoured Matcha

The first thing I always notice about T2 products is how phenomenally presented they are, if you haven’t been to one of their stores yet I urge you to do so. I particularly like their Regent Street and Tottenham Court Road stores in London, their staff are always more than happy to make up a batch of any of their teas for you to try and they’re super knowledgable. The quality of the packaging is instantly obvious with their flavoured matcha as you can always expect from T2.

This is THE spoon to measure perfect matcha servings! http://amzn.to/29O56ZY

It comes in beautiful black tins with vibrant colours that are always in pristine condition. Inside the lid of the canister there’s a second lid that really helps to keep the matcha fresh, not that it’ll hang around for long once you’ve tasted it 😉 Inside the canister you’ll find a totally sealed foil packet so you know your matcha is perfect from day one.

Straight away I was impressed with the bright vivid green of T2’s matcha and the cinnamon fragrance explosion that took place as soon as I snipped the top of the packet. I did wonder if the cinnamon would be too spicy and overpower the matcha but I could tell from the sweet cinnamony scent that this wouldn’t be the case.

T2’s cinnamon matcha blends amazingly with the water and the froth it produces is really incredible, you literally get about a centermetre of frothy joy on top of each batch. The cinnamon flavour is as the fragrance promised, sweet and puddingy! It reminds me of cinnamon buns but not quite as sweet and the balance of cinnamon and matcha is superb.

Another thing worth mentioning is I recently bought a pack of T2’s unflavoured matcha sachets so I can get a matcha hit while I’m on the move (my matcha addiction has got pretty serious in recent weeks 😛) and I love the vibrant green goodness that bursts out of each sachet. It seems T2’s matcha is top quality whether it’s flavoured or not, some other flavoured matcha I’ve had has clearly been lesser quality matcha hiding behind a flavour but this totally isn’t the case with T2.

T2 Glass Mug

When I opened my much awaited T2 delivery I was thrilled to find that they’d also included one of their glass mugs. Another reason to visit a T2 store is their teaware, it’s simply divine! It is quite expensive but their quality is one of the highest I’ve seen, from their teapots to their glassware, it’s all fantastic.

I’ve always particularly liked their glass teaware, I have a double walled glass of theirs that you may of seen on my Instagram and it’s always been one of my favs. The glass mug I received is clear glass with a black glass handle, it’s super smart and perfect for displaying their matcha in 😃

The black glass handle really works alongside the bright green hues of the matcha. It’s really a joy to use and adds an extra element of sophistication to any matcha session. I’ve really enjoyed my time with T2’s cinnamon matcha and cannot wait to try their other flavours once they’re back in stock in their London stores. If you’d like to buy their flavoured matcha too you can find them on their website, there’s a choice of Cinnamon, Chocolate or Mint.

A massive thank you goes to T2 for being awesome enough to send me their wonderful products to review.

Another huge thanks goes to you guys for reading my review, it means so much to me! 😃 Remember to come find me on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, I’m always happy to talk with any fellow matcha lovers!

Bye for now! xXx

0 Comments

Matcha Tea Reviews

Review of Azuma Chocolate, Ginger or Yuzu Flavoured Matcha Latte Mixes from Yunomi

26th June 2016

The last few months I’ve been loving flavoured matcha and really excited how it’s blown up in the UK this year, so I’ve been on a mission to find all the flavoured matcha I can and put together a big comparison. I’ll cover these again in my comparison post but I wanted to give them their own post as well as Yunomi were generous enough to send me them.

After posting a photo of my matcha collection on Instagram I was messaged by Yunomi, offering me the chance to try some flavoured matcha latte mixes 😀 obviously I jumped at the chance and I’m really excited to share my experience with you.

Yunomi sent me chocolate, ginger and Yuzu (Japanese Citrus). These mixes are a combination of matcha, sweetener and powdered milk with a couple other ingredients. They basically allow you to make a quick matcha latte like the ones slowly popping up at all the good tea shops at the moment but easily in your own home.

The Review

The parcel from Yunomi arrived which was super exciting, tea all the way from Japan is pretty special 🙂 All three mixes arrived in such beautiful vibrant packaging, the packaging is heat sealed for freshness. You get a good amount in one packet, for around the $10 mark, which is pretty reasonable compared to the price of a matcha latte when out and about in London! 😮

I found all three latte’s had the right amount of sweetener, I did worry if they might be too sweet like they sometimes are in tea shops but they’re not at all. It’s really never been easier to make a matcha latte at home, you simply heat the water, then you add a few teaspoons of the mix and stir. It’s really impressive how milky the latte actually ends up being, without any extra milk being added.

The powder blends well and doesn’t have any lumpy issues or sink to the bottom like a lot of hot chocolate powders do. A little also goes a long way so you’ll get a lot of lattes from each packet.

On to the flavours!

Yuzu (Japanese Citrus)

I hadn’t heard of Yuzu before so I did a little reading and found that Yuzu is a citrus plant originating in east asia. I kind of assumed it would be more of an orange flavour but it’s most similar to a grapefruit taste. It is a little less bitter than grapefruit and not crazily strong in the matcha latte mix but it does have a tart flavour.

I found this was refreshing and I really enjoyed the opportunity to try a flavour I’ve never tried before but I did find the grapefruit-like bitterness slightly too strong but that’s probably just me.

This was a really good breakfast drink, which I guess is kinda like people having grapefruit for breakfast. It’s a refreshing flavour that’s good for an early morning wake up and again the matcha taste is still the dominant flavour, which is definitely a good thing.

Chocolate

I was really excited about the chocolate, two of my top 5 favourite foods combined! 😀 The first thing I noticed when I opened the packet is a smell very similar to powdered hot chocolate but with a matcha hit. When you add the water the smell goes from great to outstanding, literally smells of melting chocolate!

I wondered how well the chocolate and matcha flavours would go together but I have to say I needn’t of worried. The chocolate and matcha are there in equal amounts without one being too strong. The sweetener in the latte helps the flavours to blend, without it the sweet chocolate taste and vegetal matcha flavour might not of been such a good match. This was by far my favourite of the three, I just adore chocolate!

Ginger

This is one I was a little apprehensive about trying but it turned out to be really good. It’s not a sweet gingerbread-like flavour, it’s more of a spicy ginger which goes well with the matcha. I did it slightly too gingery for me but if ginger’s your thing I’m sure you’d love it. Again it’s very economical and made a really good thick milky drink with a lot of froth.

I found this latte smelt really great and the fresh gingery aroma really clears your airwaves when you take a sip. I’m sure if you also found the ginger a little too strong you could sweeten it, especially if you prefer a less natural, sweeter matcha.

So that’s my review of these fantastic matcha latte mixes from Yunomi, I really hope you enjoyed reading it and that you choose to try the chocolate, ginger or Yuzu matcha latte mixes for yourself 🙂

A big thanks to Yunomi for sending me these products to review, it’s such an honour to be sent products all the way from Japan so I really appreciate it 😀

As always, please share if you know anyone that will enjoy this review, join my mailing list below and find me on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. Thanks for reading!

Bye for now xXx

0 Comments

Matcha Tea Reviews Teaphernalia

Review of NEW Adagio Teas Chocolate Matcha & Raspberry Matcha

13th June 2016

A little while ago I decided to start working on a post comparing flavoured matcha from different brands. Adagio Teas were awesome enough to send me a couple of theirs to try so I figured I’d write a review dedicated to the Adagio Teas flavoured matcha and add them to the comparison as well (which I’ll be publishing soon!).

Adagio sent me a 57g tin of their new raspberry flavoured matcha as well as a 57g tin of their new chocolate flavoured matcha.

The first thing I noticed was how incredible they smell, they really do smell beyond words. I also love the tins, they’re really decorative and a really beautiful touch if the pictures on the inside of the lids, raspberries on one and a chocolatey brown design on the other. A small issue I had with the tins is the matcha had managed to escape a bit and the outside of the tins were a bit covered, this could quite easily just be a one off though.

What’s really good about these flavoured matchas is they’re really good value for money, for just £14 in the UK and $29 in the USA you get a 57g tin of matcha, this is especially cheap and the matcha is still really high quality. Both flavours are a beautiful vivid green colour that’s always nice to see and they froth up really excellently too.

Still loving my perfect serving matcha spoon!

Raspberry Flavoured Matcha

I decided to try the raspberry flavoured matcha first as it was more similar to other flavours I’d tried, which were all fruity, so I felt I’d be able to compare them better. As soon as the matcha hit the water the smell erupted in to the kitchen, what surprised me is the smell is so fresh and doesn’t smell artificial in any way.

The flavour is equally as amazing as the scent, the raspberry flavour is very definitely there but without overpowering the matcha flavour. I love unflavoured matcha so I always want my flavoured matcha to still be primarily matcha flavoured and not sweetened in any way so this is perfect on both fronts. The fresh raspberry flavour compliments the drier flavours of the matcha perfectly and the smell as you inhale with each sip is heavenly!

Chocolate Flavoured Matcha

Chocolate is probably my favourite food in the world, I literally adore it! So chocolate was the flavour I was most excited about trying, all the other flavoured matchas I have are all fruit flavours so this one really stood out for me. Upon opening the tin or even as you pick it up before you open it, you can smell this sweet chocolate smell, it kinda smells just like Nesquik milkshake powder!

The chocolate flavour is quite subtle and not overpowering, which I feel is a positive thing. After trying it and thinking about it, I thought that a strong chocolate flavour wouldn’t actually be that great with the vegetal flavours of matcha so it’s subtlety is probably it’s strong point. It’s very obviously matcha but that slightly naughty chocolate flavour is noticeable alongside it, which is a pretty heavenly combo!

So if you’d be wanting this to be crazily chocolatey this probably isn’t for you but I kinda feel that crazily chocolatey isn’t really what you want from your matcha, give me matcha with a chocolatey undertone instead any day! 🙂 It’s really great to be able to enjoy something so healthy and get a chocolate hit at the same time!

Final words

The new flavoured matcha range from Adagio is really exciting and well worth checking out if you like matcha and want something a bit different. These matchas are flavoured to just the right amount, while still retaining the flavour matcha lovers adore.

You can check out the new flavoured matcha’s from Adagio Teas here, other flavours in the range are Cinnamon Apple, Mocha and Peach. I’ll probably end up buying the Cinnamon Apple and Peach as well as I love matcha from Adagio Teas and the chocolate and raspberry didn’t disappoint at all!

Adagio also included some of their tea for me to review as well which I’ll be doing in a separate post so keep a look out for that if you love tea as well! 🙂

Thanks to Adagio for sending me these new flavoured matchas to review, I’m so grateful!

A while back I reviewed Adagio’s IngenuiTEA gravity tea infuser which will seriously change the way you drink tea! You can find the review here.

Thanks for reading! Bye for now 🙂 xXx

0 Comments

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

0 Comments

Black Tea Green Tea Oolong Tea Reviews Teaphernalia

Shibui Leaf Tea Haul Taste Tested & Reviewed!

23rd May 2016

A little while ago I was lucky enough to be sent a box of joy by Shibui Leaf Tea. Inside the box there was a selection of loose leaf teas, an awesome mug and some empty tea pyramids for making your own teabags (super cool!).

On to the review!

Caramel Oolong

This was one of the teas I requested because I love Oolong and caramel seemed like the perfect accompaniment. This tea smells beyond words, succulent & sweet, with a buttery quality. I could actually just leave bowls of this around my house, the smell is that good!

One thing I love about Oolong is you can get a lot of tea from not much leaf, as it really lends itself to being infused multiple times. During these infusions you can follow the tea on a delectable taste journey as each infusion tastes different to the last and from a practical point of view, this makes this tea very economic.

On to the taste! As you swirl this golden liquor in your mouth you can taste the beautiful delicate quality of the Oolong as well as a devilishly sweet caramel flavour, that’s just strong enough to be enjoyable but without overpowering the Oolong flavour. I think this would be great iced but also fantastic to cuddle up with on a cold night and lets face it, with the British summer coming up the latter is more likely! :p

Ti Kuan Yin

This is another excellent Oolong, with light floral notes. I received these in high quality pyramid teabags, there’s more than enough tea for multiple infusions in each teabag and the teabags allow the leaf to move around enough to infuse well.

This was a really flavoursome Oolong with quite a delicate savoury flavour, you can also taste a subtle underlying floral sweetness which gives it some extra character. It produces a brownish liquid with a really unique scent and it’s malty flavour is so refreshing to drink, definitely a good Oolong! 🙂

White Peony

White Peony (known in China as Pai Mu Tan) is always a tea I look forward to, the delicate sweetness of the white tea is fantastic and super refreshing. It’s produced from the handpicked bud and first two leaves of the tea plant, this creates a clean royal tea.

The leaves are a really good size which is always a nice thing to see and each pyramid teabag is filled with a lot of tea so you can easily make a couple of cups of tea with one teabag. It has a slightly floral quality to it which is subtly sweet but it lets the white tea flavours take centre stage.

Maple Walnut

Another tea I requested a sample of is Maple Walnut and I’m so glad I did! This tea smells sooo good with a sweet maple fragrance and a hint of walnut. The pieces of walnut and the leaf are really nice sized and you can tell this tea is special when you first prepare it, the smell just fills the room with sweet nuttiness.

Once steeped it makes a vibrant green liquid which I could just sit and smell all day! The taste is amazing, it’s really sweet and has a slightly toasted quality to it, reminds me of toasted marshmallows. The walnut flavour is definitely noticeable but not overpowering, I wondered if it would be too nutty but it’s not at all. The tea leaf, walnut and maple are all there with precisely the right amount of each.

English Breakfast

I was lucky enough to receive my English Breakfast in a beautiful polished chrome cannister, it’s really stunning and I’ll be sure to refill it once it’s empty and store it on my desk. These cannisters would make the perfect gift for any tea lover and it definitely adds a certain elegance to the experience, after all, presentation is everything!;)

I feel that English Breakfast is really drab unless it’s really good, without any extra flavours the quality of black tea can really be noticed. Luckily this is a really good English Breakfast, it has a deep malty brown colour to it and it’s epic with a couple of biscuits to dunk in it. It has a very slight sweetness to it which makes it more enjoyable than a lot of other English Breakfast tea I’ve tried. My mum loves English breakfast, even with all the exciting tea I make for her she still insists on English Breakfast with her breakfast and she definitely approves of this English Breakfast!

The Unexpected – Shibui Mug & Tea Filters

An unexpected inclusion from Shibui Leaf Tea is a mug that has a tea themed word search on it, with words such as Roobios and Assam. It’s bone china and dishwasher proof, a really nice touch is one of the words is Shibui and it’s been outlined as the only word found so far, which I really like! Again this would be the perfect gift to give with some of the gorgeous teas above.

I also received some tea filters, which basically act like teabags that you can fill yourself and pull closed with a drawstring at the top. They’re unbleached, chlorine free and biodegradable so great all round! I use something similar when I go away so I don’t have to carry an infuser for loose leaf tea with me but these are more convenient with the drawstring closure. They’re also an absolute bargain at £3.95 for 100!

So that’s my haul reviewed! A huge thanks to Shibui Tea for sending me their products to review and for their generosity, it’s very much appreciated.

You can check out their amazing store here.

Thanks so much for reading this review, I hope you enjoyed it. Bye for now! xXx

0 Comments

Matcha Tea Reviews Teaphernalia

Matchæologist Misaki Matcha, Glass Chawan & Chasen Review

24th April 2016

Recently I was contacted by Anthony from Matchæologist, he asked me to review their Matcha. He also sent me one of the most in depth emails I’ve ever received about matcha, I’ll try and include some of his knowledge in this review for you guys 🙂

Anthony sent me their Misaki matcha which is their highest grade of matcha. As well as the matcha he was incredibly generous in sending me a handblown double walled glass chawan (matcha bowl) and a bamboo full hand chasen (matcha whisk).

The quality of the chawan in beyond words, it’s stunning seductive curves are a work of art, my matcha drinking just got an upgrade! 😉 I’ll definitely have it on show in my study between uses as it’s way too pretty to keep in a cupboard! The double walls mean that your matcha stays hot for longer and that the outer wall is comfortable to the touch. Being glass means it looks incredible in photos, with the deep bright green of Matchæologist Misaki matcha shining through!

The Chasen is also beautiful, it has a longer handle and smaller prongs than the one I have been using, which is awesome because I can gain more movement and control when I’m preparing matcha in smaller vessels. The chawan and chasen combine magically, making matcha preparation effortless.

What Makes Matchæologist Misaki Matcha Different?

Before I go on to review the Misaki matcha I’ll share some info about what makes it so special. Matchæologist only sells artisanal grade matcha, the kind that’s been used throughout history in tea ceremonies, by buddhist monks and even samurai warriors! Matcha of this quality is achieved exclusively by hand; the tea buds are picked, rolled, roasted and even stone ground completely by hand.

The key difference with this matcha when compared to other matcha is the vivid green colouring and blue hues, this matcha is GREEN in a way I’ve never seen before. This colouring is achieved by using only the top buds of shade-grown tea trees, when tea trees are shade grown they compensate by producing more chlorophyl. The most tender parts of the shoots are picked and any veins or stems are removed. This results in a beautifully roasted fragrant matcha with a pleasant ‘umami’ taste profile that is a little sweet but still has that exquisite savoury flavour that all matcha enthusiasts crave.

Matchæologist’s process outlined above also causes the tea trees to be higher in L-theanine, the amino acid that contributes to the mental clarity that matcha drinkers love, as well as a host of other health benefits.

My Thoughts

The packaging is beautiful, each item came in a cute canvas drawstring bag, a lovely touch. The Misaki matcha comes in a little metal tin and inside is a foil bag that is sealed so the freshness of the matcha is guaranteed. You simply open the packet and carefully tip it in to the tin which screws shut to provide airtight storage.

Straight away I’ve gotta say that this matcha is phenomenal, as soon as I opened the Misaki matcha I couldn’t believe the colour, it’s so unbelievably green and the smell is fantastic. It froths up beautifully, it almost reminds me of bubble bath with a thick layer of froth in every batch, once prepared it’s a bold deep green colour.

The first thing I noticed is there’s no bitterness, a lot of matcha has a bitter taste to it which I believe is what puts some people off. This has the savoury roasted flavour that matcha lovers crave but the noticeable difference is a succulent sweet aftertaste that I’ve never experienced before. It offers an addictively complex flavour with the perfect sweet/savoury balance, leaving you looking forward to each and every sip.

The mental clarity and alertness experienced after drinking Matchæologist’s Misaki matcha is also noticeably improved compared to regular lesser matcha. It’s awesome to get a good hit of it just before a study session or to get the creative juices flowing!

So that’s my review of the wonderful experience of Matchæologist Misaki matcha and the jaw-droppingly beautiful chawan and full hand chasen. It’s been fantastic and I strongly recommend you check Matchæologist out. I’d like to say a massive thank you to Anthony for being so generous and sending me such amazing products!

I hope you guys enjoyed this post, if you did you can subscribe to my newsletter below. I have a pretty fantastic competition in the works that you’ll definitely want to enter! 😉

Bye for now! xXx

3 Comments

Fruit Tea Green Tea Reviews

A review of Sencha Spring Melody tea from the fabulous Gently Stirred

21st March 2016

I LOVE Gently Stirred and their passion for good tea. The first thing I always notice is the care that’s taken to produce a beautiful, personal moment with every purchase. They go above and beyond with hand wrapping in stylish brown and green packaging, that has a wholesome and friendly feel to it.

Onto the tea! Recently I was lucky enough to try the aptly named Sencha Spring Melody, a super sweet smelling strawberry green tea. Before I even opened the package I could smell the smell of fresh strawberries, when I was a kid me and my mum would always go strawberry picking and the smell of this tea takes me right back to those trips 🙂 As always this tea from Gently Stirred is made up of super quality loose leaf tea with succulent dried strawberry in abundance.

When the water hits the tea things step up a gear; the strawberry smell erupts out as the water turns an inviting golden colour. The taste is fantastic, really sweet but with a definite green tea flavour as well, with absolutely no bitterness. This is a great tea to drink after dinner if you’re trying to steer clear of the calories that pudding brings!

Sencha Spring Melody is also awesome iced, I’m really looking forward to drinking it in the Spring and Summer, although I’ve been drinking it iced in the winter too 😛

Anyway I’m guessing you’ve realised by now that I like this tea, A LOT and I’d definitely recommend taking a look at Gently Stirred’s website and trying it for yourself.

Comment with any teas you’d like me to review or that you recommend I try and come say hi on Twitter, Instagram etc.

Thanks for reading! 🙂 xXx

0 Comments

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

0 Comments

Black Tea Green Tea

Tea Time Tea Subscription Reviewed!

16th November 2015

Recently Tea Time sent one of their monthly subscription boxes for me to review. Tea Time is a tea subscription service that delivers you amazing health-focused tea each month. The tea was received in a slim white box which fit through my letterbox perfectly. A nice touch is the inclusion of some empty teabags you can fill if required, which offers the best of both worlds.

Inside there were three pots of tea – Lemune Superboost, Jasmin Pearl Zen and Tummy Tonic, for only £4.95!

Also included was a flowering tea, which is a small ball that you drop in to a teapot, the ball then opens up and grows in to a flower and infuses the water at the same time!

Lemune Superboost

This smelt divine! As soon as the water hit the dry tea you could smell the lemongrass. It brings back fond memories of a local Thai restaurant, that I visit a lot with my partner. The leaf was nice and fresh with no powder or small bits and it goes a really long way using an infuser so it’s very economical. I really liked the inclusion of whole goji berries which added a really refreshing zing but without sharpness, as well as notable superfood health benefits. The smell the entire time you drink is incredible and you become immersed in a magical lemony mist with every sip.

Jasmin Pearl Zen

This tea was definitely my favourite out of the three teas I received. This also had nice sized leaf which opened up impressively once infused and it’s really nice to see such good quality jasmin. It has a strong healthy Jasmine scent with a flavour to match, this tea is perfect for leisurely sipping, as the jasmin flavour dances around on your tongue. The flavour overall is refined but clearly has the Jasmine tones, without being overpowering and I loved to watch the dragon pearls unfurl in the mug at the end of a busy day 🙂

Tummy Tonic

I think out of the three teas I received tummy tonic was probably my least favourite, it wasn’t really bad but just not my ‘my cup of tea’. I’ve never really been a fan of mint tea I find it is not sweet enough and it always reminds me of toothpaste. When you open the poy there’s still good quality leaf, with a definite mintyness which is the dominant flavour when you drink it. If you like mint tea this would definitely be a wise choice for you.

One thing I did notice about this tea is one day I had indigestion and a slightly upset stomach so I decided to drink this and test out it’s health benefits. I did find it really helped and quickly settled my stomach. I think despite the flavour not being totally perfect for me, I ‘ll keep a stash of this and ration it to use when I next have an upset stomach, which thankfully is very rare 😛

The packaging was really good and clearly labelled, I love the addition of the symbology guide inside the lid of the box, it shows you what the symbols on the lid of each pot of tea mean. Such as whether the blend is decaffeinated, how many servings per pot and also if it can be reinfused. The only info I felt was missing from the packaging is the temperature at which each tea has to be a infused, this is especially important with any teas that contain green or white tea.

Overall I really enjoyed the service and the variation of tea in the subscription box. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who wants new and unique tea without having to hunt it down yourself. You really can’t go wrong for the price as well, £4.50 per box, which is far less than rival tea subscriptions!

The flowering tea is a really nice addition to the box. I love flowering tea as it’s a really good centre piece for any occasion and always impresses guests!

Be sure to check out Tea Time’s website! 🙂

If you have any questions please contact me either via the comments below, email or Twitter. I’d like to say a big thank you to Tea Time for sending me their subscription box and I hope that my feedback is helpful.

Bye for now! xXx

0 Comments

Older Posts

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?