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Bluebird Tea Co. Exam & Summer Blends Reviewed

23rd May 2017

The last couple of weeks I’ve been finishing my final assignment for the year. This week my focus is shifting to revising for my last exam of the year, it’s been massively stressful!

Luckily, a surprise delivery arrived from Bluebird with limited edition exam blends and suddenly my revision looks a whole lot more exciting! 😊

Review Time!


One In A Melon

First up is a gorgeous green and melon blend! This tea smells incredibly fruity and sweet, I could smell it through the packaging and recently went to Bristol with it in my case and it left my clothes smelling super fruity 😃

Once the water hits the smell is magical, the whole kitchen smells of juicy watermelon. The green tea flavour is lush as you can always expect from Bluebird and the strength of the watermelon flavour is perfect. This is a tea that will clearly be AMAZING iced, I’ll definitely be drinking this iced over the summer once my exams are out of the way😃

Hocus Focus

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this tea and couldn’t imagine what it would taste like after smelling it but I was pleasantly surprised.

The tea produces a deep chocolate coloured brew with extremely satisfying toffee notes. There’s a slight chilli hit that adds a much appreciated element of excitement. An all round good blend but don’t be put off by the smell or you’ll miss a unique and exciting tea!

Summer of Love

This is a blend I was instantly excited about, I love the name and it’s one of the most colourful blends I’ve ever seen! The tea gives off an incredible fruity smell that smells super summery. Bluebird sent me this tea in a 50g pouch which is generously filled as always and is sure to fuel a lot of happy tea sessions 😊

The taste of the green tea element of this blend is fantastic and the fruity flavour is sweet but doesn’t overpower the drier vegetal flavour of the green tea. Another blend I’m sure will be awesome iced and super refreshing on the warmer days of the summer ahead.

Ginger Beer

Ginger beer isn’t a drink I’ve ever really drunk so I wasn’t sure what to expect with this blend but I was definitely intrigued!

The tea is a rooibos based blend which Bluebird are particularly good at making. There’s a really refreshing lime scent which creates a nice lime aftertaste, which is accompanied by a hint of caramel. The ginger flavour is the most noticeable alongside the nutty rooibos goodness, with the combination of lime and ginger creating an almost fizzy mouth feel.

An overall awesome blend from Bluebird which I know I’ll be enjoying regularly 😃

Pineapple Sorbet

As soon as I opened my Bluebird delivery and saw Pineapple Sorbet I couldn’t wait to try it. It literally smells like a sweet shop with a smell that reminds me of pear drops.

It’s another blend that instantly makes you think of summer and the tea itself looks really pretty 😍Pineapple sorbet’s sweetness is perfect to serve iced without needing to add any sugar or honey. I received this blend in pyramid teabags which are generously filled and easily make tea for two. This is one of my favourites from these new Bluebird blends!

All Nighter

All nighter is one of the teas I was most excited to try, due to it being a tea and coffee combo. I really don’t like coffee and wouldn’t ever choose it over tea but it’s a combination I’ve never tried before which is always exciting. It actually smells incredible with a nice roasted coffee scent with green tea and an enticing chocolate hint.

The flavour is real good, definitely better than I expected! The tea flavour takes centre stage and the slight coffee flavour really works, the addition of chocolate is sheer perfection! I also love the name of this blend and I’ve been drinking a ton of it while I’ve been revising 😃

Relax

One thing that I struggle to do when my workload is huge is relax so I was pleased to see a Bluebird blend to help me take a break. Chamomile tea is always welcome in my tea cupboard but I find it’s one of those blends that when it’s bad, it’s really bad! As expected Bluebird’s twist on chamomile tea is one of the best I’ve tried.

It smells mind blowing, with a candy apple sweetness alongside a delicate aroma of white tea. I sometimes receive chamomile tea to review that is really overly floral and not very sweet but the addition of apple and white tea brings the chamomile flavour down a notch. There’s also an addictive honey aftertaste that keeps me coming back for more!

Final Thoughts

All round this is a fantastic delivery from Bluebird with some of my all time favourite Bluebird blends. These teas have been much appreciated during my revision and I know I’ll be drinking the summer blends all through the summer months ahead.

Thanks for taking the time to read my review, if you’d like more from my blog be sure to come find me on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram (or all three! 😜).

If you’d like to try these new blends yourself you can find them on Bluebird’s website.

A huge thanks to Bluebird for sending me this awesome delivery 😘

Bye for now! xXx

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Black Tea Chai Fruit Tea Green Tea Herbal Tea Rooibos Tea Reviews

TeaTourist March Subscription Box Review

19th April 2017

I’ve been lucky enough to receive the March tea subscription box from the amazing people over at TeaTourist to try out and I obv had to share the experience with you guys! 😀

If you’d like to try exciting new tea each month then a tea subscription box is a good place to start and a TeaTourist tea subscription box is the BEST place to start! Each month you’ll receive a super exciting and varied selection of 6 teas with generous portions of each.

I especially love the TeaTourist service because I can find out about a new handful of tea companies each month without having to hunt them down myself, super convenient for tea bloggers!

Be sure to read on to find a voucher to get 30% off your first box!

Review Time!

Rose & Strawberry Red Bush – Spice Kitchen

First up is Rose Strawberry Red Bush, an exciting and unique rooibos based blend. The smell of this tea really blew me away, it literally smells like strawberry laces that I had as a kid, I knew straight away that this tea would be special.

It’s always nice to see flavours blended together that are a bit different, the rose and strawberry flavours in this tea are a fine example of this. The sweetness of the strawberry is immensely addictive and I really enjoyed the rose notes too. One of the best of this month’s box 😀

 

Mulled Apple – Nothing But Tea

I was immediately drawn to this tea by it’s candy apple fragrance and the warming spicy element. It’s always nice to see good quality, nicely sized apple pieces and the pretty yellow flowers are mighty inviting.

The apple flavours are most noticeable but the slight spicyness makes this tea perfect to cuddle up with on a cool Spring evening and dream of the warmer weather of the summer ahead. Another fantastic find!

 

Chocolate Orange – Nelson & Norfolk Tea Co.

I was ecstatic to see this blend in this months box, who doesn’t love a chocolate-orange combo!?

I’ve found in the past that chocolate teas can be a bit of a let down, the promise of chocolate heaven often doesn’t carry across well. Thanks to the overload of chocolate goodness added to this blend it doesn’t at all suffer from a lack of chocolate flavour.

The ingredients include cacao beans, cocoa nibs, cocoa shells AND chocolate chips, it couldn’t get any more chocolatey if it tried! The addition of the orange flavour alongside the chocolate is superb, an all round delight 🙂

 

Wilderness Honeybush – Leopard Friendly

I looked forward to trying this blend as it’s pretty unique, as can be expected from nearly all of TeaTourist’s picks. I hadn’t had honeybush tea before so I wasn’t sure what to expect but it was pretty awesome! It didn’t have the standout flavours of some of the other teas in this months box but I still thoroughly enjoyed it, it reminded me of rooibos but a little less nutty and more earthy.

A good choice if you’re looking for something you haven’t tried before and tend to not be a fan of crazily flavoured tea, preferring more wholesome and natural blends instead.

 

Tumeric Chai – Chai Kai Tea Co.

I’m a big chai fan, I adore chai lattes either from Starbucks or made at home with A LOT less sugar! 😉 I’ve been enjoying turmeric matcha the last few months which I love so I was excited to see what this tea had to offer.

I was a bit hesitant when first smelling this tea but the flavour was awesome! It has a really nice chai spiced flavour to it with a sweet turmeric and coconut combo that had me coming back for more time after time 😀

The turmeric twist ensures this is a tea that’s always at the front of your tea cupboard!

Turmeric is also being hailed as a cure-all at the moment (it’s like matcha a year ago :p) so the health benefits are an added bonus!

 

Honey Lemon – Teagime

Honey and lemon is a road well travelled in the tea world but that doesn’t mean it can’t be awesome! This tea smells almost medicinal before it’s steeped but it’s watered down (literally :p) when you brew it, causing a beautiful honey lemon fragrance to waft through the kitchen.

The flavour is smooth with a rich honey taste blended with just the right amount of lemon, without it being too citrusy. I feel like this tea would be perfect to cuddle up with and soothe a cold but that doesn’t mean you can’t cuddle up with it if you don’t have a cold! Overall a really good blend that I’ve definitely found myself drinking a lot of.

Thanks for reading!

Thanks for taking the time to read my review of this months TeaTourist subscription box. A massive thanks to the guys and girls at TeaTourist for sending me this box to review.

If you’d like to read more posts from my blog you can join my mailing list below and be sure to follow me on Instagram, Twitter & Facebook. I’ve got some amazing competitions coming up that you won’t want to miss! 😉

To get 30% off your first TeaTourist subscription box and go on a tea adventure yourself use code Russteas30 on the TeaTourist website.

Bye for now! xXx

 

 

 

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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


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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

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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

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Black Tea Chai Fruit Tea Green Tea Oolong Rooibos Tea Reviews White Tea

Teatourist Tea Subscription Boxes Reviewed

3rd January 2017

I’ve been interested in signing up for a tea subscription box for a while and have tried one or two in the past. I’m always on the look out for new tea so it really makes sense for me to have a selection delivered each month, plus it’s incredibly exciting!

Teatourist were lovely enough to send me a couple of their boxes for November & December so I thought I’d do a review of my experience and a run down of the 6 teas in each box. Read on to find out how I got on! I also have a discount code to get 30% off your first box which you can find further down the review 🙂 

 Review Time!

When the box arrived I was so excited, it fit straight through my door and was waiting for me when I woke up! The packaging is really classy with a box inside a slipcover and the inside of the lid has a stunning hot air balloon photo, it’s a lovely image to see when I dive in for my next tea to try!

I was pleasantly surprised to find 6 teas inside, in the past I’ve only found 3 or 4 teas in subscription boxes so 6 is definitely appreciated. Each tea comes sealed with a card attached with a little bit about the company the blend is from and instructions for steeping, the instructions are really clear so this would be a great introduction to the world of tea for any newcomer.

The selection each month is extremely varied, with herbal blends, black tea, oolong, white tea and rooibos all making an appearance.

 

November Box

Orange Blossom Oolong – Easy Teasy

The first tea I knew I had to try from the November box was Orange Blossom Oolong. I’m a huge Oolong fan, it’s always refreshing and pairs well with a lot of flavours, there’s not much Oolong I don’t like and there’s also not much Oolong I like as much as Orange Blossom Oolong!

The orangey smell was inviting the second I opened the packet, I knew this was gonna be good! The orange flavour is a sweet orange rather than a citrusy orange which lends itself perfectly to an Oolong blend. It almost has a chocolatey hint to it as well, I couldn’t help thinking of Terry’s Chocolate Orange when I was drinking it, there’s also an enjoyable earl grey vibe to it.

 

Malawi Peony – Baraka Teas

This was another blend I was really excited about, I adore white peony and was particularly intrigued by the large leaves! Other white peony I’ve tried has had smaller leaves so it was nice to see it in a more natural form, you could imagine this tea being freshly picked for this blend.

Malawi Peony has a nice fresh aroma to it, while steeping it I was entranced by the large leaves swirling around. I enjoyed the crisp delicate flavour of this tea immensely, it was one of the first from the November box to run out!

 

Tummy Rub – Tea Box

This tea is a herbal blend containing fennel, chamomile, liquorice and mint. These are ingredients known to calm you down and ease an upset stomach.

I found that the flavour of this tea wasn’t amazing for me personally, I have a bit of a dislike of liquorice flavoured tea but I really enjoyed the chamomile element. Despite not being a huge fan of the flavour I did find it calming and especially good before bedtime and I had fun trying something different so overall a positive experience 🙂

 

Yoga Tea – T-Tox

The stand out flavours of this tea are the white tea and a candy sweet rose flavouring. The delicate flavour of the white tea has been blended with the rose petals perfectly, I was glad the rose didn’t overpower the white tea at all.

There’s also a hint of ginger and lemongrass that add a subtle but enjoyable flavour and nettle, known for it’s antiseptic properties. I found this tea was really economical and as it’s quite fine there really was a lot of cups of tea in the sachet.

 

Peppermint – Cheshire Tea

This tea blend comes all the way from the USA! I’m not the biggest fan of mint tea usually, I always feel that they’re overly minty and a bit harsh tasting. This mint tea is different! The sweeter peppermint flavours really come through, creating an enjoyably fresh experience.

Mint tea is known to be beneficial for digestion, it’s great for easing tummy cramps, giving this tea a medicinal purpose too. I really appreciate that this tea is so pure, it’s literally one ingredient: peppermint!

 

Japanese Kukicha – Shibui Tea

This tea comes from Shibui, a tea company I’ve previously reviewed not too long ago. I loved their tea the first time round, their caramel oolong and maple walnut are two of the most memorable teas I’ve ever had! You can find my shibui tea haul review here.

I must admit that I’m quite new to kukicha, having only had it one other time from Adagio. A huge difference I noticed straight away with this kukicha is its black, despite being a green tea. Kukicha is made up of the left over stems and twiggy parts of the tea plant that aren’t used, the last kukicha I had was a hay like pale green. This kukicha from Shibui has a slightly roasted flavour which is enjoyably unique and warming, making it perfect for cold winter nights!

 

December Box

Gingerbread Chai – Tugboat Brew

First up in this box is Gingerbread Chai! I’ve had another Rooibos based Gingerbread Chai from one of my favourite ever tea companies, my regular readers will know who! 😉

This tea is fairly similar but has a sweeter, less spicy flavour which makes it more of a naughty dessert-like tea. As soon as you steep this tea the smell erupts in to the room, filling it with a cakey gingerbread flavour. It’s a really economical tea, with a little tea turning your water to a beautiful amber.

 


Winter Spice – Chash The Fine Tea Company

This blend was one I wasn’t crazy about, it had quite a medicinal smell to it with strong aniseed and fennel aromas. Upon steeping I found that it was a very unique blend with a sweet aftertaste from the liquorice, I was also happy to find that the mint wasn’t overpowering.

I’m not really a fan of herbal teas but I’d recommend this tea if you like more herbal flavours or are looking for something new to broaden your horizons!

 


Shiraore Green – Momo Cha Fine Teas

I loved this blend! It smells so fresh and natural while instantly turning the water a vibrant green colour. The flavour is so pure and really refreshing, it has a really delicate vibe to it with an exciting zing.

Shiaore Green is one of those blends that I’d really describe as being creamy, before being obsessed with tea I would never of understood someone referring to tea with no milk as creamy but it really is! I’d highly recommend this tea and am excited to explore the range of tea this brand has to offer!

 


Marzipan Rooibos – Hoogly Tea

I just don’t know where to begin with this beautiful blend! As soon as I opened the December box and saw marzipan I couldn’t wait to try it. I’m a big drinker of rooibos, I love drinking it at night instead of fruit tea all the time. I’ve found some really exciting flavours out there, this is definitely a contender for the best rooibos I’ve tried!

It smells just like battenburg cake, with a sweet cakey almond aroma, as the water hits the tea you can smell this tea throughout the house! I love the marzipan taste with the nutty rooibos, this is an epic find by Tea Tourist 😃

 


Citrus Ginger

I’m not a big fan of ginger tea when it’s more herbal, spicy ginger and not a sweet dessert blend. I was quite sceptical about this tea as I have a soft spot for sweet tea blends so this isn’t a tea I would usually go for.

I decided to go for it and see if this tea would surprise me! It’s definitely a blend that will wake you up in the morning, with a real zing from the citrus and instant alertness from the ginger. It was one of my least favourite teas but it was made up of good quality ingredients and definitely something different to add some extra excitement to the December box! 😊

 

Scotch Acorns – Nothing But Tea

The smell of this tea is heavenly, with sweet chocolate notes and high quality black tea combined beautifully. The flavour is another awesome combo, the black tea flavour is perfect with a small chocolate hint, making this tea fantastic as a guilt free treat.

It’s also a tea that is very economical when used in a tea bottle, it doesn’t over infuse too much if you leave it in and doesn’t take much tea at all to make a bottle full. I’ve recently been enjoying a new tea bottle, it’s really good quality and the neoprene handle is convenient for hot drinks 🙂

 

Final Thoughts

I’ve loved my experience with the TeaTourist subscription! It’s super convenient, straight through your door and with a large selection of very different teas.

You also get 6 teas each month which is really good value at this price and the amount of tea in each sachet is very generous. To make these TeaTourist teas go even further you could consider a tea bottle of some kind, I’ve written a Top 10 Tea Bottles post that’s a great place to start if you’re looking for a tea bottle.

The subscription service is perfect for tea bloggers as you’ll be served with 6 new teas to review each month and 6 new tea companies to check out 😀

Teatourist have given me an extremely generous discount code for my readers to get 30% off their first subscription box! simply use the code RUSSTEAS30 and you’ll receive the discount off your first box!

A huge thanks to TeaTourist for sending me these month’s subscriptions!

Bye for now! xXx

 

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Matcha Rooibos Tea Reviews

Bluebird Tea Co. New Flavoured Matchas Reviewed!

25th October 2016

Hey guys!

Recently Bluebird Tea Co. released an amazing collection of Autumn products and they sent me a load of them to review 😀  it was an exciting surprise when it turned up at my house, even if they did slightly hint on Twitter that something might be on it’s way to me! 😉

I reviewed their new teas first which included an amazing Rooibos blend, chocolate blend and chai tea, you can check that review out here.

Alongside the tea Bluebird also unveiled three amazing new flavoured matchas as part of their Autumn lineup, there’s Cocoa Matcha, Golden Matcha and Gingernut Matcha AND they sent me all three! :O

After a long summer break from my studies it’s time to begin them again, one last time! Matcha always keeps me sane when I’ve got a heavy work load so these couldn’t of come at a better time 😃

On to the review!

 

ginger-matcha

Gingernut Matcha

This matcha is limited edition and the flavour is inspired by the well known gingernut biscuits. I bought a ginger matcha from another company a couple of months ago and it was shockingly bad, we’re talking burning throat, coughing profusely bad (I won’t name names!). Needless to say I was slightly hesitant to try another ginger matcha but I was pretty confident that Bluebird would pull it off, and they really did!

The other ginger matcha I tried was spicy, herby and almost medicinal but Bluebird’s is completely different, it’s the kind of ginger flavouring that reminds me of gingerbread men and of course, gingernut biscuits.

The matcha is good quality with nice bright green colouring and froths amazingly. You can feel a slight spice from the ginger but it’s overall sweet and actually is biscuity, as you’d hope for in a Gingernut Matcha.

 

golden-matcha

ginger-matcha-close-up
Golden Matcha

Bluebird’s golden matcha is a twist on their decaffeinated rooibos matcha with some added ingredients.

Alongside the decaf rooibos base is cinnamon, ginger, black pepper and the main ingredient; turmeric! The health benefits of turmeric have been celebrated for thousands of years, it’s believed that turmeric could be good for digestion, depression, pain, diabetes, arthritis and more! It’s not really an ingredient that I could imagine myself easily being able to work in to my everyday diet so Bluebird’s Golden Matcha is a great way to do this.

Bluebird’s recipe for making ‘Golden Milk’ is to add a teaspoon of Golden Matcha to a mug of coconut milk (I use rice milk) and a teaspoon of honey. I actually found that the sweeter taste of the rice milk meant I didn’t need to add any sweetener and I find the flavour more enjoyable without the coconut element.

I initially thought that drinking one of the main ingredients of curry with rice milk would be worth it for the health benefits but not for the taste but I’m actually amazed how incredible it tastes! It has a definite spicyness to it which gives it a chai-like vibe but the milkyness and sweetness of the rooibos really make it a unique and delicious drink!

As this is decaf I was thrilled to finally have a matcha I can drink at night, I often struggle to get to sleep so a hit of matcha isn’t what I’m looking for but this is perfect and really has a cuddly feel to it 😊

 

Cocoa Matcha

Last up is Bluebird’s cocoa matcha! I say fairly often in my reviews that I love chocolate more than any food, there’s nothing better! So when Bluebird announced cocoa matcha I was thrilled, I have one other chocolate matcha which I adore so I had high hopes for Bluebird’s and it didn’t disappoint.

I could smell the cocoa before I even opened it! Upon opening the tin the first thing I noticed is this matcha is a browny colour, which is because it literally has cocoa powder in it, no icky fake flavourings here! When you add the water it takes on a new fragrant drinking chocolate style smell that I knew was gonna taste good.

The matcha element of the mix tastes good and high quality. I enjoy that this matcha is genuinely chocolatey and the flavour isn’t drowned out by the matcha, perfect if you’re a chocolate addict! If you enjoy chocolate (who doesn’t?) and you like matcha, then this definitely needs to be added to your shopping list 🙂

 

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That’s my round up of the new flavoured matchas from Bluebird Tea Co., they were the first to develop flavoured matcha in the UK and these are awesome additions to their line up. If you’d like to try their flavoured matcha you can find it here.

Thanks to the amazing girls and guys at the Bluebird HQ for sending me these amazing products to try, it’s very much appreciated!
A big thanks to my readers for checking out this review, I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below or on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. Keep a look out for some awesome new favoured matcha posts I’ve got coming up! 😉

Bye for now! xXx

 

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Rooibos Tea Reviews

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


  1. 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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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

Earl Grey (not actually edited)

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

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.

 

Creme Brulee Rooibos

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.

 

Chamomile

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

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!

 

Lime White

 

lime2

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

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 🙂

 

Teabags

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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