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Whittard of Chelsea Tea Club Tea Subscription Box Review

25th November 2017
Whittard of Chelsea Tea Club Tea Subscription Box Review

I’ve really been loving tea subscription boxes recently, I love the convenience of awesome tea being delivered without me having to make any effort!

When I started my blog I never imagined that I’d get the opportunity to review Whittard of Chelsea tea, so I was crazily excited when they contacted me to see if I’d like to review their new Tea Club subscription boxes!

First Impressions

The first thing I noticed is how phenomenally their subscription boxes are presented! It’s really nice to see how much effort has gone into the look and feel of the subscription boxes. You receive a Whittard branded ‘tea chest’ with really cute brightly coloured envelopes, one with loose leaf tea bags if you prefer teabags and another with your tasting cards which include pictures of the tea, with information and how to brew it.

The tea sachets themselves are packaged in resealable bags with a printed tea card on the front and wrapped in patterned tissue paper.

Another really nice touch is a Whittard of Chelsea branded stainless steel tea measuring scoop, which is included with your first box so you always know you’re getting the perfect strength tea.

Overall this is one of the best presented tea deliveries I’ve ever received.

The Tea

Strawberry Mint

The first tea I tried was strawberry mint, a herbal infusion that is fantastic hot or cold. The smell of this tea is absolutely magical with a sweet succulent fresh strawberry aroma, and a refreshing mint vibe. The tea is made up mainly of Spearmint but with big chunks of freeze-dried strawberries.

When you add water the fragrance only become stronger and I was pleased to find that the flavour didn’t disappoint. The strawberries smell is so enticing but with a mint twist that isn’t overpowering and adds a really refreshing feel to the tea. Possibly my favourite strawberry tea ever!

Robert Fortune Blend

This is a black tea blend with a nice subtle fruitiness, alongside a traditional black tea flavour. I really enjoy the rich earthy tones of this tea and the fruitiness is great alongside this. I often find more traditional tasting tea a bit boring but this tea is far from boring! It’s a great tea when you want more of it traditional flavour but you want a little bit of excitement too!

Summer Pudding

Summer Pudding is another black tea based blend with a helping of fruitiness. The rich fruity smell bursts from the pack and really does have a pudding-like smell, I couldn’t wait to brew this tea and find out if the taste lived up to the fragrance. I was ecstatic to find out that this tea really tastes as good as it smells, I love to watch the whole berries flow around in the water as the tea steeps. The flavour is like a traditional black tea but with a vibrant Ribena twist, a really fantastic black tea!

Final Thoughts

I was really pleased to find that the Whittard Tea subscription box was amazing through and through! I loved the packaging, the presentation and the amazing teas.

If you’d like to try a Whittard of Chelsea tea subscription box you can find them on their website or you can also buy Summer Pudding, Robert Fortune Blend or Strawberry Mint individually.

A huge thank you to Whittard of Chelsea for sending me their first ’Tea Chest’, it’s been a fantastic experience and I can’t wait to see which teas come next!

If you’d like more from Russtea’s you can find me on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook!

Bye for now! xXx

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Black Tea Green Tea Oolong Tea Reviews

Bruu The Gourmet Tea Club Subscription Box Review

21st June 2017

My obsession with tea subscription boxes has grown a lot over the last few months so I was excited when I found Bruu The Gourmet Tea Club.

I asked if they’d send me a box to review for you guys and they were happy to!

The Bruu subscription boxes are shipped for free and flat enough to slip straight through your letterbox which is super convenient. There’s three different teas included each month, expertly selected from over 1000 blends. Each month is £10 with discounts available if you sign up for multiple months at once and you’ll get up to 40 cups from each box. You can cancel or pause your membership at any time which makes it especially convenient.

I particularly like the transparent Bruu logos on each pack with the tea showing through, adds a nice dash of colour and a peek at the tea inside!

Review Time

Orangey Green

I love the name of this blend and I love green tea so I knew this would be the blend I’d try first! This blend has a classic green tea flavour with a “orangey” twist but I like that the orange isn’t overpowering. Often citrus blends are too citrusy and green tea based teas that are flavoured or blended sometimes lose the green tea flavour.I was pleased to find that Orangey Green doesn’t suffer from this at all, the flavour is predominantly green tea but the orange vibe is definitely there as well.

I’ve enjoyed drinking this in the warm summer evenings recently. It’s perfect to drink once the temperature cools in the evenings, the orange provides refreshment when you need it most! 😀

 

The Ministers Earl Grey

Earl Grey is one of my least favourite teas, which people are always surprised about because everyone else seems to love it! I’m still always intrigued by Earl Grey’s when I receive them because I always wonder if I’ll find one I love.

The first thing I noticed about The Ministers Earl Grey is how amazingly blue the cornflowers are, they really pop against the black Assam and Ceylon leaves. I couldn’t wait to take my photos and pair them with another vivid colour, I was pleased that the colour comes across well in the photos 🙂

As far as Earl Grey goes this is one of the better ones I’ve tried, I like that the bergamot flavour is a bit more subdued than others, so I could still enjoy the Assam and Ceylon in all their glory. Overall not my favourite kind of tea but it’s super pretty and if you love Earl Grey I’m sure you’ll love this!

 

Earthy Oolong

I’m a huge oolong fan, it’s one of my all time favourites so I was excited to see an oolong included in my subscription box from Bruu!😃 It’s always a treat to watch the oolong leaves unfurl in beautiful glass teaware, I especially love the golden liquor this tea produces.

The flavour is quite a dry earthy oolong but with an addictive subtly sweet aftertaste that I’ve enjoyed over and over. Oolong lends itself well to multiple infusions, meaning it’s a very economical cuppa. I love how cozy this oolong is, it’s perfect to fill your teapot with and enjoy during a Netflix session!

Final Thoughts

I’ve really enjoyed this subscription box from Bruu, the variation of the three teas was amazing and it’s definitely one of the cheaper tea subscription boxes out there so it’s good value as well. A massive thanks goes to Bruu for sending me this box to review!

If you’d like to try a Bruu subscription box for yourself you can find out more on their website.

Thanks for reading my review, if you’d like more from Russtea’s you can find me on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram!

Bye for now! xXx

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

TeaTourist February Subscription Box Review

27th March 2017

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

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

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

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

Review Time!

Ben Shan Oolong – Tea in the City

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

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

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


Cherry Sencha – Cheshire Tea

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

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


Brockley Breakfast -Good & Proper Tea Co.

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

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


Blend No 45 – Edgcumbes Tea Blenders

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

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


Black Tea & Dandelion – Oteas

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

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


Gunpowder – The UK Loose Leaf Tea Company

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

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

Thanks for reading!

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

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

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

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

Bye for now xXx







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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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