BRUU tea subscription - discover new tea without leaving the house!

 Hello,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends - we hope you are keeping well and safe.

Recently we were sent a tea subscription box from BRUU tea, a UK company who want to share their love and affinity with tea with everyone! BRUU tea's mission is to get people trying better tasting tea and their focus is tea subscription services. The subscriptions are based on individual's preferences and therefore hopefully you should receive teas that you really enjoy each month. 

So, let's tell you a little about our box....

First off, it's letter box sized, so no worries about missing your tea when its delivered at the beginning of each month. 

The box contained three named tea pouches, a mystery tea and some chocolate as an extra treat!

I liked the packaging, each tea pouch was labelled clearly and came with a little card to give you information about the tea. On the front of the card is the name, type and brewing instructions. On the back of the card you learn what the tea is, where it's from and why BRUU thinks its a great tea to try. Personally I love learning about new teas and blends when I try them, I think its interesting to read where they have come from etc. 

In my box I had a black tea, a green tea and a fruit tea. I was pleasantly surprised that I hadn't come across the black tea or the fruit tea blend previously.

I liked the handy little information cards, which can be stored easily for future reference. Although because they are nice and small, the print is also a little small!

On to the teas themselves.....

The black tea - Surianalle from Kerala in India

First thing I noted....the tea leaves are really fine, some will probably escape your strainer. The tea once brewed is a lovely, punchy morning tea. It's got a nutty brown colour and a really fresh taste, perfect for starting your day. I don't think I have come across this before, but really enjoyed it. 

The green tea - Mao Jian from Hunan, Xinyang China

A light yellow colour once brewed, I have to say this isn't one of my favourite green teas. To me it tastes "green", and I can't really taste that sweet and floral notes described on the tasting card...but that could just be me!

The fruit tea - Turkish Apple 

This blend surprised me - it includes lemongrass from West India, apple from Turkey and pineapple from America. The leaves have an almost creamy smell to them (this sounds weird, but honestly it smells creamy!). The blend creates a lovely warming cup of tea, perfect for the grey weather we are experiencing in the UK at the moment. The pineapple and apple brings the sweet notes, perfect against the mild spice of the lemongrass. I think you could enjoy this at any point in the day. 

I really enjoyed this blend! 

The important bits: The subscription starts from £10 and you receive three pouches of tea, enough for 20-40 cups depending on the tea. Subscription options are either rolling monthly or in blocks of 3, 6 or 12 months and you are free to cancel whenever you want. Postage in the UK is free, but BRUU tea will ship their subscription boxes outside of the UK too.

I'd like to thank the team at BRUU teas for sending us this subscription box. But please note that this gift hasn't effected our taste buds and all opinions expressed in this blog post belong to me!

If you'd like to find out more about BRUU tea please pop by their website.

Thanks for stopping by today,

Rachel 

The Wednesday Tea Review - T2 Creme Brulee

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends - we hope you're well today!

Before Christmas I treated myself to "A Tea Party for Twenty" from T2 teas....but then I completely forgot to review the teas! Whoops! The box is a festive collection which includes twenty teas and tisanes from the T2 range. T2 is an Australian tea company who create innovative blends using real tea leaves (blends include banana bake and raspberry rush as well as a range of breakfast blends from around the world and more traditional teas) they have a real passion for tea and their shops are a pure delight to visit....which is where I found this pretty little box....

Inside the box...…just look at all those teas....

As there is only one Christmas tea in the collection I've decided to still feature these teas on the blog as you'll still be able to buy them in a T2 shop or on their website if you fancied trying them yourself.

I decided to start with one of the flavoured black teas - Crème Brulee. 

This is a black tea flavoured with a hazelnut praline flavour. It's supposed to be a decadent sweet treat - vanilla, hazelnuts and caramel flavours blended with a black tea. Enjoyed either with a dash of milk or black.

I decided to drink my tea black (as I usually enjoy tea without milk), and I followed the brewing instructions using boiling water and leaving the tea to brew for approx. three minutes.

Did I mention that T2 also have an amazing range of tea cups? This one was a gift from a friend, but I love all their china - worth popping into store just to marvel at the different colours and patterns!

Back to the tea....this is definitely a sweet treat...if you have a sweet crazing but want to avoid the calories this tea could provide the answer! You can taste the vanilla and the hazelnuts, which blend well with the black tea. 

I wouldn't drink this as a morning cuppa as it's too sweet, but it work perfectly as a guilt free afternoon treat. It also tastes good once its gone cold (I've got an awful habit of leaving cups of tea and coffee all around the house and finding them hours later!) - it was actually more refreshing once it had gone cold and I could imagine drinking it cold on a hot summer afternoon!

Have you tried this tea? If so we'd love to hear your thoughts....did you enjoy it black or did you try it with milk as well?

Thank you for popping by today....pop back next Wednesday to see which T2 tea we'll be trying next!

Rachel

Time for.....a tea recipe with T2

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends!

This week we've been experimenting with our cuppa thanks to a fab tea recipe card that I picked up in a T2 store. T2 like to share tea recipes, combining their teas with different foods and drinks. As well as the fab recipe cards in store, you can also find a whole host of easy to follow recipes on

their website - including tea-infused ice cream floats, earl grey cakes and matcha mayo!

The recipe card I picked up had three different recipes on which used a different T2 teas - Banoffee Pie, Jersey Caramel and NY Salted Caramel....great for someone like me with a sweet tooth! I opted to try the NY Salted Caramel recipe which features T2 New York Breakfast tea (a black tea blended with cinnamon and vanilla), along with salt, honey and milk.

This recipe is really quick to make and creates a really satisfying cuppa! All you need to do is brew the tea for approx. 4 minutes, then add the salt, honey and milk to taste.

I'm not going to lie - its a bit bizarre adding salt to a cup of tea, but you've just got to go with it. The recipe called for a pinch of salt, I probably didn't add quite a pinch - I'd definitely advise adding the salt and honey a little by little, tasting after each addition. I then added a splash of milk, which made the tea quite creamy and made it look almost like a hot chocolate!

I really enjoyed this tea - once I got the balance of salt and honey right it tasted lovely. It's hard to describe, but it almost felt like I was actually drinking/eating pudding - it would be perfect after a meal when I have a craving for something sweet. 

I'll definitely be trying some of the other recipes on the T2 website and keeping my eyes peeled for more recipe cards!

Have you tried any of the T2 recipes? We'd love to hear which is your favourite!

Thanks for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna

The Tea Review - Jollybrew

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends - we hope you're having a tea-riffic week!

Recently the lovely people at Jollybrew sent us some of their teas to sample.....so we put the kettle on, got our favourite teacups out and got our taste buds ready!

Greg is the brains behind the Jollybrew, after becoming a full time Dad whilst his wife Sarah returned to work, he wanted a business he could launch from home. After falling in love with loose leaf tea, he decided that tea would be that business, with the mission to introduce loose leaf tea to the world.

Jollybrew was launched in late 2014, with just 15 blends - today they have 50 to choose from! Jollybrew blends are created by their team of master tea blenders, but around 30% of flavours are blended by Greg's own fair hands!

Greg sent us three teas to try - Elegant Earl Grey, Rosie Lee and Proper Peppermint

Let's start with the Elegant Earl Grey blend, which is from Sri Lanka In The Nuwara Eliya, Dimbula And Uva Regions and contains Black Tea, Cornflower Petals and Natural Flavours. 

Jollybrew recommends that you use one teaspoon per cup for this blend, brewing the tea for 3-4 minutes.

I found this tea has a subtle aroma, but a punchy and rich bergamot favour. The tea is dark amber in colour and tastes very refreshing. 

The Rosie Lee blend is a black tea flavoured with rose buds. The tea is from Sri Lanka in the Nuwara Eliya, Dimbula and Uva regions, and the blend contains Black Tea, Blackberry Leaves, Rose Petals, Rosehip, Natural Flavours.

For this blend it is recommended that you use one teaspoon per cup and brew for 3-4 minutes for the perfect cuppa.

The aroma is very strong in this blend, the roses hit you as soon as you open the packet and they remain strong while the tea is brewing. The tea is a very pretty colour - a light amber, with an almost pinky hue. The flavour of the tea is very floral - I'm not a huge fan of rose tea, but if I was this would definitely hit the spot!

Finally we have the Proper Peppermint infusion. Jollybrew use peppermint leaves from the USA for their infusion and they recommend using 1-2 teaspoons per cup, depending on how strong you like your tea.

The tea has a strong, minty aroma, which is matched by an equally strong and  minty flavour. Its a minty tea that packs a punch!

Jollybrew teas can be bought online and start at a very reasonable £3.00 for a 25g sample pack. The range is extensive - there is something for every mood! You can buy the teas in loose leaf packs, and they offer 8 of their blends in tea bags. They also have a range of tea tools in their online shop - including some gorgeous cups and a tea timer. 

Jollybrew also offers tea lovers a subscription service, where from £9.99 a month you can have your favourite tea delivered to your door! 

For more information about Jollybrew pop by their website. 

I'd like to thank Greg for sending us these teas to try. Please remember that although we have received these teas for free, this has not affected our taste buds and all opinions expressed in this blog post are our own.

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel and Lorna

It's Cocktail Time - featuring Rutland Tea Co

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends - we hope you're feeling tea-riffic today!

Regular visitors to the blog will know that we love a good cup of tea with our afternoon tea or maybe a glass or two of bubbles....but we also love a great cocktail! We think there is nothing better than a well made cocktail to tickle the taste buds!

Recently I've been experimenting with some tea in my homemade cocktails and I wanted to share this one as I am so pleased with how it turned out! 

This is a sweet and fruity cocktail, probably slightly better suited to the summer months....but I can't see the problem with being prepared for the warmer weather! I can just see myself in the garden with a glass of this on a summer's evening. The flavours are tropical - think oranges and pineapple and you're on the right lines!

For this cocktail I have used the wonderful Earl Grey Blue Rose tea from Nottingham based Rutland Tea Co. This is a scrummy tea whether you enjoy it hot or cold. Its a traditional Earl Grey with citrus flavours which has been super charged with pineapple-peach flavours. The flavours are tropical, but remain light and refreshing. 

I discovered this tea as part of a Tea Tourist monthly subscription box, but you can also buy this tea directly from the Rutland Tea Co.

For this cocktail you'll need to brew the tea in advance and then leave it to go cold.

I have used Orange Marmalade vodka from Chase Distillery, as this is my preferred citrus vodka. You can substitute this for another brand if you have a favourite. I also used a sugar syrup - I was lazy and used a shop bought version. If you're feeling in the mood or don't have any pre-made you can easily whip up a batch of sugar syrup at home...

Homemade sugar syrup

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, bring cold water and sugar to a boil.

Turn the heat low and constantly stir the mixture until all the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear, this will take approximately 3 to 5 minutes.

Leave to cool

Finally I have topped my cocktail off with a little Prosecco - I can't remember which brand I used....you can use whatever you happen to have at home or your favourite brand. 

Now the important bit....

To make the cocktail

This is really simple....no shakers or mixologist skills required!

In a glass (I used a wine glass) with ice combine:

100ml of the cold tea

25-50ml of sugar syrup - I recommend putting a little in and tasting it for sweetness

50ml of citrus vodka

then top it off with a little Prosecco

Et Voila....you've got a glass of sunshine to enjoy! 

I topped mine off with a slice of orange (it was a clementine to be precise) but I was just trying to be fancy! If you have no fruit to hand, don't worry!

Have you used tea in your cocktails at home? Do you have a favourite recipe? I'd love to hear about it and maybe give it a try myself - get in touch and let m know!

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel 

Time to..... explore the April Tea Box from Teatourist

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends - we hope you're feeling tea-riffic today!

It's always an exciting time when the next Teatourist subscription box arrives through the post - each month they manage to curate an exciting and diverse collection of teas that I have not discovered before! They package up enough tea for you to enjoy about four cups of each variety - meaning you really get a good taste, but there is not much waste if something isn't to your liking.

This month's collection is light and fun, perfect for springtime...it includes two black teas, three herbal teas and a veggie tea!

Teatourist April subscription box

In this post we are going to look at the first couple of teas I tried.....one of the black teas and the veggie tea! First off we have the Thieves Brew by Bev's Tea company. This 100% Vangedi Pekoe black tea is a medium caffeine tea from Sri Lanka,  which sounded perfect when I found myself in a rather delicate (self-inflicted) state on Bank Holiday Monday.

Thieves' Brew tea by Bev's Tea Company

The tea should be brewed with 95 degree water for 3-4 minutes to produce a cooper-coloured tea that will make you smile...

Thieves' Brew tea by Bev's Tea Company

The flavour is smooth, with a slight nutty note. I enjoyed it black, but it can be drunk with milk or lemon. Bev is a tea consultant, based in Scotland, who has previously managed a tea estate and set up a sustainable micro tea factory in Sri Lanka. I think it's safe to say she knows her tea!

Thieves' Brew was a very refreshing cup of tea, perfect for my delicate state....

The other tea that really intrigued me was the "veggie tea" from Leaves of the World. This company was started by The TeaNomads and it specialises in certified-organic tea and boasts one of the largest selections of vegan-friendly teas in the UK!

Pumpkins Go Bananas is a sweet brew which can be enjoyed hot or cold and is packed full of fruit and veg.....just take a look at the "leaves"....

Pumpkins Go Bananas - Leaves of the World

This tea is full of apple, carrot, pumpkin, pineapple, banana chips, ginger and coriander. It should be brewed using 2 teaspoons of leaves in 100 degree water for 5-8 minutes.

Pumpkins Go Bananas - Leaves of the World

 This pale yellow tea smells and tastes just like banana!

It's sweet and can apparently be enjoyed hot or cold. It's definitely something really different, that I wouldn't have tried if I didn't have this month's Teatourist box. I hope this post illustrates how diverse the Teatourist boxes can be - keeping both traditional and experimental tea lovers happy!

To find out more about these companies or the teas they offer pop by their websites - you never know what you'll discover!

Bev's Tea Company

Leaves of the World

Thank you to Teatourist for sharing another one of their tea-riffic subscription boxes with me. To find out more about their monthly boxes pop by their website.

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel

Time for Tea....with T2, Kingston Surrey

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends - we hope you're feeling tea-riffic today!

Did you know that Friday is National Tea Day here in the UK? National Tea Day is a chance for Tea lovers to unite in their love of tea - whether you attend the Tea Festival in London or just enjoy a brew at home with your friends and family. You can get involved on social media too, sharing your tea stories by using the #nationalteaday hashtag!

Ahead of National Tea Day I was invited into T2 which is located in the Bentall Centre in Kingston Upon Thames, Surrey for a tea masterclass. Lorna first introduced me to T2 a while ago and I thoroughly enjoy popping into their shops to have a sniff of the leaves and try the various teas (there are over 200 on offer!)......plus the staff are always so friendly. So I gladly accepted the invitation to meet Nick, store manager and learn a bit more!

This is Nick......who is full of passion and knowledge for tea (he even puts it in his stroganoff!) ....he makes a mean cuppa and wants to share his knowledge with everyone...

Nick - T2 store manager, Kingston Surrey

The philosophy at T2 is very laid back - the staff actually want to talk to you (imagine that!), they want to know what tea you enjoy already, how you brew your tea, what flavours float your boat. You're also encouraged to explore the numerous tins of tea....to have a smell of the leaves and try some of the teas (yes, they'll even brew you a cuppa!).

The first T2 store opened in Fitzroy, Melbourne in 1996 and today they have stores around the world. Every store I have been in has had the same friendly feel - lots of happy people wandering around gorgeous displays of teas and teaware.

The Kingston branch is exactly the same.....a feast for the eyes and the nose....

As we talked about the history of T2 and talked tea in general, Nick asked me questions about flavours I like and dislike and started brewing up some teas to try.

The stores are fitted out so you can sample both hot and cold teas from the whole range. If you fancy trying something new it's a great place to visit.

Today we sampled a white rose tea, French Earl Grey, a smoky London breakfast tea, Berry Oolong and a peach tisane to name a few!

Tea sampling - T2

Nick and his team are knowledgeable about tea in general (as well as T2 teas) and can guide you around the teas on offer in the current tea range. They are keen to show people how great tea can be and how easy it is to enjoy loose leaf tea at home.

If you have a T2 shop near you I would definitely recommend popping in and saying hi - you never know what you might discover.

Nick also showed me the T2 Teamaker - which lets you brew loose leaf tea at home (or anywhere) really easily and then serve it in your favourite cup simply by placing it on top of your cup (it looks kinda magical as the tea pours into the cup).

T2 Teamaker

I'd like to thank Nick for taking the time to talk to me about T2 and for taking me through so many teas. I learnt today that I still don't like Rose tea, but discovered a rather lovely New York breakfast blend that features cinnamon and vanilla (reminds me of pancakes!).

Disclaimer - Nick very kindly gave me a Teamaker and some tea to take home with me - however please note that all opinions in this blog post are my own and have not been influenced by this gift.

If you have a favourite T2 Tea we'd love to hear all about it. To find out more about T2 pop by their website.

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel

What's inside the Teatourist February Box?

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends, we hope you're well today!

We're very excited to report that the February Teatourist has arrived with us - we first experienced the delights of Teatourist when their January box landed on our door mat earlier this year. Teatourist is a tea subscription service, which brings tea lovers six wonderful blends from different tea companies each month. To read more about the service pop by our last post.

Let's take a peek at the February box....

February Box from Teatourist

This month's box includes a selection of black and green teas from Cheshire tea, Edgcumbes, Good & Proper Tea, Oteas, Tea in the City and The UK Loose Leaf Tea Company. 

We have a breakfast blend from the Good & Proper Tea Company, which features Assam, Kenya, Ceylon and Darjeeling leaves.

There is also a full bodied blend from Edgcumbes tea blenders which features Orthodox Assam, Darjeeling second flush, Keemun and Lapsang Souchong.

Oteas have provided a tea bursting with health benefits, combining black tea with dandelion roots.

There is a lightly roasted oolong from Tea in the City.

Possibly the prettiest tea I have ever smelt....the Cherry Sencha from Cheshire Teas. This is a blend o Sencha green tea, rose petals and natural cherry flavour.

Finally we have a Gunpowder Organic green tea from The UK Loose Leaf Tea Company.

A great selection for either someone new to the world of loose leaf teas or an experienced tea lover!

Each pouch has enough leaves to make about four cups - the perfect amount to try out a new tea, as well as a tea card that tells you all about the tea and the tea company. 

I have already tucked into two of the teas....

Discovering new teas via Teatourist

Tea and cake via Teatourist

For more information about how Teatourist works pop by their website.

We'd like to thank Teatourist for sending us their February.

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna

The Friday Review - The Tea Route

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends - we hope you're well today!

It's Friday....it's time to put the kettle on and try a new cup of tea! This time we are sampling some of the tea collection from The Tea Route.

Teas from The Tea Route

The Tea Route is a Greek tea business which offers tea lovers unique tea varieties and flavours - inspired by the diversity of Mediterranean nature. Their range includes Mediterranean herbs, fruits, flowers and fragrant spices blended with exquisitely scented teas. Chamomile, mountain tea, lavender, sage, rosemary, as well as cinnamon, Chios mastic, clove, figs, apricots, oranges, and richly scented blossoms including rose and jasmine are paired with black, green and white teas from the gardens of the Far East. 

We couldn't wait to try this intriguing range!

Let's start with something that was vaguely familiar.....a cup of Earl Grey Lord Byron...

This Chinese black tea is blended with intense bergamot flavour to create a warming and sweet cup of tea.

The leaves smell sweet, with a light citrus fragrance.....

When brewed you are rewarded with a cup of light brown tea, with a really pretty citrus aroma. It has a really mellow flavour, which will brighten a dull winter day.

Next for a tea which is more exotic....Palmyra....

This is another black tea, this time blended with dates, sultanas, sesame, almond, fig and vanilla. The leaves are very pretty, they smell like sweet nuts or popcorn. They made my mouth water!

Once brewed we had a lovely rich amber colour with a lovely popcorn aroma.

The flavour of this tea is quite surprising, it's light and very refreshing with a nutty, sweet taste. A really lovely cup of tea!

We'd like to thank The Tea Route for sending us these teas to try, if you'd like to find out more about The Tea Route pop by their website.

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna

The Friday Review - Oteas

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends - we hope you're having a tea-riffic day!

Ok....so it's not Friday (our lovely scheduling tool didn't fancy working!) but we are here with a new tea review for you!

A little while ago the lovely people from Oteas got in touch, asking whether we'd be interested in sampling some of their teas....and I'm sure you all know the answer we gave! Oteas is a UK based tea company who blend teas from around the world, including Sri Lanka. China and Japan.  Oteas have a desire to promote an active, healthy and balanced lifestyle and their teas come in seven different ranges including black, detox, fruit, green, herbal, organic and rooibos.

Oteas offer teas in both loose leaf form and also pyramid tea bag and they sent us the cutest individually boxed teas to try....take a look at these...

Teas from Oteas

Each little box has a tea bag inside...perfect for creating tea adventures for yourself or if you're feeling generous a tea-loving friend!

In my first selection I had Yasumi tea, ginger tea and an English breakfast tea....

The English breakfast is a full-bodied blend of Ceylon tea and Assam teas, perfect for starting the day! The Yasumi tea is a mix of traditional green tea with notes of berry and mint. This tea is like summer in a cup - a pretty yellow colour when brewed and quite fruity in taste.

Finally we have the Ginger tea, which is a sweet, fruity tea - good for cheering you up on a grey day!

The second set of teas included a lemongrass, ginger and cinnamon tea, Oteas Pure tea and a vanilla flavoured Rooibos...

The malty rooibos has been combined with a splash of sweet vanilla to create a soothing blend, which can be enjoyed at anytime of the day. The lemongrass, ginger and cinnamon tea is smooth but spicy, a wonderfully warming cuppa!

Finally the wellness tea - pure...

Believe it or not this is a white tea! The colour comes from the beetroot pieces in the blend! The tea itself smells very fruity, but doesn't taste as fruity as it smells! Its another comforting cuppa, perfect for the autumn months. 

I loved the little individual boxes, which you can buy individually from the website. It allows you to try teas you might not normally pick and discover new favourites. The Oteas range has something for everyone!

I'd like to thank Oteas for sending us these teas to try - if you'd like to learn more about the company or see the whole range pop by the Oteas website.

Have you tried Oteas? Which is your favourite? We'd love to hear about it!

Thanks for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna