The Tea Review - Cupsmith

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends - a couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of discovering a new coffee and tea company which is based in Farnham, Surrey. I met George from Cupsmith at the Farnham Maltings monthly market where he was selling both coffee and tea.

Cupsmith have been selling coffee for about a year and I discovered that they even roast their own beans weekly, in their lovely roastery. They added tea to their range shortly after and now sell online, at markets and directly from the roastery. Their range is deliberately simple and their Instagram feed is just gorgeous!

I chatted to George for a while about the range of teas on offer and opted to try Mr Crawford's Afternoon Tea (their product names and packaging are all super cute!). This afternoon tea blend includes black and green Chinese teas with jasmine petals, rose petals & bergamot oil. 

Mr Crawford Afternoon Tea - Cupsmith

The tea once brewed is delightful - its got a full flavour, but its not overpowering. It makes a perfect blend to enjoy in the afternoon with a slice of cake.....or anytime really! I've made my way through my initial bag fairly quickly!

The tea is sold in leaf form in pyramids, making it easier to enjoy a quality cup of tea at home. You can buy the pyramids in boxes of 15, 50 or 100 bags.

The other teas in the range include a robust breakfast tea, an earl grey, a peppermint tea, a "calm days" herbal tea and even a Christmas blend. Take a peek at the Cupsmith's website to read more.

I'm looking forward to discovering more of the range for myself - if you already have a favourite blend from Cupsmith let us know!

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel

Belated Tea Review - Autumn at Bluebird Tea

Hello there,

We hope you're feeling tea-riffic today!

Recently the lovely peeps at Bluebird Tea sent us a fabulous collection of autumn teas, including the ever popular Spiced Pumpkin Pie!

Not heard of Spiced Pumpkin Pie yet? It's only Bluebird Tea's limited edition Autumn favourite, which is a spiced Pumpkin Chai. The blend includes Ceylon black tea, carrot pieces, Halloween sprinkles, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, vanilla pieces, flavour......but don't be put off by the carrot, this is a scrummy tea!

Spiced Pumpkin Pie from Bluebird Tea

This tea is light brown in colour when brewed and has an amazing sweet, vanilla aroma. It has a really refreshing flavour which is sweet and warming. A really lovely cup of tea....no wonder it's so popular! Bluebird Tea also has a Pumpkin Spiced Latte recipe that you can follow on their website.

Also in the selection was an intense and smokey Lapsang Chai....

Lapsang Chai from Bluebird Tea

Such a pretty blend! 

This is aromatic, pinewood smoked black leaf  and masala chai spices includes Indian Assam tea, lapsang souchong black tea, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves, red peppercorns. 

This tea has a beautiful amber colour when brewed and has a spicy aroma. The flavour is intense and smokey, perfect for the autumn months.

Looking for something a little chocolately? Why not try the Choco Pops blend....

Choco Pops Tea from Bluebird Tea

This blend smells amazing - assuming you all love chocolate as much as I do! 

This blend includes Sri Lankan black tea, Japanese sencha green tea, cacao bean, chocolate chips, toasted rice, chocolate sprinkles, and flavour. Once brewed it loses a little of it's chocolate aroma, but has a sweet and nutty flavour. 

The final tea in this selection is the naturally caffeine free Rooibos Earl Grey...

Rooibos Earl Grey from Bluebird Tea

This decaf earl grey includes Rooibos, mallow flowers, blue cornflowers and flavouring. The leaves have a really strong aroma - the bergamot smell is very strong. This however mellows when the tea is brewed. 

The tea is a warm brown colour when brewed and actually tastes just like earl grey! It is a very warming tea, with citrus notes. A very enjoyable cuppa when you don't want to drink caffeine. 

This is a great selection of teas for the aumtun months, as the weather is getting colder. To find out more about Bluebird Teas pop by their website.

We'd like to thank the Bluebird Tea tea for sending us this scrummy teas and if you try them we hope you enjoy them as much as we have!

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna