Friday Tea Review - adagio teas - part 2

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends - we're here with another tea-riffic tea review for you! Last week we brought you two hot teas from the adagio teas range....this week we are sharing one of their iced teas!

With summer (hopefully) fast approaching us in the UK (we can wish can't we??) we're starting to think of the warmer months and summer drinks. Iced teas are hugely popular in America apparently accounting for approximately 85% of all tea consumed, and they are often served sweet. Iced tea is also a popular choice across Europe - but it doesn't seem to be as popular here in the UK. Cold brewing is becoming more popular however, with more people experimenting with iced teas. So when adagio teas offered me the opportunity to try one of their iced teas I jumped at the chance!

Adagio Teas makes their iced teas using tea leaves rather than powders, selling pre-measured "iced tea-bags" that you simply add to a jug of water and refrigerate overnight. The pouches are just like oversized tea bags and each one makes about a litre of iced tea.

White peach iced tea - adagio teas

And it is as simple to prepare as adding the pouch to water, putting the jug in the fridge and waiting overnight. However, if you want your tea sooner simply steep your pouch in hot water for five minutes and then add ice to cool - I think the overnight wait is worth it though!

There are currently 8 different iced teas in the adagio range, including a blood orange iced tea, a mango iced tea and a citron green iced tea. I was lucky enough to be sent the white peach iced tea - combining a delicate white tea with sweet peach flavours.

White peach iced tea - adagio teas

This tea was sweet and delicate - not at all artificial and the peach flavour was balanced just right. Much better than black peach ice teas that I have tried previously - I think the white tea matches the peach flavour really well. All I can say is roll on summertime!

The iced tea pouches cost £6 for 6 pouches, but you do get a litre of drink from each pouch. I would definitely like to try the other iced tea flavours in the range too.

I'd like to say thank you to adagio teas for sending me the iced tea to try, but please note that all opinions expressed in this blog post are my own.

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel

Friday Tea Review - adagio teas

Hello there,

It's Friday and we've written a blog post....that can only mean one....yes the return of the Friday Tea Review! It's been a while since we posted a Friday review, but we've been busy tasting teas ready to share with you!

This week we are sharing some teas from adagio teas that we've recently been sent to try. Adagio teas are sourced directly from artisan growers, which means they'll reach you super fresh and full of flavour. Tea varieties in their range vary from traditional blends you know and love to something a little bit different - there is something for everyone within their range!

I've tried two rather unique teas to start my tea adventure with adagio teas - a white blueberry and an earl grey green....

Earl Grey Green - a twist on a traditional earl grey blend! 

early grey green - adagio teas

This is a blend of green tea, orange peels, natural bergamot flavour and blue cornflowers to produce a lighter version of a traditional earl grey. When brewed for 2-3 minutes you get a lovely pale yellow tea which has the aroma of bergamot.

The tea is light and refreshing - perfect for a sunny afternoon! The flavour isn't as intense as a traditional earl grey tea, but if you're happy with a slightly lighter tea then this is worth a try.

White Blueberry - a light, fragrant white tea blend!

white blueberry - adagio teas

This tea blends two of my favourite things - white tea and blueberries! I seriously cannot be controlled when there are blueberries about - there is something about the flavour that I just love and I can easily devour a punnet without realising! So when I saw this tea I knew I had to try it.

White Blueberry tea blends together flavour of blueberries with premium white tea from Fujian province, China. This tea can be enjoyed hot or cold - I opted for hot, brewing for tea for about three minutes.

The tea is very aromatic once brewed and a beautiful copper colour. The flavour is very light and delicate, the blueberries add a pleasant sweet taste. Not for anyone who likes a lot of flavour from their tea, but if you are looking for something light and refreshing this is a good tea to try.

I think it would make a really good cold brew tea as well - lovely in the summer months.

I'd like to thank adagio teas for sending me their teas to try, however please note that all opinions expressed in this blog post are my own.

Do you have a favourite adagio tea? If so we'd love to hear all about it - get in touch! If you'd like to see more of the adagio tea range 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

The Friday Review - Dragonfly Teas

Hello there,

It's Friday.....that means one thing at Tea With Me and Friends Towers....it's time for the Friday Review. This week we are featuring two teas from Dragonfly Tea who are celebrating 15 tea-riffic years!

To celebrate fifteen years of Dragonfly Tea, their new Tea House Collection brings to life all the passion, heritage and expertise for which Dragonfly Tea have become known. Their beautiful collection features 10 delicious artisan whole leaf teas, all sourced with care from the finest gardens around the world.

Dragonfly Tea were kind enough to send us two of the collection to sample at home....

Dragonfly Tea Collection

Just look at those beautiful boxes!

As you can see we tried the English Breakfast blend and the Bai Mudan White Tea.

Dragonfly Tea have created a ‘breakfast blend’ of exceptional quality, selecting teas from some of the world’s finest estates. For over 150 years, tea-makers have sought to compose the perfect accompaniment to the traditional English breakfast....and I have to say that Dragonfly Tea has done a wonderful job with this blend! It's a full bodied black tea, with slightly malty undertones. A really good cuppa to start the day!

The white tea comes from China’s mountainous Fujian Province. Known as ‘White Peony’, it is made from the delicate buds and most tender leaves of the Da Bai tea bush, favoured by the 11th century Song Emperors of China. Grown amongst the misty peaks, the leaves are gathered and dried in early spring and then lightly and skilfully cured using age-old techniques. This produces a lovely, light tea which has a slight nutty flavour. 

To celebrate these pretty teas I knew I needed one of my really pretty teacups....

To find out more about the new collection from Dragonfly Tea pop by their website.

We'd like to thank Dragonfly Tea for sending us these teas!

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel

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

The Friday Review....Silver Needle tea from Ahmad Tea

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends.

It's Friday....and since the crazy festive season has finished normal service has returned and we're back with a Friday tea review! Last year we were sent several teas from the Ahmad Tea range to try.....

Just look at all those teas! 

Ahmad Tea is a UK-based family tea business, drawing on four generations of tea blending and tasting experience. Since Ahmad Tea kindly sent us so many teas, we decided to spread our reviews over several different posts (to prevent tea fatigue - if there is such a thing!).

So let's start our tea adventures with the Silver Needle tea in the beautiful caddy....

A silver needle tea is a delicate, fresh tasting Chinese tea made of soft, plump young 'needles', or immature leaf buds, covered in tiny silvery hairs. As this tea is very light and mellow it makes it particularly enjoyable to drink in the afternoon.

To brew this tea use 1-2 tsp per 200ml cup using water temperature around 80°C. Infuse the tea for just 2-3 mins - this will leave you with a really pale yellow liquor, a little reminiscent of a glass of champagne (without the bubbles)! 

Enjoy without milk or sugar.

The flavour of the tea is light and delicate, with the smallest hint of nuttiness about it. It's a very refreshing cup of tea, perfect to enjoy with a slice of cake or something sweet.

We're looking forward to trying the other teas that Ahmad Tea sent us - in the meantime if you'd like to find out more about the Ahmad Tea range pop by their website.

We'd like to thank Ahmad Tea for sending us this lovely selection of teas, but please remember that this kind gesture has not affected our taste buds and all opinions expressed her are our own.

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna

The Friday Review....Adagio Teas (part two)

Hello there,

Happy Friday! We hope you've had a fab week!

So, another Friday is with us and this week on The Friday Review we're featuring some more Adagio Teas. If you popped by last week you'll know that the kind people at Adagio Teas recently sent us a rather cool cup and infuser, along with a selection of loose leaf teas. Last week we tried the White Tropics tea...this week we have another three teas to try...

The three teas are a pu erh hazelberry, a jasmine silver needle and a thai chai.

Let's begin with taking a look at the pu erh hazelberry, which combines the flavours of strawberries and hazelnut with the earthy smoothness of a Pu erh tea.

The leaves have a really mouthwatering nutty aroma which burst from the packet when you open it.  The tea once brewed is a dark brown colour and has a very nutty aroma.

I tried this tea without milk first and I found it a very unusual flavour. It had a smokey taste with a vaguely nutty hint to it. I also tried the tea with milk and thought this improved the flavour, as it added a slightly more creamy flavour.

Next lets take a look at the Jasmine Silver Needle white tea....

Jasmine Silver Needle white tea is made up of young tea leaf buds with a whisper of jasmine aura. 

This tea had a delicate fresh jasmine aroma and was a pale yellow colour once brewed. The flavour was light and delicate, making it a rather refreshing cup of tea.

Finally  lets take a look at the thai chai....

This is an alternative to a traditional masala chai and includes black tea, coconut, cinnamon, ginger root, cardamom and lemon grass. I could really smell the cinnamon and hints of ginger in this tea.

This is a really lovely, warming cup of tea. It had a cinnamon aroma with a slightly sweet cinnamon flavour.

To find out more about these and the other teas in the Adagio Teas range pop by their fab website. 

We'd like to thank Adagio Teas for sending us these teas to try, its great to discover new tea ranges. But please remember that this has not effected our taste buds at all, and all opinions expressed in this article are our own.

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna

The Friday Review....Adagio Teas

Hello there,

Happy Friday! Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends - we hope you've had a fab week!

It's Friday....so we're back with another tea review for you...this week we have been discovering adagio teas who specialise in bringing fresh teas to tea lovers, direct from tea farmers. Their website offers teas, teaware, blends and gifts and includes a range of black, white, green and herbal teas to name a few.

The lovely people at adagio have sent us a selection of teas to try.....and a lovely pink porcelain cup complete with infuser....

Isn't that a cute cup!

So, we decided to try the cup out with the white tropics tea first (you know us - we can't resist a white tea!).

Let's take a look at the tea first....White Tropics is a blend of sweet white tea from China and the flavour of coconuts and pineapple....which sounds like the perfect cup of tea to us!

The tea leaves have a fruity aroma that hits you when you open the packet, there is a distinct smell of coconuts. The blend includes white tea leaves, pineapple flavour, coconut flavour and rose hips.

It is recommended that you use two heaped teaspoons per cup and allow the tea to brew for approximately 3-5 minutes. Let's take a look at the cup we are using to brew our cuppa....

To prepare tea, you simply place leaves inside the metal infuser inside the cup and then fill the cup with hot water. Once brewed you just need to remove the infuser (the cover doubles as a coaster) and enjoy your cup of tea. The cup also comes with a cover....which makes an excellent coaster for the infuser (as demonstrated above).

This cup is perfect for enjoying a perfect cup of tea (e.g. one made with loose tea leaves) with ease and little mess. I have used this at home....but also took it into the office with me! Fab! 

The cup costs £16 from the adagio teas website.

Moving back to the tea itself....

Once brewed the tea was a pretty amber colour and a slightly unusual aroma which was different to the tea leaves before hot water was added.

I really enjoyed the delicate fruity flavour, it was a lovely, refreshing cup of tea....but I wasn't so sure about the aroma. I couldn't quite put my finger on what it was...or what I wasn't keen on.

To find out more about the teaware and teas on offer from adagio teas take a peek at their website. We'd like to thank adagio teas for sending us these lovely samples - but please remember that their kind gift has not effected our taste buds and all opinions expressed within this post are our own.

Pop back next week to see what we thought of the other three teas....

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna

The Friday Review....BRUU Tea

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends...guess what...it's Friday and so we have another tea-riffic tea review for you!

We were really excited recently when this little box was delivered through our letter box by our postman...

BRUU - the gourmet tea club

Yes, BRUU is a tea club.....and they send you tea through the post....I love this idea and couldn't wait to try the tea....

BRUU tea - through your letterbox!

The idea behind this tea subscription is simple....you join, you call the shots and they send you a different set of teas each month. The tea selection is personalised, depending on your preferences and all the teas are high quality loose leaf blends. 

Let's start by looking at the tea which BRUU sent us from their huge selection....

BRUU Tea selection

In our box we had:

Lemon Meets Ginger

Famous White Dragon

If Terry's did Rooibos

In normal tea language....what we have here is a green tea, a white tea and a rooibos. Once brewed I have to say they made a pretty trio, with bright vibrant colours...

The first tea I decided to try was the Lemon Meets Ginger, which has a green tea as its base. I hadn't come across a green tea blended with lemon and ginger before, but imagined a bright, zingy tea perfect for the morning.

As soon as I opened the packet I was hit by the aroma of lemons, it actually made my mouth water! 

Lemon Meets Ginger - BRUU Tea

Each packet comes with brewing instructions so you can enjoy the perfect cuppa, including water temperature, amount of leaves and brewing time. So once I'd finished sniffing my tea I added the water....

This photo doesn't really do the tea justice...as the tea is really a beautiful, bright yellow once brewed. The aroma of lemons continues and the taste is zingy and bright. The lemon is probably the strongest flavour, with the ginger coming through as a warming hint at the end of each mouthful. The taste is clean and not at all synthetic - a great cup of tea to wake up to in the morning.

Next let's take a look at the Rooibos tea....If Terry's Did Rooibos....

If Terry's did Rooibos....BRUU tea

Now....as the name suggests....open the packet with your eyes shut (although I'm not entirely sure why you would do that) and your nostrils could be fooled into believing there is a certain chocolate and orange treat in front of you. The aroma is amazing...again...my mouth watered!

Once brewed the tea is a lovely warm orange colour, it looks like a very inviting cup of tea.

The flavour is more orange than chocolate, but it still reminded me of that chocolate treat I indulge in every Christmas (yes, I said the C word!). This is a warming cup of tea, perfect for the autumn evenings.

Finally I moved onto the White tea....now I love a good cup of white tea and so I was intrigued by the Famous White Dragon....

Famous White Dragon - BRUU tea

Although this blend has a white tea base, it is packed full of fruity flavour, including ......dragon fruit! When I opened the packet, the air was filled with sweet notes....I couldn't wait to try the tea....

A slightly lighter coloured tea when brewed, it also had a more delicate flavour too (to match the delicate white tea base). This tea is light and fruity and very refreshing - it reminded me of berries. This was definitely my favourite from the selection we were sent.

So...how do you get your hands on a BRUU tea subscription you might ask.....well its very simple actually, just visit the BRUU website and pick the package that you want. You can decide whether you want two, three or four teas each month and you can also say what kinds of teas you like to drink. You can then choose from monthly payments or one-off payments of 3, 6 or 12 months - making it a very flexible subscription. Subscriptions start from about £10 per month.....pop by the website for more information and to see some more of the teas that could be sent to you.

We'd like to thank BRUU for sending us these teas - we thoroughly enjoyed discovering more about their tea club! Please remember that although we have received these teas for free, this hasn't effected our taste buds at all and all opinions expressed here are our own.

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel

Time for....a Tea Recipe

Hello there,

Happy Monday!

Well I thought we would start this week with a new kind of blog post from Tea With Me and Friends....how about a tea recipe?

Now we all know that tea tastes great and we all have our favourite teas.....but have you ever thought of trying something a little different with your cuppa? I've found that with a couple of extra ingredients and some time (not much I promise) you can create something quite new with your favourite teas.

Creating Tea Recipes at
Tea With Me and Friends

This weekend I decided to try experimenting with a white tea recipe....and I've come up with something you might like to try at home. Now, I haven't named this yet (I'm open to suggestions), but here is what you'll need:

• White tea of your choice
• two fresh plums
• a little vanilla extract (just one or two drops)
• boiling water 

This makes enough for two cups of tea.

Plum and white tea infusion
Tea With Me and Friends

First off you'll need to slice your plums and add them to a teapot with one or two drops of vanilla extract and 100ml boiling water. You need to leave this to infuse for about 3-4 minutes.

While this is brewing, make your white tea in another teapot (or I used a jug). I used one bag of Dragonfly White Organic Tea, but you can use your favourite white tea. You might remember that we first discovered Dragonfly Tea earlier this year when we tried several different blends.

Let this brew for about three minutes.

Dragonfly Tea - Swirling Mist
Organic White Tea

Next pour your white tea into your plum infusion, give it a stir and leave it to infuse for a couple of minutes (it will be worth the wait I promise!). 

Now your tea is ready to enjoy!

You will end up with a pretty dark amber colour and the tea will smell sweet. The flavour is fruity with a slight vanilla hint. 

It tastes great as a hot beverage, but I also discovered that if you happen to leave this tea (aka forgetting about your cuppa) and come back to it later it tastes great as a cold tea too - very refreshing!

I hope you try this recipe at home - if you do let me know what you think. I'd also love to hear any recipe name suggestions you might have for this....leave us a comment below!

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel