T2

Hello fellow tea drinkers!  It's me, Lorna!  Surprise!

Anyway, I recently had the opportunity to visit T2 in Kingston.  "Good for you!" I hear you say, "But what on earth are you talking about?"  Well, T2 is the leading tea retailer in Australia according to their website.  They have been providing Australians with tea for 18 years, have been in the UK for about a year and just opened their branch in Kingston around seven weeks ago.

T2 Store in the Bentalls Centre, Kingston

Now, you'll have to bear with me as I'm a little more shy of taking photos that Rachel so I'll do my best to describe everything to you!  The shop is modern but still inviting.  The first thing you see is a large table absolutely filled with little dishes containing all the different varieties of tea available for you to look at and, more importantly, smell.  Dotted around the shop is all the beautiful teaware which is predominantly decorated with bright colours and bold designs.  Along the walls you can find boxes upon boxes of tea, neatly organised and ready to leap into your shopping basket!

I don't expect you to be able to read them
but just look at all those varieties!

So, I was minding my own business, sniffing all of the teas, when a lovely lady asked if I would like to try any teas and pointed to a large station at the back of the store with a huge range of both hot and cold teas already prepared and waiting to be supped.  Well, it would have been rude not to, would it not?  I tried six teas in total and completely fell in love.  

It was wonderful speaking with the lovely shop assistant (whose name I have shamefully forgotten) as she was passionate about the brand and clearly a fellow tea lover!  She listened as I told her about our forthcoming Mad Hatter's tea party (I'm sure we'll keep you updated) and gave me some samples which she thought my guests might like and would tie in nicely with the underlying theme of the party, namely that lots of elements will not be what they seem.

My personally selected samples

I also bought one of their lovely packs, the Cool Sorts collection which are a selection of fruity teas which although can be taken hot, are designed to be delicious when iced.

I'll stop rambling now, I just genuinely had a lovely experience and wanted to share it with you all.  I will most definitely be heading back into T2 at any given opportunity and if you would like some more information about T2 just pop over to their website but do try not to drool on your keyboard!

Thanks for popping by today, 

Lorna

Time for Tea....Piacha

Hello there,

Welcome back to another post from Tea With Me and Friends! We hope you're well and have had a tea-riffic week!

Today we wanted to share with you our recent visit to Piacha in London.....you might recognise the name as we have featured some of the Piacha teas previously on the blog. But Piacha is also a lovely tea bar in London, run by the even lovlier Pia....

Located in Islington, London, Piacha are all about interesting tea blends, bold tastes and skilfully brewed tea. With the selection of 25 Piacha blends, ice tea smoothies and tea infused food, expect the unexpected....and some really, really good tea!

Pia created Piacha because she could never get a really good cup of takeaway tea when she was out and about - good takeaway coffee is everywhere....but good takeaway was really limited!

The teabar itself is cool and comtemporary and the team are skilled in tea making.....and super friendly! I only wish I lived closer!

Piacha Teas

Piacha tea is displayed in the teabar in an easy to read format, all colour coded so you know what kind of tea you are looking at. I especially love the jars of leaves so you can smell the various blends....

Take a sniff - Piacha Apple Green Tea

If you don't know what kind of tea you want, Pia or one of the team are happy to help you out, suggesting blends based on your likes and dislikes. There is also the opportunity to taste some of the teas on offer......

Tea tasting - Piacha

Tea is at the heart of everything at Piacha, it's even infused in the freshly made sandwiches!

Lorna and I spent a happy Saturday morning talking tea with Pia and trying some of the blends on offer....

Tea With Me and Friends at Piacha

Tea is served in lovely glass mugs at Piacha

We picked some teas that we thought we would like and based on these Pia made some recommendations too. We also tried some of the rather scrummy chocolate cake, which melted in the mouth....

Tea tasting at Piacha

The Piacha chocolate cake went down rather well!

Tea blends include a rather lovely, warming ginger chilli tea which included Ginger, lemon verbena, black peppercorns, liquorice, ginseng, chilli in the ingrideint list. There was also such delights as Black and Cherry (think scrummy black forest gatuex), apple green tea (vibrant and refreshing) and morroccan mint.

All these can be enjoyed while listening to jazz and watching the world go by in the comfort of the tea bar.....or as a takeaway tea, freshly brewed.

When you visit if you get the chance to talk tea with Pia herself its a real treat as she is so passionate about all things tea! She has even created ice tea smoothies....

Ice Tea Smoothies from Piacha

There are currently four flavours which are truely unique and freshing....definitly worth a try!

On the 10th June Piacha are hosting an open tea house and free evening of tea tasting between 6-9pm....if you are in the area pop by to try some of their unique blends and talk tea!

We also have some very exiciting news about our blogiversary at the end of June which might just involve a fabulous prize from Piacha - watch this space for more details!

A huge thank you to Pia for spending the morning with us, it was a truly entertaining and inspirational tea adventure!

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna

The Friday Review - Bluebird Tea

Hello there,

It's Friday....that means you must be here for one thing....it's time for another Friday Review!

If you remember a couple of weeks ago we tried some rather cakey blends from the Bluebird Tea Company....well this week we have another three of their teas....and these are all rather different!

So, this time from Bluebird Tea we have....Smoky Russian, Candy Floss and Hot Cross Buns....(yep, you read that right...candy floss!).....

Bluebird Tea

So let's begin with the Smoky Russian, which is a Lapsang Souchong tea, the blend includes  Formosa oolong tea, Lapsang Souchong tea, Mao Feng Keemun tea and as the name suggests...is smoked....

Bluebird Tea - Smoky Russian

To be honest I'm not that great with smoky things....I have a sweeter taste palate and naturally veer away from anything smoked normally - so it was good to step outside of my comfort zone. 

The aroma from both the leaves and the brewed tea is definitely smoky, but don't let this put you off if you prefer more mellow brews like me. The tea has a really refreshing taste with a light smoky aftertaste, definitely not as smoky as I thought it might be.

The next one I tried was the limited edition Hot Cross Bun tea....

Bluebird Tea - Hot Cross Bun

A very pretty bag of leaves, this is a Rooibos and black tea blend, combined with lots of fruity pieces and cinnamon. The aroma really reminded me of baking hot cross buns...with lots of cinnamon and fruit....it actually made my mouth water!

Bluebird Tea - Hot Cross Bun

This blend included Rooibos, Sri Lankan black tea, Cinnamon, Hibiscus, Apple pieces, Rosehip, Orange peel, Lapsang Souchong tea, Vanilla pieces, Cranberry pieces, Flavour.

It was a real delight to both brew and drink, leaving my kitchen with a lovely fruity aroma. Even the colour of the tea reminded me of hot cross buns! As for the taste....well it was warming, fruity and thoroughly enjoyable! It reminded me a little of Christmas time!

Finally we have the most unusual tea...Candy Floss...which believe it or not is a white tea....

Bluebird Tea - Candy Floss

Yep, there are hundreds and thousands sprinkles in there....so pretty!

This blend is quite impressive in it's ingredient list....including....White Chinese tea, Hibiscus, Apple pieces, Elderberries, Rosehip, Pineapple pieces, Red cornflowers, Stevia, Strawberry pieces, Blue cornflowers, Hundreds and Thousands Sprinkles, Flavour.

The tea smells like sweets....very different for a cup of tea, and it produces a beautiful ruby tea when brewed.....

Bluebird Tea - Candy Floss

I'm not sure I can describe the taste of this tea...it's sweet and kinda fruity...you really need to try it for yourself to see what I mean...it's definitely like no other tea I have tried before! I think I will try this as a cool brew next, as I think it might make a lovely summer drink.

All three cups were enjoyable in their own unique ways. Bluebird Tea has an impressive collection of teas on offer, I will definitely be trying some more.

We would like to thank Bluebird Tea for sending us these teas to try....however please remember that although we have received these teas for free, it has not affected my taste buds and all opinions expressed are our own!

Don't forget to take a peek at the Bluebird Tea website to see more of the teas on offer!

So, over to you....have you tried any of the Bluebird Teas? Which is your favourite?

Thanks for popping by today,

Rachel

Time for....some biscuits!

Hello there,

Yes, I know...that usually says "time for tea"....but today we have something a little more crunchy for you....that you can dunk in your cuppa if you are so inclined!

In fact, what I am about to share with you should come with some kind of warning as they are incredibly moreish and could easily ruin a lady or gentleman's diet if they were watching their weight!

Thomas J Fudge's Biscuits - you have been warned!

So, in this beautiful packaging these scrummy treats look innocent enough....but delve into their pretty boxes and you will discover some treats that once you have tried them you may find that you've consumed the whole box without realising!

Let's look at bit closer at Thomas J Fudge's first, as although I have never heard about this Dorset based bakery before, apparently they have been baking away since their family bakery opened in 1916 (why did no one tell me before??).  Over 90 years later...they are still baking some rather good treats - both sweet and savoury.

I had the pleasure of sampling the Wondrous White Chocolate Florentines and the Stem Ginger Blisscuits dipped in dark chocolate, but there are so many more varieties available from savoury biscuits and crackers to sweet biscuits, flapjacks (which I have been told are amazing) and cheese straws.

Thomas J Fudge's
Wondrous white chocolate Florentines

Now, I'm not usually a white chocolate fan - I love milk chocolate and bitter, dark chocolate, but white chocolate just doesn't float my boat! However, these Florentines with their thick layer of white chocolate are just lovely! They are chewy, crammed with raisins and have a light citrus flavour - truly scrummy, even for someone who usually avoids white chocolate!

Thomas J Fudge's
Stem Ginger Blisscuits

In contrast, these stem ginger biscuits are crunchy and golden and are complimented brilliantly by the layer of dark chocolate. The ginger is lingering in the mouth, but not overpowering. Another really lovely biscuit!

Both varieties are available in boxes of eight, and are really a treat biscuit rather than an everyday biscuit (although I would probably really enjoy tucking into them everyday!). You can buy these, or the other varieties, either online or in selected stockists - take a peek at the website for more information.

I'd like to thank Thomas J Fudges for sending us these sweet treats to sample. However, please note that although the biscuits were complimentary this hasn't affected our taste buds and all opinions expressed here are our own.

Have you tried any of the other offerings from Thomas J Fudge's - if you have we'd love to hear what you thought!

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna

Afternoon Tea News - Langham's 150th Anniversary Tea

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends for a spot of afternoon tea news from the Langham, London. To celebrate its 150th anniversary year on the 10th of June, The Langham, London has created the Anniversary Afternoon Tea which is available during June.

The anniversary tea launches today and features an 1865 Langham Anniversary tea blend made with 150 ingredients to mark each year of the hotel’s heritage.

Langham 150th Anniversary Afternoon Tea

The Anniversary Tea sweet treats include a Langham Chocolate Mousse with Raspberry Compote, made with soon-to-launch Langham Chocolate ‘No.150’, Chilled Rhubarb and Custard Verrine, a 150th Anniversary Cinnamon Shortbread Langham Tower, Coconut and Pineapple Macaroon and a Lady Victorian Sponge with Strawberry and White Balsamic Jelly.  Pastries are accompanied by the 1865 Langham Anniversary tea blend made with 150 ingredients created together with Master Tea Blender, Alex Probyn.

The Anniversary Tea with Wedgwood is priced at £49 per person and includes the Langham Anniversary Tea blend. Champagne Afternoon Tea is priced at £59 per person and each guest enjoying a glass of bubbles with their tea will also receive a golden ticket and the chance to win one of the super anniversary prizes!

If you enjoy this pretty afternoon tea, created by the super talented Cherish Finden we'd love to hear all about it!

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna