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

Afternoon Tea News - Flower Afternoon Tea, Lancaster London

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends - today we have some afternoon tea news to share with you as Lancaster London is launching their new floral afternoon tea!

As London starts to bloom with summer flowers and the annual Chelsea Flower Show amazes guests, the chefs of Lancaster London will be switching bags of flour for flowers and the butter for buttercups as they present the ‘blooming marvellous’ Flower Afternoon Tea. 

Lancaster London Blooming Afternoon Tea

A beautifully botanical arrangement of sweet delights includes:

a creamy Lavender chocolate mousse cake;

White chocolate macaroons topped with crystallised violets;

a tangy Lime and elderflower trifle with edible flowers.

The Flower Afternoon Tea features both traditional and raisin scones with classic toppings of strawberry jam and clotted cream, plus a delectably nectar-sweet orange blossom jam.

The savoury treats also have a wild theme with:
Lancaster London home-smoked salmon roses on rye bread,

Coronation chicken served on sweet cranberry bread,

a warm tartlet of English asparagus, with saffron and sun-blushed tomatoes

Sunflower seeded choux buns with wild mushroom, truffle oil and cream cheese are full of wild British woodland flavours. 

Lancaster London Blooming Afternoon Tea

The blossoming tea is served in the hotel’s Lounge Bar from 2pm until 5.30pm, Wednesday 3 May until Wednesday 31 May 2017. The tea is priced at £30 per person and £45 with a glass of Pommery Champagne included. The Flower Afternoon Tea is also available as a Flower ARTea, priced from £35 per person. For more information pop by the Lancaster London website.

This certainly looks like a beautiful afternoon tea experience - if you give it a try during May we would love to know what you think!

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna

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

Afternoon Tea News - Back to the Classics Afternoon Tea at The Langham

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends - this week we were lucky enough to be invited to the launch of the new afternoon tea created by newly appointed Executive Pastry Chef at The Langham, London, Andrew Gravett, and his team. Reverting ‘Back to the Classics’, the new tea showcases classical recipes made with fresh ingredients, skilfully produced by a team of passionate patissiers with a contemporary twist. Just look how beautiful the tea stand looks.....

Langham London Afternoon Tea

With reduced sugar and lighter textures, the tea reflects tastes that are easily recognisable but lighter to enjoy...... so when you have finished your afternoon tea feast you are not left feeling too stuffed. Its not a "healthy" afternoon tea, but the treats are lighter.

The Paris Brest is made with Crunchy Choux pastry, lightened pecan cream and caramelised pecans. Babalicious features blackcurrant and star anise soaked baba, Jivara whipped ganache and crunchy pearls. The Decidedly Madeleine offers the classic Madeleine sponge, passion fruit jelly wrapped in a coat of Itakuja. Spherically Challenged comprises of creamy coconut, liquid raspberry and Manjari mousse. Last but not least, the One in a Million showcases a caramelised puff pastry with vanilla infused mascarpone.

Langham London Afternoon Tea

I think my favourite sweet was the "One in a Million" which features the lightest, puff pastry - crisp and buttery! Although the "Spherically Challenged" was also amazing - full of the lightest coconut mousse which dances about on your tongue before disappearing. Lorna was rather partial to the Paris Breast - crisp and crunchy with a light pecan filling.

Accompanying sandwiches devised by Executive Chef of The Langham, London, Chris King include:

Burford Brown egg, marinated artichoke, rosemary bread
Classic English cucumber, cream cheese, chives,
Beef Pastrami, sauce ‘Albert’, watercress, caramelised onion bread
Scottish smoked salmon, Sarawak pepper and preserved lemon cream
Classic ‘prawn cocktail’, iceberg, potato bun, tomato powder

Langham London Afternoon Tea

A classical plate of well balanced savouries. My favourite was definitely the prawn cocktail - the dusting of tomato powder on the top of the roll is pure genius! I wasn't a fan of the artichoke in the egg sandwich, but that was purely down to personal taste rather than anything else.

At the launch we also met various members of the team and saw some of the sweets being put together. Everyone we met was passionate about the afternoon tea, explaining the various items.

The Langham Afternoon Tea with Wedgwood is served in Palm Court with a selection of scones and a choice of blended teas. The tea is priced at £49 per person, £59 with a glass of N.V Laurent-Perrier Brut champagne, £64 with a glass of Laurent-Perrier Rose champagne.

Seatings are available daily between 12.15pm to 5.30pm.

We can't wait to hear what everyone thinks of this new classical afternoon tea experience!

Thank you to everyone at The Langham for inviting us to sample this new afternoon tea. Please note that all opinions expressed in this article are our own.

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna

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