Twinings' Blueberry, Apple and Rosehip: A Tea Review

Twinings have been on a bit of an advertising spree lately promoting their fruit and herbal blends. As the weather warms up we do tend to favour fruit and herbal teas more so today I have road tested just for you their Blueberry, Apple and Rosehip fruit infusion. I should probably add that fruit teas also make great iced tea drinks and are just as nice blended with some sparkling water if you want something a little bit fancier.

The blueberry blend, like the majority of Twinings fruit infusions incorporates hibiscus as a key ingredient. On its own hibiscus tea has a rather tart flavour but is nice when sweetened, similar to cranberries. If you are pregnant you should avoid teas containing hibiscus as it is not a pregnancy friendly food!

With sweetener this tea is delightful, on its own its a little tart. As soon as the water hits the tea bag a beautiful fragrance is released that kind of reminds me of freshly baked apple and berry pie. My tea place for this cup of tea is a pretty garden on a spring day with said pie, of course!

The best thing, in my opinion, about the range of Twinings fruit infusions is that they come in very affordable boxes of 10 teabags. This is great because you can try a few flavours to find your favourite or have a range of teas for yourself depending on how you are feeling. Another added bonus for me, maybe not so for others, is that these teas are caffeine free. So if, like me, you are trying to lower your caffeine intake, this is a great place to start.

The Verdict

Tea: Twinings' Blueberry, Apple and Rosehip Fruit Infusion

Store: Most supermarkets

Rating: 4/5

Comment: A little tart for my sweet tastes however this is remedied with a little sweetener. Caffeine free, refreshing and with the option of being a nice iced tea. A nice spring blend.

Gorgeous Geisha: A Tea Review

I strongly believe that every cup of tea you savour should take you on a journey. With each sip, as you close your eyes, you should be transported somewhere, albeit momentarily, so you can relax and escape.

Gorgeous Geisha, a green tea blend from T2, has me on a plane and plonked at a hanami faster than imaginably possible.  And a hanami is a cherry blossom viewing party.

My fantasy place kind of looks like this...

Photo Credit: http://regex.info/blog/2008-04-09/787

Gorgeous Geisha is a blend of sencha, a Japanese green tea where the leaves are not ground. If you look into the tea bag you can see the little leaves in there all curled up and then you can watch them unfurl when you add water. I’m a big fan of being able to see what I’m drinking. What makes this tea special is its combination of the sencha with freeze dried strawberry pieces. When the hot water hits those strawberries the aroma is incredible. The last ingredient is ‘cream flavouring’ and we don’t get much more info than that apart from that the tea may contain traces of lactose. T2’s Stawberry and Cream blend contains little yoghurt pieces, which makes me wonder if that’s what is in this one.

There’s no denying that this is a sweet green tea and is a perfect blend for spring and summer as it also makes a great iced tea. It’s delightful aroma and harmonious, not subtle but not too strong, blend of flavours make for a ‘gorgeous’ cup.

I buy my Geisha in tea bags, which are fantastic triangular infuser pods, however you can buy it loose leaf. T2 has an online store or you can visit the real thing by checking locations on their website but be warned, you will spend far more than you intend!

The Verdict

Tea: Gorgeous Geisha: Green Tea with Strawberries and Cream

Shop: T2

Rating: 5/5 if brewed correctly.

Comment: Perfect light, fruity and fragrant blend for the warmer months. Leave it brewing for too long and your sweet blend turns into a bitter punnet of squashed sour berries. To avoid this brew at 75-85 degrees celsius for 2-3 minutes.