Twinings Butter Mint Sensation: A Tea Review

As previously discussed, whilst I was pregnant I lost any interest in drinking tea. On my first trip to the supermarket post delivery I was keen to check out the tea isle (I know, I know, supermarket tea! Plenty of us buy it though!) and see what was new. Aside from the myriad of teas now being sold in pyramid infusers I noticed a new range from Twinings.

The thing about this range that first caught my eyes were the colourful boxes covered in bright swirly patterns and then I noticed the interesting flavour pairings; Double Mint, Raspberry and Dragon Fruit and Butter Mint. According to Twinings' Australian website this range doesn't even exist. That might explain why I can't find the Camomile and Maple that is cross promoted on the back of my Butter Mint box.

There are a few things that worry me about this tea; firstly the ingredients list. The last item listed is 'Other Natural Flavourings'. Now, I'm sure I'm not the only one out there who actually likes to know what they are putting into their bodies. Secondly, I really can't decide if I like this tea or not. It has such a strange flavour. It's basically vanilla and mint, like a blend of sweet and savoury in a cup. It is however slightly sweet. It really is strange, not completely unpleasant but not something I would buy again. Having said that, whilst it's not my cup of tea it may well be right up someone else's alley! Perhaps I had too high expectations of this tea with its Wonka style flavourings and crazy colourful box which is why I was disappointed.

The Verdict

Tea: Twinings Butter Mint Sensation
Store: Most supermarkets
Rating: 2/5
Comment: Vanilla mint makes for a different flavour 'sensation'. It's not my cup of tea but it might well be yours!

A Brush With Royal-tea! Prince of Wales: A Tea Review

I couldn't resist the royal-tea pun after my brush with royalty this past week. It was the first time I have ever seen any members of the royal family and possibly will be the only time. A friend and I battled the crowds of over enthusiastic elderly royal fanatics, one of whom not only stole our spot but then provided everyone in her vicinity with a running commentary of events AND got on the television news. Have I mentioned before that luck doesn't seem to follow me. Anyhow, we saw Prince Charles and Camilla, albeit fleetingly, and I left feeling satisfied enough to be able to say that I've seen some of the Royal Family.

As the royal car approached the cliches began. The rowers started to row down the river and the little river cruise boats positioned themselves for the photos. It was as if they had rounded up every swan from the river and contained them to just the portion they would see. It made me chuckle as I wondered how annoying it must be for them to go everywhere and have everything constantly be a superficial show. Personally, I'd get tired of it very quickly. You couldn't pay me to be a royal. As the car slowly drove past us we had a peek inside and waved to Charles and Camilla. Something amazed me about seeing them in person; they looked better than on television. In fact, Camilla was a very beautiful woman for someone her age. The car pulled up not far from us and they jumped out and straight away started to shake peoples hands, after all they only had 10 minutes to greet around 500 people. We didn't get a hand shake but that didn't matter to us, we had seen the royals!

Now, on to the tea... Twining's produce a popular black tea blend known as Prince of Wales. The tea is not named after Prince Charles the current Prince of Wales but was named and blended for Prince Edward VIII, the Prince of Wales. You might think you have no idea who he is but really you do. Prince Edward VIII became King of England in 1936. He was King for less than a year due to his abdication involving his relationship with American divorcee Wallis Simpson. There was a recent film about their relationship, W.E, and they featured, well actors playing them, in the fantastic film The King's Speech. When Edward abdicated that meant his younger brother Albert was to become king, which he did. Our current Queen, Elizabeth II, is the daughter of Prince Albert, later known as King George VI. I should add that Prince of Wales is a title given to the person next in line for the throne, so one day you would imagine this title would go to Prince William.

Twining's blended their Prince of Wales tea in the 1920's. It is a mild black tea blend similar to English Breakfast however has a little more of a bold smooth flavour whereas English Breakfast, I feel, has a slightly sweet and smooth flavour. It is a nice afternoon tea. It is a popular blend and is readily available in the supermarket in both tea bags and loose leaf blends. If you enjoy English Breakfast and want a change without wandering too far then this blend fits the bill. Brew this tea at 100 degrees celsius for 2-4 minutes. If you brew for too long it will become bitter and loose it's smooth flavour.

The Verdict

Tea: Twining's Prince of Wales

Store: Most Supermarkets

Rating: 5/5

Comment: A great afternoon tea and a nice alternative to English Breakfast

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.