Teatourist - July 2017

Teatourist like to base their monthly selection of teas around a theme, and July's is 'Larks and Owls' - 'a selection of teas to bookend your day'. So we have four flavoured black teas for a morning caffeine kick, and two indulgently-flavoured rooibos blends - because you deserve them after the day you've had! Time to put the kettle on: let's get tasting.

Lavender, Chocolate and Cinnamon by Lulin Teas
South African Rooibos, cinnamon bark, cocoa shells, lavender.
This is a weird one. I like lavender, and I like chocolate - but do I like them together? I'm still not sure. This has an excellent chocolateyness, a really good depth of flavour. And I would be very happy to drink it as a chocolate tea. But then little notes of lavender come through. Which I like. Or do I? Yes. I do. I think... I'm going to keep drinking it until I'm completely sure. Confusing, but in a good way!

Go Nuts by Tips 'n' Leaves
Cederberg Rooibos, caramel pieces, natural pecan flavour, calendula. 
Full disclosure: I'm not often a big fan of rooibos, either on its own or as a base for flavoured tea. I usually find it too watery, even when I brew it extra long or strong. A rooibos blend has to be pretty special to make me swoon over it, and as much as the scent of this was heavenly, it just didn't float my boat. However, having said that, if rooibos is your thang, then you'll probably like the sweet and nutty notes of this blend.

Masala Chai by Spice Kitchen
Black tea, rose petals, cardamom, black pepper, ginger, cloves, fennel, star anise, nutmeg, ginger, carom seeds, cinnamon. Ah - look at all those spices! This is a smooth and well-balanced chai, mild, but with a spicy aftertaste. I do sometimes brew my masala chai in a pan with milk, but this one I just brewed in a pot, as I would with any black tea, and served it with milk. Obviously you'd get a different tasting experience if you brewed it authentically, but it's up to you.

Summer Fruits by Teagime
Honey red tea, cornflower, red currants, peach, blackberries, blackcurrant powder.
I'm not usually a fan of fruity black tea. It tends to be at the bottom of my tasting list. But this one was a very pleasant surprise: light and refreshing (and I wrote that before reading the same words on the info card!), with delicate fruit and floral notes. The sublety wins out here. Well played Teagime!

Lemon Kandy by Teakruthi
I've said before that I'm not a fan of black tea with fruit, especially citrus fruit, so this was the second tea in this month's box that made my heart sink slightly. But I actually loved it! This blend contains large pieces of lemon peel, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that the citrus notes were incredibly subtle, and actually enhanced the flavour of this beautiful Orange Pekoe Ceylon. The tea when brewed is a dark honey colour, and smells sharp and fresh. It has such a clean flavour, and is something I would drink as an afternoon pick-me-up. The name of the tea - Lemon Kandy - is a play on words (obviously!), and refers to the mountainous Kandy District of Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon), where this tea is grown.

Get Up And Go by Saddleworth Tea
This is a strong and aromatic blend of Assam, Ceylon, and Kenyan black tea. It has a smooth, clean, and slightly sweet taste, and a big hit of caffeine to get you going in the morning, or after a big sleep-inducing lunch. A nice blend for your everyday cuppa.

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Overall this was a pretty good selection of teas and I enjoyed trying them. I must apologise for the lack of photos. I'm not entirely sure what happened, but my phone seems to have eaten them.

I mentioned last month that Teatourist have redesigned their packaging and information cards, and that I would cover it this month. However, August's selection box brought more changes, so I will wait and cover the whole thing in my August/September post.

You can read my reviews of previous boxes here and here and here.