February's Teatourist box is 'Crushes & Blushes Tea Adventure' - a very pretty selection of teas and tisanes, themed around the idea that tea is love!
North Jetty Beach by Beach House Teas
Blackberry leaf, peppermint, basil, lemon verbena, lavender, rose hips, bee pollen, peaches.
I'm a sucker for a pretty name, and Beach House Teas have really gone to town on making their teas sound joyful, evoking both childhood beach holidays and romantic strolls in the sand. Bravo Beach House! This herbal blend, North Jetty Beach, uses ingredients sourced locally to the Southwest Washington Coast. It has a minty and sweet scent, and tastes slightly peppery, and leafy. As with many multi-ingredient herbal teas, different notes and flavours come through with each sip.
Tea-taster Debbie: "I like it, but I don't know what I'm tasting. I like the name."
Sparkling White by Hoogly Tea
Chinese white tea, Chinese green tea, lemongrass, orange blossom, apple pieces, elderflower, hibiscus, rosehip, orange peel, flavouring.
This is fascinating: a blend of tea that attempts to mimic white wine. And it succeeds. As a white tea it is less delicate than I was expecting, given body by the addition of green. It's fruity, with floral notes, and definitely manages an underlying alcoholic tartness. I imagine that, chilled, this would be a great non-alcoholic alternative to white wine, and delicious on a summer evening.
Honey Red Jade by Golden Leaf Tea Co.
100% black tea.
Red tea? Black tea? What? To clear up any confusion, what is referred to as 'red tea' in China is what elsewhere, including in the UK, is referred to as 'black tea'. This one has been fermented, which means that it will taste somewhat different from the original black tea that it started out as. It might seem a strange flavour at first, but it is definitely something worth trying, if only for the taste experience. This particular tea has an incredibly sweet honey flavour to it, with earthy undertones. It's strong-bodied and might make for an interesting dessert tea because of the sweetness. Apparently it's also good cold, and this further enhances the 'sweet floral flavours'. I'll be trying this later, but for now I'm enjoying it hot.
Raspberry and Rhubarb by The Tea Experience
Rooibos, elderberries, raspberry and rhubarb pieces, rose petals, coconut peel, flavouring.
Each time that I review rooibos I have to say that I am not a rooibos fan, as I usually find it too watery as a base. But I actually quite enjoyed this. It smells sweet and fruity, and made me think of rhubarb crumble, or rhubarb and custard sweets. I was expecting tartness, but it was actually sweet and a little syrupy. A pleasant surprise.
Cheeky Charlie by The Kettle Shed
Chinese green tea, lemon verbena, calendula, apple pieces, lime leaves, sunflower petals, flavouring.
This one smells like sweets! It reminded me of pear drops. The green tea gives body to the floral and fruit flavours, and there are also acidic, slightly sharp notes, from the lime and pear. This would make a fantastic refreshing summer tea, served iced.
Debbie, inhaling deeply: "This is a reaaallly nice tea. You can really taste the lime."
Whole Rose Buds by The Tea Makers of London
100% whole rose buds.
This little packet full of rose buds is a delight. I love purely floral teas, but I usually buy rose petals rather than the whole buds. These are beautiful, and look best brewed in a glass teapot, or you could just pop them whole into a cup if you don't mind them bobbing about as you drink. This makes for a fragrant brew, with a sweet and subtle taste. Rose tea is love!
I loved this selection; it was a real winner for me this month!
You can still order this box, or any past Teatourist box that you fancy, so check out my reviews of previous boxes and see if there's something that you like.
Teatourist have also given me a special discount code for 30% off your first box when you start a monthly subscription: just use the code FOXGLOVE30 at the checkout. I don't get commission for this, it's just a treat for you.
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