Time for Tea- Bird and Blend Tea Review
My love for tea peaked last summer when, me being the cool cat that I am, I recieved a loose leaf tea set as a birthday present from my Auntie and Uncle. Alongside the tea set they kindly gave me a bag of loose leaf raspberry, cranberry and peach tea, one of the only fruit teas I've ever enjoyed, and so down the rabbit hole I went. Fast-forward to this week, and I received my first order from Bird and Blend.
Bird and Blend is an "independent tea mixology company" with 8 stores across the UK, and upholds the belief that sitting down with a cup of tea is one of many ways to create your own place of happiness. The company is actively eco-conscious, stocking bio-degradable 'tea sacks', bamboo straws and tea tins. Upon receiving my parcel I noticed they even used a paper based tape to seal the box, so environmentally a great company.
When opening my parcel I found two free teabag samples in the flavour 'Morning Tea' and 'Nearly Nirvana', alongside a recipe card for one of the flavours I ordered and a hand written note. Honestly, I'm a sucker for touches like these. Putting a person to a product is something I really enjoy when buying, especially as part of my mission to shop independent, and the thoughtfulness behind giving me a recipe card brought a smile to my face. The best feature of Bird and Blend is of course the tea flavours- and oh boy do they have some flavours. The list is simply too long for me to name my favourite sounding teas, but I can assure you I purchased some of the most intriguing.
I selected my tea flavours with the intention of a cuppa that would soothe my evening sweet craving, as I love having a peppermint tea in the evening but don't find it quite satisfying enough.
So, the flavours I ordered are as follows; Gingerbread Chai, Mint Choc Rooibos, Chocolate Digestives and Birthday Cake. Yep, thats right, Birthday Cake!
I decided to ease my way into the concoctions with Mint Choc Rooibos, thinking it would be a stones throw away from my usual Peppermint. Bird and Blend recommend steeping the tea for 4 minutes, however upon tasting my brew I decided to let it steep longer as I'm accustomed to stronger flavours. This tea was more subtle than my usual punchy peppermint tea bags, instead the flavours were more fragrant and delicate. Being confused myself as to how chocolate flavour could be incorporated into tea, after sipping my cup I would say the flavour isn't what you expect. Rather than the creamy flavour of a bar of chocolate, this tea has a fragrant and mellow chocolate taste that lingers after swallowing. This tea is made possible through peppermint, delicate cocoa shells, and cocoa nibs, and offers a subtle sweetness through its vanilla pieces. If you're looking for a delicate and refreshing new take on peppermint tea, this is definitely the tea to try.
Chocolate Digestive 9/10
Wow wow wow. This tea truly exceeded my expectations! I couldn't imagine how the humble chocolate digestive could be reimagined in tea form, but now that I've tasted it I'm so glad it happened. Initially the taste of black tea comes to the forefront, but then a smooth biscuity taste accompanied by that same fragrant cocoa flavour reaches the tip of your tongue. I'm not usually a drinker of black tea, adding milk into my usual English Breakfast, so I did need to get used to the slightly bitter taste, but after my third sip I was accustomed to the strength and was able to fully enjoy and taste the chocolate digestive flavour. Whilst I could definitely taste a biscuit-esk flavour, I personally was reminded of a dark smooth caramel- perhaps the mixing of flavours from the fragrant cocoa and darker black tea. I really enjoyed this blend, with it offering a clearer flavour portfolio than the Mint Chocolate Rooibos and being appropriate as a breakfast brew or a post-dinner drink.
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Birthday Cake 8.5/10
As a Rooibos based tea, this one was a lot more mellow on the palate compared to 'Chocolate Digestive', which I think complements the light and sweet vanilla taste that comes through. Again, I was so intrigued as to how birthday cake would translate to tea form, but it was so delicious. Similarly to 'Mint Choc' this tea was delicate and fragrant in the mouth, and once swallowed a gorgeous vanilla sponge/buttercream comes through. What I enjoyed most about this flavour was the gentleness and authentic taste of the vanilla, with the brew avoiding any taste of artificial flavours and not bombarding you with sweetness. I had reservations about this tea being sickly by the last sip, however this was not the case at all, and it perfectly quenched my thirst for subtle sweetness. Perhaps the cutest thing about this tea was the little star sprinkles, such a cute and special touch and a perfect present for a tea lover!
Gingerbread Chai 9/10
Finally, we have the perhaps seasonally inappropriate Gingerbread Chai rooibos tea. I know to some I may be committing the cardinal sin of consuming spiced flavours in the peak of summer but, and I whole-heartedly mean this, I don't care. I love me some spices. Following the trend of the subtle rooibos based tea, the flavours of this brew were allowed to be fully present without any distractions, and I was honestly surprised I loved it so much! Now I had low expectations for this flavour, simply because I did not like the scent of the leaves in their pouch at all. Don't get me wrong, the tea leaves didn't have a bad smell, it just wasn't one that appealed to me. However, once brewed I loved the smell- being closely reminiscent of my favourite 'Vanilla Pumpkin Spice' candles from Home Sense. I'm not sure if my nostrils were having a momentary blip or if an autumnal scent in 32 degree heat is what caused my initial dislike of the smell, but its safe to say my mind is changed. The flavour of this tea is once again beautiful, with aromatic sweetness pulling from the cinnamon and vanilla, and a punchy taste of ginger providing a refreshing kick. The only thing stopping this tea from being a complete 10/10 is the fact I personally didn't register much of a gingerbread taste. The ginger combined with the vanilla pieces does vaguely resemble a gingerbread-esk memory, however without thinking and seeking out the taste I'm not sure how apparent it would be. Alas, this tea is still bloody lovely and I'll definitely be placing a second order!
If you made it this far- well done! I know being a tea fanatic is a bit of a niche one, but if you're a lover of teas then I'd love to hear what some of your favourite flavours are.
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