Hot Cross Bun tea from Bluebird Tea Co

We've been eating lots of hot cross buns recently. Eddie likes them slightly toasted, with a bit of butter. I confess that I always buy them, and have never baked a single hot cross bun in my life.
When you slice it, and put in the toaster, the smell that is wafting in the kitchen is delicious.
Recently the Bluebird Tea Co rose to the challenge of recreating that wonderful spicy aroma of hot cross buns in a tea blend.
I love seasonal teas, and when I read the newsletter from Bluebird Tea Co recently, announcing their Easter teas range, I just couldn't resist trying one of their Easter-themed blends. It is not the latest addition to the range of Bluebird Teas, I believe they had it already, but I haven't tried it before.
Hot cross bun tea is an inspired spring mood tea.
Ingredients include Rooibos, Sri Lankan black tea, cinnamon, hibiscus, apple pieces, rosehip, orange peel, Lapsang Souchong tea, vanilla pieces, cranberry pieces and flavour.
All my favourite flavours together. It is warm, spicy, smokey and toasty, the black tea adds strength to rooibos, while rooibos adds mellow notes.

It smells delicious, just like freshly baked hot cross buns, with the aroma of cinnamon and currants.
A lovely tea for spring, refreshing and flavourful.

This tea will make a lovely Easter gift to a tea lover. It's a limited edition tea, so hurry up, if you fancy trying it.

Christmas Selection Gift Hamper from Bluebird Tea Co

I will never cease being amazed at how super organised some of my friends are. They've already got all their Christmas gifts bought in the after-Christmas sale, and everything has been wrapped and ready back in summer. If you're not in the same category (me neither), you might be only now starting to think about buying gifts for your family and friends, perusing magazines or searching online for that perfect present. If your future gift recipient is as crazy about tea as I am, then have a good browsing through the range of Christmas gifts at Bluebird Tea co.
They have recently surprised me with a wonderful present of Christmas Selection Gift Hamper.

Honestly, I squeaked with delight. I love tea and I love mugs, as our kitchen can attest. New teas and seasonal mugs are a huge magnet for me. I had to slap my wrists today, doing grocery shopping, as there were a few very cute Christmas mugs that nearly made it into my shopping basket.

I must have been a good girl, because Santa knew exactly what I am partial to.
This super tea hamper is beautifully presented in a wicker basket. It looks festive, wrapped with a green ribbon and a gift tag.
What does it contain?
Christmas Tea Bauble in Christmas Cake
Snowball 50g Carton (Coconut, chocolate and mini marshmallows)
Gingerbread Chai 15 Parcel Carton
Mulled Wine Tea Cocktail Bottle
In-cup infuser basket
Christmas Bluebird tea mug with a limited edition design
Bluebird Tote bag - a natural cotton tote bag with limited edition design

Last year Christmas Cake Tea Bauble was sold out in one day, and I can easily see why. I love the festive presentation of this seasonal brew. It looks very pretty and will make a super Christmas stocking filler. You can see cute teeny weeny snowflakes inside the tea bags.

Its ingredients include Ceylon black tea, vanilla pieces, almond pieces, cinnamon, cloves, orange peel, spruce needles, snowflake sprinkles and stevia. It is mildly sweet and very aromatic. It truly embodies the smells and tastes of Christmas. Warming, spicy and indulgent, it's a perfect brew for a cold weather.

Gingerbread Chai is the definitive Christmas brew. Bursting with flavours, it is a blend of rooibos, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger and mallow flowers.

It is delicious as it is, but add a little bit of honey and hot milk for a really indulgent drink. If you have a milk frother, treat yourself to a chai latte. (Apologies for the Halloween-themed mug, I took this photo over a week ago. Cannot find any good light these few days to retake the photo, it is so grey and dark outside for the natural light, and indoors it's totally dark for any decent photos).

Snowball loose leaf tea is another festive treat from Bluebird Tea Co. This blend includes black Ceylon tea, chocolate chips, coconut flakes and a sprinkle of mini marshmallows. There are also dried petals of red cornflowers which add a very nice touch to the overall appearance of this blend. Absolutely lush!

When you brew it, everyone seems to be drawn to the kitchen, as it smells so nice. The marshmallows melt and the tea looks slightly matte.

Now we move from the tea blends to a mulled wine tea cocktail. Who doesn't enjoy a mug of hot, strong mulled wine at this time of the year? The bottle contains a mix of hibiscus, rosehip, apple pieces, lemon pieces, orange peel, orange flowers, cloves and cinnamon.

Top it up with red wine, leave for a couple of days or more to infuse, then simmer on the stove for 10 minutes, strain and enjoy.

I have also added some freshly squeezed orange juice when I was heating the wine (and I didn't strain it either as the floating spices add to the rustic charm).

So, if you know someone who loves tea, be assured they'll love this hamper.

You can buy all these goodies separately, of course.

Disclosure: I received the hamper for the purposes of testing and reviewing. All opinions are mine.

Bluebird Tea Co: Autumn Teas

We are enjoying a brief warmth of the Indian summer. The fruit orchards are laden with heavy red apples and juicy plums, you can still find some late roses in bloom, and the blackberries are quite abundant. Autumn is here, with its changing colours and colder mornings. To celebrate the season, Bluebird Tea Co has released a selection of autumn teas.

Pudina Chai is a minty and spiced Indian Darjeeling masala chai. You will find Assam black tea, ginger, peppermint, Darjeeling black tea, cardamom and lemongrass among its ingredients. It's refreshing and warming at the same time. Pudina means mint in hindi and urdu. I haven't tried mint in a chai before.

Pudina Chai: Bluebird tea co

Pudina Chai: Bluebird tea co

Kung Flu Fighter (love the name) is a cold weather brew, which consists of eucalyptus leaves, aniseed, lemongrass, chilli, echinacea and peppermint. This light-coloured brew does clear the sinuses all right, and tastes more like a medicinal drink than a tea. It is better with a little bit of honey. Ideal for anyone who nurses a cold.

Kung Flu Fighter: Bluebird tea co

Nuts About You is a rooibos-based brew, full of nutty flavours. It contains rooibos, almond pieces, cinnamon, coconut flakes, mallow flowers and flavour. It is a most unusual tea, delicious and invigorating.
This is my favourite new tea from the selection. It has a beautiful aroma of almond essence and a lovely taste. If you love adding tea to baking (e.g. Earl Grey loaf etc), this might be a great ingredient for bakes and cakes. The colour is very autumnal: russet rich, reminding of the baby chestnuts peeled out of their shells.

Nuts About You: Bluebird tea co

And finally - all chai lovers rejoice: a Spiced Pumpkin Pie chai is back! It's a beautiful blend of Ceylon black tea with pieces of carrot, Halloween sprinkles (sugar, rice flour, peanut oil, potato starch etc) as well as spices like cinnamon, ginger, cloves and vanilla.

Spiced Pumpkin Pie chai: Bluebird Tea co

 It is delicious on its own, and with a cupcake...

Spiced Pumpkin Pie chai: Bluebird Tea co

... and even more luxurious as chai latte.

Spiced Pumpkin Pie chai latte: Bluebird Tea co

Disclosure: I received a selection of tea from Bluebird tea co for the purposes of testing and reviewing. All opinions are mine.

Christmas treats from Bluebird Tea Co

Still looking for Christmas gifts? Do you know someone who loves tea? Bluebird Tea Co offers beautiful and inspired Baubles to hang on your Christmas tree. That's the kind of Christmas tree ornaments which will appeal to tea lovers. They are quirky, charming and filled with oh so tasty treats. A lovely gift for a neighbour or a teacher, an office secret Santa or tea-loving family member, it makes a perfect stocking filler.
Each bauble contains 10 luxury tea parcels.

I was lucky to try both Christmas Cake and Gingerbread Chai flavours, but understand that the Christmas Cake tea is not available any longer as a Bauble. You can still buy it loose or in a packet of 15 tea bags, but hurry up, tomorrow (18/12) is the last posting day for Christmas delivery.

Christmas Cake tea

Christmas cake is a luxurious festive blend, evocative of Christmas and all the pleasures of the season. It looks gorgeous too, there are tiny snowflake sprinkles inside. They sparkle in a cup, and make you go aw-so-cute. I loved the fact that the super-busy elves at Bluebird tea added actual Christmas tree spruce needles.
What do you find inside? Ceylon black tea, Vanilla pieces, Almond pieces, Cinnamon, Cloves, Orange Peel, Spruce Needles, Snowflake sprinkles (which contain peanut oil), Stevia, Flavour - a real Christmas in a cup.

Christmas Cake tea

Gingerbread Chai is an award-winning rooibos chai. It was created by Bluebird tea mixologists as a homage to the Nordic tradition of Christmas gingerbread. You can buy it both in loose and teabags variety. Its ingredients include: Rooibos, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Ginger and Mallow flowers.
This blend is perfect for winter, it is comforting, tasty, full of flavours, with just the right amount of heat and a good balance of spices.
Enjoy it neat or with a spoon of honey and a dash of milk.

Disclosure: I received a selection of Christmas baubles with tea as seasonal greetings. I wasn't asked to write a review.

Autumnal teas from Bluebird Tea Co

What could be more comforting after a brisk walk in the cold than warming your hands on a hot mug of tea. All senses are involved: sight, smell, touch, taste and even hearing, if you count the jolly whistle of your kettle... Celebrating the golden autumn, Bluebird Tea Co has introduced several new blends to its ever expanding range. I have tried two new varieties: Gingersnap Green and Mocha Chai.

Gingersnap Green tea consists of Chinese green tea, apple pieces, ginger, Hibiscus, mango pieces, papaya pieces, sugar, Calendula petals, Sunflower petals and flavour. The longer you keep it in a pot, the stronger ginger flavour comes through. If you give it no longer than 3 minutes to brew, the peach and fruit come first, while ginger gives warmth and a touch of spice. Flower petals add a splash of colour to a festive autumnal look of the tea.

The green tea unfurls in the hot water, and the tea in the teapot is slowly releasing its pinkness from the depth. The tea tastes fruity, light and refreshing.
The loose tea looks like an Impressionistic painting, and it smells good.

This weather is perfect for chai, hot and spicy, with a spoon of honey and milk. When you are not sure if you want to put the heating on, sitting by the laptop, wrapped in hubby's old jumper, chai is a great belly warmer.

Mocha Chai is another new blend, an inspired trip of coffee, chocolate and chai.

Open a packet, pour the contents in a dish and find all sorts of ingredients: whole coffee beans sit comfortably in Sri-Lankan black tea together with cacao beans, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger and vanilla. This is a darker brew than Gingersnap Green tea. It is an innovative combination of coffee and tea as well as cocoa, evocative of evenings around the fire.

If you enjoy trying new varieties of tea, Bluebird Tea Co have already announced its new Christmas blends.

All Things Nice tea (Bluebird Tea Co)

Here I am again, admiring the rosebuds on a plate and thinking of the lovely summer days and elegant roses, cascading in my garden. Wishful thinking, of course, as it has been raining non-stop for weeks, and our garden looks sodden and uninviting, even with a sprinkling of snowdrops like a patterned carpet. I close my eyes and breathe in deeply.  All Things Nice from Bluebird Tea Co looks luxurious and smells like a mini-garden.
All Things Nice refers to the nursery rhyme about little girls, who are made of sugar and spice.
This lovely blend contains such ingredients as Jasmine white tea, rosebuds, lemongrass, cinnamon and liquorice.

All Thins Nice has been created by tea mixologists and experts from Bluebird Tea Co. They are passionate about tea, and their creations have scooped a lot of awards. They even run tea mixology masterclasses. the next one is taking place in Brighton on 28 February, which actually happens to be my birthday. But hopping on a train for a late masterclass would be quite tricky. Maybe one day I will treat myself to a trip to a tea mixing class.

When brewed, this tea is light golden in colour. It is a delicate floral tea, with a beautiful scent of rose and jasmine. Cinnamon adds a touch of warmth to the brew, and liquorice makes it naturally sweet. Very refreshing and aromatic.
I would imagine it will be lovely as iced tea in summer (will we ever get summer?!).
You might be too late to order it for Valentine's Day but nothing stops you from enjoying it any day of the year.

This blend is a kind of a Marie-Antoinette of the tea world, in her bucolic pastoral phase, all pretty rose buds and delicate hues.

Disclosure: I received a sample of tea for the purposes of testing and reviewing. All opinions are mine.

Say it with roses... in a tea cup

I first came across Bluebird Tea Co. when Eddie and I visited the Feastival back in August. I was admiring their stand with a superb selection of flavoured teas and almost having a mini-tantrum, as I couldn't make up my mind which tea to choose. I felt like a tot on the point of a meltdown, as I wanted them all.
I love rose petal teas, and was delighted to have a chance to sample Love Potion tea.

What is Love Potion?
It is a unique blend of Ceylon black tea with freeze-dried strawberry pieces, rose petals, jasmine, calendula, cocoa, vanilla, papaya, lime and candy hearts (have I forgotten anything?!).
It looks pretty and the fragrance is delightful. It reminds me of a stylish pot-pourri (without any artificial flavourings). I could happily walk around the house with my nose in the bag, sniffing the contents of Love Potion, but it might look odd.
Rose petals are well known for their health benefits, they are a source of vitamins A, C, D, E and even antioxidants. They also work as a gentle detoxing agent.

If your partner is a tea lover, this might be a great idea for a Valentine's gift (or any other occasion). Say it with roses - in a cup.

Krisi from Bluebird Tea Co (why do I always want to say Bluebeard tea? maybe because their tea flavours remind me of fairy tales and princesses in towers?) told me that I shouldn't steep it for longer than 3 minutes or it might turn bitter. I followed her advice. It is a fragrant flavourful tea, with all components singing in a polyphony. Beautiful unadorned with any sugar or sweetener.

Typically I wouldn't add any milk to a rose-flavoured tea but I was intrigued by Krisi's suggestion to add some, she said that it reminded her of Cadbury's strawberry creams in the Roses boxes. It does actually work well, though I think I still prefer it without milk, as a fruity-flowery infusion.
If you love floral teas, it's a delightful tea for an afternoon cuppa.

If you liked this review, you might be interested to read a review of another Bluebird Tea Co.'s creation, Earl's Paradise.

To find out more about Bluebird tea co's selection, visit their website Bluebird Tea Co.

Disclosure: I received a bag of Love Potion tea for the purposes of testing and reviewing. All opinions are mine.

Earl's Paradise tea by Bluebird Tea Co

A quiet moment. My older son is still in school, and the younger one has succumbed to the inviting softness of the afternoon nap. Just me and my cup of tea. Trying a new tea is almost a ceremony in itself, a solemn moment of peace and serenity. The tea leaves are added to my favourite tea pot. Pour the fragrant golden lava in a cup and enjoy. What tea did I choose, you may ask? Earl's Paradise from Bluebird Tea Co.

I've first came across the Bluebird Tea Co, when I was looking at the list of companies and brands attending The Big Feastival and taking notes which of them sounded exciting and interesting enough to pay a visit.
As a tea lover, I was immediately drawn to the tea company. I was curious to find out a bit more about their  selection of teas and went to browse their online shop. I knew at once that it would be a difficult decision to pick just one flavour.
Earl Grey is my favourite tea, I cannot possibly function without it, and I am always fascinated with all the variations on the theme. There are numerous versions of this classic brew, by most major tea companies and supermarkets, plus all kinds of twists on the flavour.
Earl's Paradise sounded exotic and exciting, and that's the tea I picked while visiting the Big Feastival.

As I have discovered from their site, Bluebird Tea's motto is "Create unique blends of loose leaf teas that ticks three important boxes: Tasty. Fun. For Everyone.
Bluebird strives to create unique teas that are also affordable. Their stand at the festival was attractive and welcoming. I wonder where the name comes from and if it is inspired by Maurice Maeterlinck's play The Blue Bird and its quest for happiness. For me, tea equals happiness. Or at least contentment. 

I asked if I could have a look at the tea of my choice and have a sniff. They kindly obliged. The tea was aromatic, fruity and fragrant.

My little man's hands got in the picture

What is Earl's Paradise tea? It is a combination of Ceylon black tea, papaya, strawberry, lime, jasmine and bergamot.

As you can see from the photo below, the main base is the black tea with the added dried fruit, that's actually how I like it. I love the black tea flavoured with fruit.

What did I think of it? It is very fruity, the bergamot note is less pronounced, so I wouldn't necessarily call it a derivative of the classic Earl Grey. Let's say, if the classic Earl Grey is the father of the family, this would be the youngest son's offspring. They are related but are quite different.
It works as an independent entity, and is an enjoyable tea. I certainly wouldn't ruin it with milk, as someone suggested on the shop page (what is it with the Brits and their obsession of adding milk to every tea?!).
There is a touch of sweetness from the fruit. A refreshing brew.
Top marks for the creativity.

To find more about this tea brand, visit Bluebird Tea site.