What’s in The Butler?

Remember The Pinup, a classic vanilla black tea with an alluring vanilla scent and flavour? It wasn’t only the quality black tea and vanilla pieces that made it so good. Calendula petals and jasmine flowers made it pretty, too. The Butler is following the same recipe – great Ceylon black tea leaves flavoured with natural bergamot flavour and a few carefully chosen ingredients – sunflower petals and lime leaves.  

It’s available in as loose tea in pyramid tea bags and pouches. Tea bags contain a very generous quantity of loose tea and enough space for tea leaves to expand. Although there’s a lot of difference between tea bags and loose tea, in this case, the only difference between loose tea and tea bags is the brewing method. Quality is the same for both.

This tea has a very intense bergamot scent and a deep black tea base. It’s sharp and aromatic with a touch of sweetness. Freshness comes from Ceylon black tea, which is typically brisker and brighter than many other black teas.

What does it taste like?

To make a cup of this tea, bring fresh water to a boil and steep 1 tea bag or 1 teaspoon of tea leaves in a cup of water for 3-4 minutes.

Even though the scent is very intense, it’s a very mellow tea. Bergamot is not overpowering, not dominant. It perfectly balances the black tea base and offers an unmistakable earl grey flavour. However, it may be good to pay attention to the brewing time, as over brewing may reveal some astringency.

Because of the fresher Sri Lankan black tea as the base, this tea is great for adding either milk or lemon. A splash of milk will mellow down any potential astringency and add a creamy touch, with an aromatic bergamot bottom note and a hint of lime leaves. This also makes it an excellent breakfast or afternoon tea. Honey is the best sweetener for this tea, especially if you add lemon. With milk, you could even avoid sweeteners as the milk itself will add enough natural sweetness. However, you don’t need to add any condiments, as this tea doesn’t really need any.

This earl grey would be an amazing iced milk tea, hot earl grey lattes including London Fog, and it would be equally great for making iced teas with lemon. It’s a perfect choice for making earl grey based drinks.

It has just the right balance of bergamot and black tea. If you love traditional earl grey, you’ll like this tea too.

Tea Recap

Water or milk? Water or milk

Day or night? Day

Hot or iced? Hot or cold

Sweetened or pure? Pure or sweetened

Caffeine? Yes

What’s the price? From £3.49 (different options available)

Where to buy? Get it from Tea and the Gang website or Amazon

The post The Butler – Earl Grey from Tea and the Gang appeared first on All That Tea.

What does it taste like?

Keep reading.

What’s in Chocolate Coconut Cream tea?

Chocolate Coconut Cream tea from Tea and the Gang is a blend of Chinese Bai Mu Dan tea (White Peony), desiccated coconut, apple pieces, rose hips, cocoa nibs and cocoa shells and natural flavouring. Being a white tea, it contains caffeine. It doesn’t contain any sweeteners.  

It smells lovely, creamy, with deep cocoa notes and a light coconut scent in the background. A super important thing to mention is that this is a white tea, and nonetheless, Bai Mu Dan (Pai Mu Tan) tea. White peony will naturally be quite light, in both colour and flavour. It has a creamier and more intense flavour than most silver needle teas, but it will never be as strong as black tea. Because of its depth and strong body, black tea rather than white tea is usually used as a base for chocolate teas. 

Just like other blends from this brand, this tea has large unbroken leaves, and all ingredients are equally pretty. Another delicious tea from Tea and the Gang, Strawberry Champagne is made with white tea too, so if you love strawberry teas, check out the review here.

Chocolate Coconut Cream tea smells lovely, like a box of fine chocolate pralines. The scent is quite intense, but also light and airy.

How to brew this tea?

You know how the first rule of brewing a delicious cup of tea is not to over-steep it? With this tea, you can forget this rule. In fact, when you slightly over-steep it, you will intensify the cocoa flavour. It won’t become bitter either. White tea notes are more pronounced in the flavour than in the scent and blend in with the cocoa and coconut notes really well.

Use 2 teaspoons per cup of water and steep for 5 minutes at 85 degrees Celsius (185 degrees Fahrenheit).

This tea has a light sweetness and unless you add sweeteners to all your teas, you won’t be needing any. If you do, a pure white or light brown sugar may work the best for this tea.

Chocolate Coconut Cream tea is great for tea drinkers that want to enjoy a light dessert tea without an overpowering flavour. It’s a brilliant choice for tea drinkers that are trying to switch from heavily flavoured teas to pure teas too. Perhaps the most beautiful thing about this tea is that it feels so refined and sophisticated. Flavour is strong but light, without artificial notes. It’s a beautiful tea for afternoon tea parties or as a liquid dessert after a meal. If you brew a stronger cup, you can also serve it with a splash of milk. White teas are not usually served with milk, but many will taste delicious.

Chocolate teas may not be the first choice for making a cold brewed tea, but Chocolate Coconut Cream tea blend taste wonderful when cold steeped too. The flavour is refreshing, and while slightly less intense, it’s still beautifully chocolaty. Learn how to cold brew tea here.

Who would love this tea? If you love chocolate flavours and are looking for beautiful and sophisticated flavours, this tea is for you. It’ also a great me-time tea for slow sipping on a lazy Sunday afternoon and it’s very easy to brew.  

Tea Recap

Water or milk? Water or water and a splash of milk.

Day or night? Day.

Hot or iced? Hot or cold.

Sweetened or Pure? Pure.

Caffeine? Yes

What’s the price? Starting from 3.19 GBP.

Where to buy? Get it from the Tea and the Gang website.

Tea and the Gang teas are available from Amazon.co.uk too.

The post Chocolate Coconut Cream tea – white tea blend for chocoholics appeared first on All That Tea.

There are many types of jasmine tea out there, some with a more intense scent and stronger flavour, and others are incredibly delicate but still flavourful.

What’s The Jet-Setter like?

What’s in The Jetsetter?

No one does classic tea blends as The Tea and the Gang. This tea brand has the amazing ability to take a well-known tea classic, elevate it and offer a blend that’s a pure joy to drink. Tea and the Gang say their teas have a personality, and it’s definitely not just about the names and pretty packaging. It’s the flavour and ingredients as well.

The Jet-Setter is no different.

The Jet-Setter is a classic Chinese jasmine green tea sprinkled with jasmine blossoms. Just like many jasmine green teas, it has a delightful scent. But it also has something more. A beautiful balance of floral notes and green tea where neither is overpowering.

This tea is available as loose tea and in pyramid tea bags that allow the same flavour as loose tea with no need for brewing equipment. Except, of course, your favourite mug.

It’s smells truly delightful, not overpowering, but just right.

What’s interesting about jasmine green teas is that they are typically scented, rather than flavoured. Green tea leaves are scented by mixing them with fresh jasmine blossoms multiple times. These blossoms are later discarded and what’s left are pure green tea leaves with a beautiful jasmine scent and flavour.

What does this jasmine green tea taste like?

To make a cup of The Jet-Setter, use 1 tea bag per cup of tea (preferably a smaller cup), and steep for 3 minutes at 80 degrees Celsius.

The Jet-Setter is a truly beautiful jasmine green tea. Jasmine green teas will usually brew into a darker yellow tea, that is often associated with bitterness. The Jet-Setter has a vibrantly dark-yellow colour and zero traces of bitterness. It’s fragrant and light, mellow, with a perfect depth to serve it iced as well. There’s just enough astringency in this tea to induce a very sweet and floral aftertaste.

If you tried jasmine green tea before and didn’t quite enjoy it because of the bitterness, with its gentle character, The Jet-Setter is a tea that could make you change your mind. Another great thing about this tea is that you can re-steep it.

The Jet-Setter is a gentle and sophisticated tea. Some jasmine green teas are very overpowering, but this tea would be a perfect choice for an afternoon tea. It would be a great introduction to the world of scented and pure teas as well.

So, who would like it? If you love jasmine green teas, you will love this one too. This tea is great for tea drinkers that enjoy floral teas, lighter green teas that are not sweet, and pure unflavoured blends.

Tea Recap

Water or milk? Water.

Day or night? Day.

Hot or iced? Hot or iced.

Sweetened or Pure? Pure.

Caffeine? Yes

What’s the price? Starting from 3.19 GBP.

Where to buy? Get The Jet-Setter from the Tea and the Gang website or Amazon.

The post The Jet-Setter Jasmine Green Tea appeared first on All That Tea.

What is Vanilla Black Tea?

Usually, a vanilla black tea is a simple black tea blend with vanilla flavourings. Some blends may contain other ingredients too, but they will always have a recognizable sweet flavour. Pretty much like earl grey always has a recognizable bergamot flavour.

Most vanilla blends have a very strong flavour blended into a malty black tea base. Because of their robust body and intense flavour, they are often great as breakfast blends and taste great with different condiments. In other words, when you are buying a vanilla black tea, you may have a fairly good idea of what to expect even.

But the Pinup from The Tea and a Gang is far from a typical vanilla blend and you see that immediately after opening the pouch. It’s blended with Sri Lankan black tea, jasmine flowers, calendula petals, real vanilla pieces and flavourings. Vanilla pieces are not that common in vanilla black tea blends at all. All these ingredients create a beautiful blend with long and thin, twisted black tea leaves interwind with beautiful yellow petals with an intense, sweet scent and hints of buttermilk.

Sri Lankan teas are amazing for afternoon tea times when you want to enjoy a light and refreshing flavour with no condiments.

What does it taste like?

Base of this blend is Sri Lankan black tea, which is fresher, crisper and lighter than Assam teas. What’s great about black teas is that you don’t need to be careful about the water temperature. With this blend, you don’t need to be careful about steeping time either. Use 1-2 teaspoons of tea leaves per cup of water and steep for 3-5 minutes.

This tea is a true definition of a gentle dessert blend. You can over-brew it and it still won’t show any bitterness. It brews into a lighter brown tea with an incredible scent and flavour that’s light, not overpowering, but sweet with hints of honeycomb. The Pinup is as natural as a vanilla tea can be and quite complex. It doesn’t need any condiments – in fact, condiments would take away a part of the experience. But if you’d still prefer to add something, both milk and honey or brown sugar are great choices.

Who would like this blend? Tea drinkers that enjoy sophisticated blends with complex flavours and want to enjoy pure teas. This is not a bold and strong breakfast blend – it’s a tea to enjoy with all your senses. It’s a tea to sip and relax, so an afternoon would be an ideal time to drink it. The Pinup vanilla black tea would also be a splendid choice for tea drinkers that want to enjoy the benefits of black tea but are not fond of strong and robust flavours. That said, this tea is extremely flavourful, but in a very sophisticated and complex way.

The Pinup vanilla blend is available as loose tea and in pyramid tea bags for easier steeping.

Tea Recap

Water or milk? Water (or a splash of milk).

Day or night? Day.

Hot or iced? Hot or iced.

Sweetened or Pure? Pure or with a teaspoon of honey syrup.

Caffeine? Yes

What’s the price? Starting from 3.19 GBP.

Where to buy? Get The Pinup Vanilla Black Tea from The Tea and the Gang website or Amazon.

The post The Pinup – Vanilla Black Tea – One-of-a-kind vanilla blend appeared first on All That Tea.

What is Lemon Meringue Powdered Latte?

Lemon Meringue powdered latte, as the description says, is a respectful tribute to the classic lemon meringue pie. It’s a blend of different powders and flavour granules, including maca, ashwagandha, turmeric and lemon peel.

What’s really interesting in this powder blend is that unlike other herbal adaptogen blends, it feels the ingredients were not chosen to provide the benefits, but a great dessert flavour instead. Maca, turmeric and ashwagandha all have an adaptogenic potential and are commonly available as powders. What exactly are adaptogens? Adaptogens are plants that may help fight off stress, rejuvenate the body and improve immunity. One of the most popular adaptogen is tulsi or holy basic, but plants such as maca and ashwagandha are steadily catching up too.

Lemon Meringue powder has a bright yellow colour, and quite an intense earthy and slightly zesty scent of lemons and herbs.

What is the best way to prepare it?

To make this latte, use ½ teaspoon of powder as per instructions on the packaging. Add about 30 ml of hot water and whisk it using an electric frother, then top it up with milk. You can make it with both hot and cold milk. Hot milk gives a warmer, sweeter drink, while cold milk reveals a bit more natural bitterness. Flavour is quite light, and although this latte doesn’t need a sweetener, you can add some honey or white sugar.

Another great way of making this latte is with hot water only. Of course, it technically wouldn’t be a latte anymore, but the flavour more than justifies it. It tastes absolutely delicious prepared with water only.  Since milk is adding a sweet and creamy note, to replace sweetness you can add a teaspoon of honey and serve with a slice of lemon.

Tea and the Gangs says, get creative, so if you are in the mood for baking, try adding it to homemade meringue kisses.

This wellbeing blend has a flavour profile that’s atypical for adaptogenic blends. If you like turmeric lattes and enjoy earthy herbal blends, you will love this powdered latte too. It tastes unique, contains 4 kcal per 1.5 grams of powder (plus milk), and is vegan friendly. Final thoughts? A tasty, relaxing caffeine-free latte, perfect for afternoons and evenings.

The post Lemon Meringue Powdered Latte from La Patissiere range by Tea and the Gang appeared first on All That Tea.

What is the Heroine?

Tea and the Gang say the Heroine is a superhero blend full of the good stuff – nutrients, antioxidants, and we dare to add – a very pretty colour and an incredible scent. It’s blended with Japanese matcha, cocoa powder and flavouring granules.

Matcha is a shaded Japanese green tea, ground into a fine powder. In the last decade, matcha gained enormous popularity worldwide, and not only because of its potential health benefits and unique flavour. It’s easy to make, super versatile, and has a beautiful green colour. And as it turns out, it can be blended with different ingredients for an even more unique flavour profile.

The Heroine is a real proof.

It has a beautiful green colour, especially considering it’s blended with 43% of cocoa powder.

How to make chocolate and caramel matcha tea?

Traditionally, matcha is prepared using a special bamboo whisk called chasen, a tea bowl called chawan, and measures using a matcha scoop – chashaku. These three utensils will be highly valuable for making any matcha at home. However, if you want to enjoy it as a latte, you will only need an electric whisk and a cup. Handheld battery-operated simple whisk is great for whisking both matcha powder and frothing the milk.

Per instructions, measure 1 gram of matcha powder and add about 30 ml of 80 Celsius degrees water. Mix it well and top up with hot frothed milk or hot water.

For a stronger flavour, add a gram more, especially if you want to make it with milk.

Does chocolate and caramel matcha taste better with water or with milk?

We tried it with both. While it tastes great with water only, it’s the milk that brings out chocolaty notes of this blend. It’s delicate, light, but undoubtedly matcha – and undoubtedly flavoured with cocoa powder. Since this chocolate and caramel matcha contains both matcha and cocoa, colour is less intense, but still pretty, delicate light matte green.

This tea has an amazing scent – warming, soothing cocoa on a green tea base.

This may be a wonderful blend for matcha traditionalists too, when feeling adventurous to try out something new. It would be great even for chocolate drinkers that are not too fond of grassy intense matcha scents, but would like to add a green tea to their daily routine and perhaps switch from a calorie rich drink to something lighter.

All in all, this chocolate and caramel matcha tea is delicious!

The post The Heroine – chocolate and caramel matcha for chocolate lovers appeared first on All That Tea.

What to expect from beautiful tea leaves, but a beautiful cup of tea too. Strawberry Champagne white tea, a blend to win you over with its charm, and to be loved back, comes from Tea and a Gang, a UK based company with amazingly interesting blends.

Does The Romantic deserve its name?

What is Strawberry Champagne White Tea?

The Romantic or the Strawberry Champagne tea is a blend of many ingredients – Bai Mu Dan white tea, apple pieces rosehip, hibiscus, elderflowers, freeze-dried strawberries, orange blossoms, lime leaves and natural flavouring. It’s a beautiful blend, with an equally beautiful scent – vibrantly fruity, perfectly zesty, and topped with strawberry notes.

What is Bai Mu Dan?

Bai Mu Dan is a Chinese white tea that contains leaves, silver tips and stalks. It’s a pretty tea, and colours may range from green/grey to brown/grey, depending on the grade. Seeing a beautiful long green leaves in a Bai Mu Dan blend is a good sign the tea will be gentle. In fact, it’s a great sign in general, as white tea blends sometimes lower quality white teas with a strong hay and stale flavour.

How to brew the Romantic?

We used 2 teaspoon of tea leaves per cup of water and steeped it for 3 minutes at 80 degrees Celsius.

Strawberry Champagne definitely deserves its name – it’s light with a light slightly acidic finish, full but light floral body, a beautiful gentle strawberry scent and a light sweet aftertaste.

The colour of brewed tea may vary, from delicate light yellow (which shows that the Bai Mu Dan used for making this blend is a carefully chosen one) to dark crimson, depending on which ingredients you scoop out and how long you will brew it for. There’s no bitterness or those strong hay notes often present in Bai Mu Dan blends.

This is a tea that doesn’t need any condiments. It’s delicious on its own. If you want to use it for making an iced tea, use 2 teaspoons of leaves and brew it for 5-7 minutes. It won’t get bitter, but it will get stronger, with a darker crimson colour. Why crimson? This blend contains hibiscus too, which will always give an intense colour.

Although this is a white tea blend, white tea accounts for 30% of the ingredients. The Romantic would be great for tea drinkers that like flavoured and fruity, rather than pure white teas.

The Romantic is available as loose tea and in pyramid tea bags.

Other strawberry tea articles:

• 10 strawberries and cream blends that pay respect to the ultimate summer treat
• Strawberry boba tea recipe

Strawberry Champagne White Tea Recap

Water or Milk? Water

Day or night? Day

Hot or Iced? Both

Sweetened or Pure? Pure

Caffeine? Yes

What’s the price? Starting from 3.19 GBP for a 25 gram pouch or 4.59 GBP for box with 15 tea bags

Where to buy? Tea and the Gang website

The post The Romantic – Strawberry Champagne White Tea by Tea and the Gang appeared first on All That Tea.