I received this tea bag with my Pink Parcel this month. I’ve never heard of the brand before, but according to the little brochure that explains where the “for you” items come from, they can be purchased from Harrods and are hella expensive – about £30 for 20 or something fairly ridiculous like that. The packaging doesn’t give much away – no ingredients, for example. It smells lovely, though – very fresh and lemony. One thing that is highlighted is the “innovative” cotton tea bag. I probably wouldn’t say innovative, exactly – Mighty Leaf have been doing similar for a while, except that theirs are nylon, but the woven pouch idea in general isn’t new (unless these guys were doing it first and I just didn’t know. Apparently they’ve been around since 1961.)
I gave the bag the recommended 5 minutes in boiling water. The bag looks to contain whole chamomile flowers, rose petals, and lemon verbena. Brewed, it smells more “herbal” than it does dry, and just a touch floral.
To taste, I’m actually quite impressed. There’s a creamy lemon flavour at the forefront, then the sweet, honey-like almost-cloyingness of chamomile, with just a touch of rose/lavender floral at the end of the sip. I’ve had other “lemon cream” tea that are equally good, but it’s always nice to find another one (especially when you’re least expecting it.) It’s supposed to be a relaxing tisane, and I guess it would be. I’d definitely drink it on an evening as a pre-bedtime cup.
What I’d be less willing to do is pay the quoted price. Harrods is an overpriced tourist trap anyway, so I’d not buy tea from there if I had any other choice, but if I could find this from an alternative supplier (or maybe direct from La Vie del Te, who are based in Italy and have a website…) at a more reasonable price then I’d definitely consider buying more of this one (or trying some other blends…) Best not to look, though. It’s such a slippery slope :)
I’m happy to have had the opportunity to try this one; I liked it a lot more than I was expecting to, and the quality appears to be there even though it’s bagged. Unexpectedly good!
