Afternoon Infusion

In which I get a free tea with my pumpkin and ginger cake from Graze...

I recently got a few free Graze boxes and they send you a small piece of cake with complimentary tea :)

Brewing

"A blend of assam and kenyan leaves."

There were no instructions so I used my usual 5 minutes brewing time and added a little milk.

Colour

Lighter than my standard teas but still a light brown, tea colour.

Aroma

There is a hint of bergamot but the predominant aroma is that of black tea.

Taste

This is a very pleasant blend. Perhaps it's a gateway tea to those who don't currently like Earl Grey as it tastes like normal tea with a hint of bergamot. It is very refreshing and a great way to start the afternoon. The fact that it comes packaged with cake doesn't harm it either!

BII Showcase

This week I attended the 4th annual Biomedical Imaging Institute Showcase. It was very interesting to see new MR applications and to see a study that I was a subject in being presented. Also I managed to get the annual free mug, which of course I can now use to drink tea!

Conclusion

A refreshing afternoon blend which comes with a cake :) Lovely.

I know I've said this before but I think I may soon change the layout of my tea reviews as they are getting a little repetitive :S

Web-Link

http://www.graze.com/products/browse/1184/guilt-free-high-tea

Tom Out!

Bonus: M&S Turkey Feast

M&S sandwich

This week it is time for the king of the Christmas sandwiches IMHO - the M&S sandwich! Will it retain it's crown?

Price: £3.00

Taste: The stuffing is very tasty, you can taste the sage & onion. A small amount of mayonnaise makes the sandwich moist enough without overpowering. It could do with a bit more cranberry sauce but when you get a whole cranberry it is splendid. The turkey has a lot of flavour as opposed to in the others to date where it was indistinguishable from chicken.

Conclusion: Still excellent and the best so far. Will another sandwich topple it in the following weeks?

Blend of Both

In which I try a tea donated by Katy and put Sainsbury's to the test!

This tea was donated to me for the express purpose of reviewing on my blog so here it is :)

Brewing

"It has been expertly created to deliver the delicious full-flavoured taste of original Tetley, but with the natural refreshing benefits of green tea. So you can have it with milk and still enjoy green tea goodness."

There are no brewing instructions so I assumed standard Tetley brewing of a minute or two and then added milk.

Colour

Tea coloured though it came out a slightly darker hue than the normal blend does.

Aroma

Realistically it just smells like tea.

Taste

This is a very refreshing blend. Usually I find Tetley very strong but the addition of green tea lightens the blend while still tasting like the standard blend. I'd say it tastes like Tetley light and there is a bit of a green tea aftertaste.

Data Entry

This week I 'ave mostly been typing on a computer. Manual data entry is annoying, if only my handwriting wasn't so terrible and I could use OCR.

Web-link

http://www.tetley.co.uk/our-teas/products?id=3

Conclusion

Like Tetley, but lighter!

Tom Out!

Bonus: Sainsbury's Turkey Feast

Sainsbury's turkey feast

This week it is time for Sainsbury's Christmas offering.

Price: £2.70 (although it is in the £3 meal deal too)

Taste: A bit different from last time this is turkey, bacon, stuffing, cranberry sauce and salad. The stuffing is lovely and moist and there's no overpowering mayonnaise flavour. The cranberry sauce adds a pleasant aftertaste but is a little subdued. I think the weird thing about this sandwich is that it doesn't seem particularly Christmassy just a glorified chicken and bacon sandwich really. It's still better tasting than the Tesco one but it is still disappointing.

Orange & Lotus Flower Green Tea

In which I try a fruity and flowery green tea.

Brewing

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Green Orange Lotus Tea

"We suggest brewing this tea for a maximum of 2 minutes, any longer and you'll lose the delicate taste. Allow one bag per person and use freshly boiled water"

This is a fairly exact brewing time but for good reason. Over-brewing really does ruin this tea.

Colour

A brownish-green like most green teas but it looks a little more orange to me :)

Aroma

Smells like green tea with a strong hint of orange. I'm not sure if I could smell the lotus flower as I don't know what they smell like.

Taste

Obviously this should be drunk without milk. This tea has a light, delicate, complex flavour. You first get a familiar green tea flavour with a hint of orange which builds before tailing off into a floral flavour. I can only assume this is the lotus flower flavour which is delightful :)

Camera Mug

I drank this tea from my new camera lens mug :D

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Camera lens mug

Conclusion

Delicate, floral, tasty!

Web-link

http://twinings.co.uk/green-teas/orange-lotus-flower-green

Great British Tea Test 2012

So at the end of the month my plan is to drink all the 'standard teas' i.e. Tetley, PG Tips, Yorkshire, Sainsbury's brand etc. and compare them. I anticipate this may require the help of my house mates. I will then run a double blind study to assess taste etc. and post the results in the style of a scientific paper sometime in December :D

Tom out!

P.S. Camera lens mug:  

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0058CW9UO/ref=oh_details_o03_s00_i00

Bonus: Tesco Christmas Sandwich

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Tesco xmas sandwich

Since it is now November I feel I can now get away with breaking the Christmas embargo. At the bottom of my tea reviews I will be reviewing a Christmas sandwich from one of the major retailers. This week it's time for Tesco.

Price: approx £2.60 (although it is in the £3 meal deal too)

Taste: The turkey is nothing special but it normally isn't in these sandwiches anyway. The cranberry sauce is good. The sausage was a nice addition but the sausage wasn't particularly flavourful. I found there was too much mayonnaise which, coming from someone who loves mayonnaise, made the sandwich a little lackluster despite it's moistness.