“Time for Tea”

It’s been a busy week here at The Candy Perfume Towers, hence the lack of posts. I’ve been a busy boy with work-work, university work and a writing project that all seemed to come to a head at the same time. But I’m not complaining, there are worse things in life than being busy right?

Busy is good as far as I am concerned. I am a perpetually lazy person by nature so I need to have lots to do to prevent me from staring at the television or keeping my nose in a book all day. But when there is lots of work to do and deadlines to meet I find that I have to take some time to relax and re-organise my head. In other words, when things get a bit too busy and hectic, it is time for tea!

Tea to me is relaxation, it is also my other vice after perfume. Weirdly, I only drink tea in the evening and at weekends, I never drink tea at work, perhaps because I enjoy nothing more than coming home, throwing on my pajamas and sitting down to some serious blog writing with a nice, hot cup of tea.

Twinings The Earl Grey
My Staple Tea

I don’t drink breakfast tea, or ‘builders tea’ as it is known over here, simply because I prefer the wonderfully perfumed blend of bergamot and black tea that is Earl Grey. I’ve been through many Earl Grey teas in my time in the vain hope of finding the blend that showcases the right balance of bergamot and black tea. Luckily for me I seem to have settled on Twinings’ The Earl Grey.

The Earl Grey is the revamped blend of Twinings Earl Grey, which, despite being the first Earl Grey, was quite weak on the bergamot for my tastes. The Earl Grey is much stronger on the bergamot and makes for a rather sweet, citrus-laden blend that strikes a wonderful balance between light and dark.

How The Candy Perfume Boy Drinks It: Milk and 2 sugars after brewing for 2 to 3 minutes.

Twinings The Earl Grey is available in a variety of sizes and in tea bags or loose leaf. A box of 50 tea bags costs £2.60 and can be purchased from Twinings and most supermarkets.

Twinings Blossom Earl Grey
My Floral Fix

Blossom Earl Grey was initially released as part of a limited edition series of floral teas and is by far my favourite. For this blossom tea, the clean yet wonderfully dirty note of orange blossom is paired with Twinings’ signature Earl Grey.

I love my florals and this tea really conveys the bright, sunny nature of orange blossom in a truly delicious way. It’s also feels very clean but has a light him of that weird mothball-like indole that gives the flower its identity. I would go as far as rating this as one of my favourite teas, it is everything a good tea should be; delicious, floral and utterly calming.

How The Candy Perfume Boy Drinks It: Milk and 2 sugars after brewing for 2 to 3 minutes.

Blossom Earl Grey is available in a box of 20 tea envelopes for £2.09. It can be purchased from Twinings and from most supermarkets.

Twinings Lavender Earl Grey
My Perfumed Tea

Lavender Earl Grey was released alongside another floral tea, namely Jasmine Earl Grey, a tea which failed to move me, and more importantly, my taste buds! Lavender Earl Grey however moved me, BOY did it move me!

Those who have read The Candy Perfume Boy’s Guide to Lavender will know of my recent lavender-epiphany that sent me on a voyage of herbal-floral discover that once started, could not be stopped. Lavender Earl Grey came along at roughly the same time, or the right time as some would say. It is a blend of strong, black Earl Grey with the delicious burned caramel, menthol and herbal facets of lavender. Perfumed beauty!

How The Candy Perfume Boy Drinks It: Milk and 2 sugars after brewing for 2 to 3 minutes.

Lavender Earl Grey is available in a box of 20 tea envelopes for £2.30. It can be purchased from Twinings and most supermarkets.

Teapigs Liqourice and Peppermint
My Happy Tea

This is my most recent tea obsession! Teapigs are a relatively new tea brand who follow the philosophy of “no airs. no graces. just fine tea.” [1] They offer a wide selection of different teas from black to white as well as herbal teas and matcha, some of which are contained within lovely tea temples.

Liqourice and Peppermint is my absolute favourite Teapig. It is a really clarifying and refreshing mint tea with the weirdest aftertaste of feet liquorice. The first time the mint unexpectedly turned from a green, herbal taste to warm, sweet liquorice in my mouth, I couldn’t help but smile and I’ve been smiling ever since.

How The Candy Perfume Boy Drinks It: As it is after brewing for 2 to 3 minutes.

Liquorice and Peppermint is available from Teapigs and Waitrose. 15 Tea Temples cost £4.49.

Miller Harris Thé Pétales
My Luxury Tea

I was introduced to the delight that is Miller Harris’ Thé Pétales on a visit to their tea room/shop for a Basenotes event a good few years ago. Miller Harris describe it as “an exceptionally pure blend of Vanilla Ceylon tea and Rose Absolute from Turkey. With a heart of Taiwanese White Tip Oolong, Geranium Bourbon and Vanilla Bourbon from Madagascar” [2].

Thé Pétales is what I would call a ‘pretty tea’, it is very light and its accents of rose, geranium and vanilla are all tiny little nuances that blend seamlessly into a beautifully luxurious tea. This one is much more refined than most rose teas and for that reason it is reserved for special occasions only.

How The Candy Perfume Boy Drinks It: As it is after brewing for 3 to 4 minutes.

Thé Pétales is available in a 50g caddy (loose leaf) for £16. It can be purchased from Miller Harris.

The London Tea Company Vanilla Chai
My Comfort Blanket Tea

Chai, due to its spicy and warm nature, is usually reserved for winter, because frankly there is nothing better than cuddling up with its warm spice when the weather is cruel and unrelenting. The London Tea Company’s Vanilla Chai takes this comforting tea to the next level by amping up the vanilla to give this tea the most delicious, sweet and creamy texture.

In winter I drink nothing else…

How The Candy Perfume Boy Drinks It: Milk and 2 sugars after brewing for 3 minutes.

Vanilla Chai is available from The London Tea Company in a box of 20 tea envelopes for £2.15 (pyramid bags are also available).

Clipper Fairtrade Organic Instant Hot Chocolate
My Guilty Pleasure

I realise that I am a shameless cheat with this one, and I’m sure that many of you are reading this thinking; “hold on a cotton-picking minute, that’s not tea” and you would be right, it absolutely isn’t! But in my defence this hot chocolate is one of my favourite things to drink in the winter months.

There is nothing quite like filling my Le Creuset mug (in ‘Cassis’ just incase you are interested) with a nice warm, cosy and delicious hot chocolate. It’s also not that fattening either…

How The Candy Perfume Boy Drinks It: Very quickly…

Clipper Fairtrade Organic Instant Hot Chocolate is available in a variety of sizes. A 400g jar costs £3.59 and can be purchased from Clipper and most supermarkets.

Join the Discussion!

Are you a tea drinker?

What tea(s) do you like to drink?

Do you have a favourite?

Have you tried any of my favourite teas?

Teabags or loose leaf?

What is your tea ritual?

Please leave your comments in the box below!

Disclaimer

All links are for information purposes only. I am not affiliated.

[1] teapigs.co.uk
[2] millerharris.co.uk

Image 1 chaisoc.com
Image 2, 3 & 4 twinings.com
Image 5 teapigs.co.uk
Image 6 kaboodle.com
Image 7 londontea.co.uk
Image 8 clipper-teas.com