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Today’s post is all about the rose tea. There is a lot of it about and it’s always a startlingly good idea. Bung together some fragrant rose petals and some good quality tea, and you’ve got yourself something special. I have put three different rose teas head to head, teacup to teacup, and in the interests of scientific research, drunk them one after another. Because I know how to party.
I have this particular tea in teabag form although you can also buy it as loose leaves. This is significant because unlike the other two rose teas I’m reviewing today, there are no actual rose petals in English Rose tea bags. And yet, when you look at the loose leaf version, it’s chock full of flora and foliage. I need to do a side-by-side comparison of the two versions at some point because I’m curious to know what the difference in taste will be. Are the ‘flavourings’ in the ingredient list doing all the work here? Are the potpourri bits entirely for show?
This is a perfectly pleasant flowery flavoured black tea, nonetheless. The packaging tells me that it’s “a village fete tea for scones and strawberry jam with delicate flavours of glorious rose”. But, you know, it’s not actually compulsory to seek out a village fete, pay for an overpriced scone and sit at a trestle table in the drizzle (it always rains at village fetes) to enjoy this. It works perfectly well when you’re sitting on the sofa with a couple of cats on you.
Lady Dinah’s Special Blend
Speaking of cats, this next rose flavoured tea came from Lady Dinah’s Cat Emporium in London, which is a wonderful cat café, full of the most delightful feline residents, who you can meet here. My daughter bought me afternoon tea there as a birthday present. I was like “Cats and tea! How did you know?” This obviously dates my tea purchase somewhat given that I haven’t actually been allowed out of the house in the last year. I had a pot of this tea, which is a blend of Earl Grey and rose when I visited. And then bought myself a caddy in the gift shop, because I loved it so much.
Although it just mentions Earl Grey and rose on the label, there is clearly more going on when you look at it. There are dried blue flowers, which I think might be cornflowers for a start. Whatever the precise ingredients, it has a pleasantly flowery bouquet, which hits all the right notes. Lady Dinah’s is obviously closed for business in these lockdown times, but I heartily recommend a visit when life returns to normal. In the meantime, you can support their endeavours by going to their sadly tea-free online shop and buying yourself a mug or a catnip toy shaped like a sandwich.
This here is everything you could want from a rose tea. It’s a blend of black tea, bergamot, rose petals, lemon peel and lemon grass. It is as flowery and fragrant as a well stocked florist without losing any of the earthy black tea flavour that assures you you’re drinking a proper cuppa.
If I could only take one rose-flavoured tea blend to a desert island, it would be this one. Not only is it a smashing beverage, but you could probably also use it as a body lotion, shampoo and deodorising foot wash. Just to be clear, I haven’t actually used this tea for any of those things. I’m a simple straightforward soul, I just have it in a mug with a splash of milk. But by all means, feel free to enjoy this marvellous tea any way you fancy. I won’t judge you.
