SaChasi – Raspberry Rose Friands
Friands are small almond-based cakes popular in the Antipodes which are similar to French financiers. I have never eaten either a friand or a financier but, judging by SaChasi’s Raspberry Rose Friands tea, I reckon I’d rather like them.
This is a delicious, flowery, nutty concoction that is both full of flavour and delicately elegant. It contains Ceylon Orange Pekoe black tea, rosehip powder, freeze-dried raspberries, flaked almonds, rosebuds and natural flavouring.
The fun starts as soon as you open the packet and inhale the tea’s aroma. It smells amazing. It’s even more fun when you steep it in boiling water and drink it, so I recommend that you do that rather than just sniffing it all day.
The surprise here is the rosehip powder. I didn’t think I liked rosehips which is a bit odd, now I think about it, for someone who is always banging on about how much she likes rose teas.
I think of rosehips and rose petals as being two completely unconnected things even though they come from the same plant. I’ve now realised that I don’t dislike rosehip, I’m just not fond of the company that it usually keeps.
Rosehips are generally to be found hanging out with hibiscus and dried apple pieces in the sort of herbal brews that I don’t have any time for. Rosehip, to me, was the taste of ‘generic red tisane’.
Well, that’s all changed now. Because, it turns out, if you add powdered rose fruits to a delicious dessert tea blend, it’s actually rather magical. I’m now curious to find a rosehip and chocolate blend. There must be some out there.
Raspberry Rose Friands is a brew that was born to be served at afternoon tea in fine china antique tea cups. With the side plate of tiny fancy almond cakes, obviously.
Today’s featured book is Frenchman’s Creek by Daphne Du Maurier.
