Fresh breath confidence... or not

Years ago when I was an idiot, I only very briefly came across flavoured teas after venturing into a coffee shop. I was presented with what appeared to be a billboard of flavours and posh words that I didn’t understand. It was at this point I thought ‘hot chocolate, play it safe, play it sweet’ but still, I’d be quite intrigued as to what these flavours were.

So I went to a shop – it’ll remain nameless but let’s say it was dodgy and very cheap – and I bought myself a packet of fruit teas. I picked out Raspberry and, obviously in my naivety I brewed it like a traditional brekkie tea only to be sorely disappointed.

A few years later a friend told me about Peppermint Tea and how it makes her uneasy tummy settled. I never really took to the idea of a mint tea so never gave it a chance and left it there. With my previous experience of fruit teas years before, I didn’t see how a mint tea would satisfy my curiosity with a tasty twist. After all, mint isn’t exactly the best of flavours unless you’re planning on tonguing someone or mixing a Mojito!

So 2010 it is, and the power of the celebrity is somewhat overwhelming. From Gwen Stefani singing about sipping on Chamomile (Hey Baby!) to Cheryl Cole dieting on Peppermint Tea due to the breakdown of her sham of a marriage, it seems everyone’s doing it now. Whatever happened to getting wrecked on Vodka?

Well… being what you’d call impressionable, and what I prefer to call curious, I raided the flavoured box and found a packet of Organic Peppermint Tea. I didn’t have very high expectations of this one but I gave it a chance none-the-less.

I’m unsure as to whether it was the tea itself or the fact I’d just spat out a chewing gum, but it was very minty. I definitely got the refreshing sort of coldness that coats the tongue and as far as tea drinking sensations go, it was pretty nice. But for me, it failed. The tea itself was far too overpowering and once the peppermint tang had fizzled, the aftertaste of green tea made me feel as though I’d swallowed a rancid pond.

I’m not a fan of green tea but every now and then if a flavour is introduced then I’m willing to give it a try. But while I wont be trying it again, if you like green tea – you’ll love it.

Dear Earl, it's been a while

Let say, to the tune of about sixteen years or so.

So how have you been? I heard and read about you on regular occasions but it never occurred to me that maybe we should give it another go.

You see, there are so many reasons for us drifting apart and while now I am fully aware that it was my fault, back then you could say, I was just a little naïve. My grandparents would sing your praises ‘oh he’s a full bodied chap, full of zest and flavour’ personally I found you complex and just a bit too much for me. I was only young and not ready for something quite so serious.

I don’t think they are aware of our chance meeting but I’ll drop into conversation one day that I found you and we’ve decided to start over, try again.

It’s only after such a long time and after everything that I’ve experienced that I realise I’ve grown up. My tastes are much more refined and I’m engaged by deep and delicious experiences, and can handle more complex variety. I think now, we’re a much better match and on the same wavelength.

I’ve discovered so much more in you. Your sweetness overpowers where I once found you to be bitter. Your depth and not to mention a beautiful scent are captivating. You have my respect now where I was once impatient, I wanted everything too quick, demanded so much in such a short space of time, I’ll be the first to admit that simplicity is what I craved and you couldn’t give me it. You are long and drawn out and improve with time. I didn’t have the time to allow you to develop and for that I am sorry.

I’m older and wiser, more patient and keen to enjoy time with you.

What do you say?

Mr Gray?

Its over!

Don’t worry, I’m not in the midst of a horrific break up, eyeing up the razorblades and swimming in vodka… Lent is over! Yes, the short and sweet journey of flavoured infusions has come to an abrupt end and left me gagging for caffeine induced, traditional tasting, and gorgeous cups of tea.

So Easter morning rolled round and I woke up slapping my lips like a toothless old man and danced downstairs ridiculously eager to put t’kettle on. Grabbed a massive mug, shoved a teabag in and a spoon of… shit, forgot to buy sugar!! Luckily the other half and me are geeks and collect the tea/coffee and sugars from hotels we stay in so luckily, we had a stash of sugar. While waiting for what seemed a lifetime for the kettle to pop I shoved a couple of hot-cross buns in the toaster – well, you have to really. If you’re going to do Easter then do it properly for god’s sake!

The majority of people I know are so excited about Easter and all the chocolate they are going to ram down their throats. I’ve never been a huge chocoholic personally although I do enjoy a little bit now and again,  I can pretty much guarantee that the majority of eggs and their accompanying treats will be devoured by my boyfriend. In fact, writing this I know he’s probably eyeing up my Caramel Egg I’ve left there to tempt him. It gets to the point where he’ll eat my half and then replace it only to polish half of the replacement too. That happened on Valentines Day recently. I laugh but I don’t expect much when he buys me chocolate… I know he’ll be eating it rather than me but I dont mind.

So while I digressed sadly, habit got the better of me and after leaving the teabag in the cup for about 2 minutes, I got that disgusting film of what looks like sea-sludge on the top of my cuppa. But I drank it anyway.

Utter disappointment! I had waited 40 long and agonising days for this?

So suffice to say, my first cup of tea was not exactly nice. In fact, I was a little tempted to pour it down the drain and start again with a fruity bag instead but regardless, I drank it and tried to enjoy it.

The whole idea was for me to not drink tea as much as I had previously done and I think thus far it’s been a success. Since Easter I’ve had just 2 cups and I’m now on my third. The old faithful flask has come out again but rather than enjoying my 10.30am cuppa, I’ve got the hankering for some Raspberry and Echinacea. It doesn’t help that I can actually taste the undertones of berry with every sip – probably did a rubbish job of washing out the flask but I’m glad. It has made me realise that tea isn’t just about Tetley’s or PG Tips, there’s so many flavours that people just haven’t dared to try. I’ve only had a few but I’m most certainly inspired to try more. I suppose the fact I was hungover on Sunday did'nt help matters but hey, it's opened the door for some flavoursome adventure!

A spring in my step

In what can only be described as an absolutely horrific end of March/beginning of April, I decided that I really did need a spring in my step and so decided on reigniting an old flame. No I didn’t get in touch with an ex, that would be long-winded and as boring as paint – I found some old bags of a flavour in the back of my cupboard and thought I’d give them another try.

Back in the day when flavoured teas were nothing more than a health kick to me, I tried a few flavours and didn’t really enjoy them at all. I thought that a bit of chamomile here and green tea there would leave me feeling refreshed and bright. That wasn’t the case and it left a disgusting taste in the mouth and craving sweetness! Cue Thorntons.

So this past week or so I’ve found some old Twinings lemon and ginger teabags that I thought I’d give another go. And I’m pleased I did.

The biggest mistake, in my opinion, that any flavoured tea novice can make is to not let it brew. It’s not like a bag of English brekkie tea that you dunk, do a little dance and then lob in the bin – you’ve got to give herbal infusions a chance to, well… infuse. The idea is that the flavours are released slowly and give an authentic taste so obviously, the longer the leave it the better. But no matter how long it took me to wash my face and brush my teeth before work, these damn teabags just didn’t cut it. I’d slurp a bit when arriving in the office to find it tasted like warm water. Even adding a splash of sugar made it taste like warm water, only sweeter. But surely, I thought I must be missing a trick here. So I left it a bit longer. Plonk a bag in my handy flask-mug-thing and leave it in there with a bit of sugar until I was ready to drink it bout 30 mins later. Absolutely gorgeous!

What I was missing was a really bright flavour which leaves a strange sensation in the throat. The lemon is nice and zingy to wake you up and then the ginger adds a subtle bitterness that works really well. It’s a dry taste – bit odd for a wet substance – kind of like dry wine but very moreish. I didn’t expect much from this drink because many either love or hate ginger. I’ve always sat on the fence with that one because I love gingerbread, ginger biscuits and crystallised ginger in sweet things but as an addition to bitter foods I cant get on with it. But after wasting roughly 90% of the packet on failed attempts I thoroughly enjoyed my last two bags. Only wish I’d got some more!

Hmmm… wasn’t expecting that

It’s funny how we taste with our noses. You look at some foods and drinks and think ‘no thanks I’ll give that one a miss’ only to smell it and find that its sweet scent is alluring enough to make you disregard its disgusting appearance.

Take chocolate cake mixture for example. It looks like the by-product of a baby’s poorly tummy and if the great sense of smell didn’t exist you’d not look twice at it. However it remains one of like little pleasures. Admit it, at some point every single one of us has uttered those priceless words ‘Can I lick the bowl?!’ and staring at it with anticipation as mum tirelessly tries to scoop the last slithers of mixture from it, we’re grateful for the delicious remaining dregs.

So when I decided that tea was a no-go I looked at investing in some flavoured infusions to take the heat off going cold-turkey. Now, you cant help but give a fruity tea a good sniff before taking a gulp and feeling cheated by your own nose because quite simply it doesn’t taste anywhere near as good as it smells… or so I thought.

I’ve had a few different flavours over this past couple of weeks and have found a couple that really do give you a pleasant taste sensation. After trying lemon tea – the real one with green tea and lemon extracts – I was sorely disappointed and thought that this would be the case from now on. But Twinings have produced a range of herbal and fruit infusions that are just perfect! This week I’ve been flitting between two flavours and I’ve found my favourite so far to be Raspberry and Echinacea.

‘What the hell’s Echinacea?’ If I had a quid for every time I’ve been asked that, I’d be moderately rich this week, but to be honest I had absolutely no idea when I bought it. I always thought that it was one of those ingredients that the skinny boho birds of the south took while on some crazy weight-loss programme. I just thought the packet looked pretty, but Echinacea is actually a wildflower that is used as an herbal remedy to treat colds. Pretty and pink, both the flower and root can be used in herbal teas and works exceptionally well with other ingredients.

But after drinking if for a week, I’m still none the wiser as to what Echinacea’s apparent distinctive and unpleasant taste is like. But whatever it is, it works brilliantly with the sweetness of the raspberry and means that I don’t have to add a dash of sugar to make it somewhat bearable. Definitely one I’ll be restocking when I run out.

Welcome back

Who’d have thought it? Way back in the day when afternoon tea and scones was the norm, and we all sat down to enjoy a cuppa with a nice but nasty dairy delight, that it would come to a not-so-abrupt end but rather die down with the aging population.

Once upon a teatime, tea and cakes was something everyone did and as such, the tradition seems to have continued with the older generation. Enjoying a cup of Earl Grey and a slice of Battenberg is something I’ll always remember doing as a child and teenager with my Nanna. She’s always been the sort who doesn’t scrimp when it comes to cakes and though she never baked her own to offer visiting guests, Mr Kipling’s finest were always a very worthy substitute.

This tradition has continued and now I can pop round to a friends house and sip some English breakfast tea with a hobnob – you cannot beat a hobnob, no matter how hard you try. But for many my age the idea is alien to them and the thought of downing an ‘old woman’s drink’ fills them with utter disgust ‘Err, no thanks I’ll have a coke if you have one’ It's enough to make you wonder what the world is coming to.

Now suddenly, as if from nowhere the resurgence of tea and cakes has been astounding. With massive thanks to the overwhelming popularity of boutique bakeries such as Kensington’s Hummingbird, it seems that being typically British is back in Vogue. Cupcakes, fridge bars and brownies have found their way back into teatime and are enjoying riding the crest of the popularity wave with everything from luscious lemon and delectable chocolate offerings becoming a lunchtime staple.

However, we’ve got it slightly wrong.

Whatever happened to Battenberg? A good old Bakewell Tart and a scone? Are they too afraid to come out of cupboard for fear of being upstaged by a fancy, frilly cupcake? Perhaps it’s the idea of knowing that sometimes its second best you have to settle for. Nothing excites me more than knowing I’m going to put away at least ten clotted cream scones this summer when I venture down to Cornwall but somehow, the idea of nipping out to Tesco for a finest all-butter scone a tub of clotted cream just doesn’t cut it. It’s not the same and it never will be.

It would appear that while teatime has returned, many of the traditions have stayed in the past or in Nanna’s cupboards. Tastes have changed and brought with them the new and exciting world of Cupcakes. We even have flavoured infusion teas from around the globe! What would the Lord and Lady have thought of that?

And so I came to today, a Wednesday and thought that it was time to explore the world through a cup and saucer, and maybe a plate or two along the way. I’ve given up tea for lent. But why? Simply because I drink too much of the stuff. Like a robot the answer is always ‘yes’ to the question ‘fancy a cuppa?’ And while initially the idea was to avoid it at all costs with the eventuality that I wouldn’t consume so much of it, it’s left me seeking an alternative and the desire to discover different flavours.

So when lent is over will it be back to Tetley or itchy feet for a bit of flavour… lets see shall we?

Sammy xxx