Leaves of the World | The Jaffa

Company: Leaves of the World

Name: The Jaffa

Tea Type: Roobios 

Loose or Bagged: Loose Leaf

Rating: 5*

Best Served: Hot w/o Milk

Water Temperature: 100° 

Brew For: 4 minutes 

Buy: Leaves of the World

Price: £6.50 for 50g and £12 for 100g

Description: Listen up. I’m The Jaffa. The boss of all things in the chocolate and orange department. And let me tell you, my sweet velvety chocolate is the best. Number 1. That’s right. Creamy, sweet indulgent chocolaty rooibos with juicy orange and especially bring me a biscuit when you whip me up as a tea latte. Um um ummmm. I’m only around for a limited time. So make the most of me while I’m here!

Ingredients: Organic: rooibos, cocoa shells, orange pieces, organic orange flavour, sunflower blossoms.

This tea guys, is phenomenal. I've tried a fair few chocolate teas now and most of them are sub-par at the best of times. I just don't think there are many teas that really capture that creamy, sweet, chocolatey flavour without taxing synthetic or cheap. But The Jaffa really hits the nail on the head, since going Vegan I have rely struggled to satisfy my chocolate craving and although I have never given in, it's hard!

The Jaffa really quenches your need for chocolate in a healthier, lower calorie, and cruelty free way! It's sweet and creamy and delicious. The added orange pieces and organic orange flavour transforms this brew into a dreamy cup of tea. A true reflection of that well loved chocolate orange classic. Nostalgic almost. Is it Christmas yet?!

All in all The Jaffa is a perfect tea. It really is. It's one I'd stock up by the bucket load! It's perfect in the morning if you wake up feeling rough, it's perfect for an elevenses, and it's perfect just before bed to calm and soothe you. Master of all times of the day! 

Roobios tea can be a desired taste, but this is perfect for both sides of the fence. You can't really taste the strong Roobios flavour, but it does ass the nice sweetness and slightly caramel flavour to the brew. 

Don't forget if you want to give The Jaffa a try use TEANOMADBECCA20 for 20% off your online order! 

Tea Club | Bird & Blend - July

So last month I wrote about how I'd joined up to the Bird & Blend Tea Club Subscription Box and my thoughts on las months box. So I figured it'd be cool to review this months box too. 

This months theme is: Christmas in July

After month one you just get the three teas and a card explaining the different tea with each months unique artwork on. 

Tea One: Birthday Cake

Let's be honest, there is nothing better than cake. Except perhaps a cup of tea and cake! Our Birthday Cake Tea is delicious, has both and almost no calories! Oh and did you notice the pretty sprinkles in there too? Talk about having your cake and eating it!

Rooibos (84%), Sri Lankan Black Tea, Sprinkles (Sugar, Potato Starch, Rice Flour, Corn Starch, Vegetable Fat, Spirulina Extract, Colours (E160a Carotenes, E160c Paprika, E100 Turmeric, E163 Anthocyanins, E162 Beetroot), Stabilisers (Maltodextrin), Almond Pieces, Vanilla Pieces, Mallow Flowers, Flavouring.  

 *Please note that this tea has less than 1% of Ceylon black tea, it's not just a Rooibos blend.

I got some of the Bird and Blend Birthday Cake in January, back when it was my actual birthday and I really loved it. This tea was included in the box this month because it's B&B's Birthday! It's a really lovely blend, and actually does have that sweet, cake-y, vanilla type flavour you get from a really good birthday cake. I loved the cute little sprinkles which add the sweetness and the vanilla flavour comes from the Roobios tea. Which is a personal favourite of mine too.

Tea Two: Christmas Cake 

Holding its own for the title of best Christmas tea of all time, this blend tastes like cake, contains real life actual Christmas tree (spruce needles!) and, as if that wasn't enough, it has little candy snowflakes. Still not impressed? Well brew it up and watch it glitter like icicles! 

Almond, Ceylon Black Tea, Cinnamon, Cloves, Flavour, Orange Peel, Sprinkles, Vanilla Pieces

I've always had some Christmas Cake from B&B every Christmas. Or in some variation they've done that year, so after receiving this I was just craving that winter weather and festivities. It smells delicious, spicy, warm and full of flavour. I am truly gutted it wont be coming back this year! I loved the strong flavour of the black tea which just lifted the nuttiness from the almonds and spiciness from the cloves and cinnamon. The added range peel and sprinkles stop this tea being overbearingly spicy and makes it a mellow warm flavour. 

Tea Three: Mulled Wine

With scents of clove, cinnamon and orange this tea tastes just as good with or without red wine! It is perfect for warming up after a chilly walk or as an alternative to the pre-made mulled wine cocktails you can buy from the supermarket!

Ingredients: Hibiscus, Rosehip, Apple pieces, Lemon pieces, Orange peel, Orange flowers, Cloves, Cinnamon.

And finally, the last tea of the selection; Mulled Wine. I don't think i'd ever tried this one before as last year I had the Mulled Cider and Sugar Plum teas. I don't think the Mulled Wine was released, I believe this is 2015/16 blend? I love fruit blends, and especially slightly spicy fruit blends at that. So the mulled wine was made for me. The sweetness from the hibicus and rose hip paired with the heat from the cinnamon and cloves is truly delicious. perfect for those who want that homely, wintery brew but don't like black tea. 

As confused as I was this box, because I don't really buy into the whole 'Christmas in July' thing. I know what it is but not being a traditional thing and being very new to me. I'm all for the 'let's live in the very tiny summer we have' kinda girl. So I will probably be putting the christmas teas away until around October. I definitely would have preferred say an Iced Tea Box or a Cold Brew Box this month given the ridiculously hot temperatures we're having. 

None the less I still love the premise of this box and at £10 inc Postage it's a really good deal if you;re looking to try some new teas! You can buy the box here and here are there Subscription Box options. 

Leaves of the World | June Box (+ recipes!)

Hello Readers and Happy Saturday! Have you all had a fabulous week? I've been super busy this week, and super behind on posts too! But here are my four tea's I received from the fabulous Leaves of the World. And this month I've included my recipes for ALL FOUR TEAS! They are super simple, and easy recipes to follow for something to do on a chilled saturday afternoon when you're craving something sweet!

Company: Leaves of the World 

Name: Fig 'n' Peach

Tea Type: Fruit Infusion 

Loose or Bagged: Loose Leaf

Rating: 3.5*

Best Served: Hot w/o Milk

Water Temperature: 95° 

Brew For: 3-5 minutes 

Buy: Leaves of the World

Price: £4.50 for 50g. £8.00 for 100g

Description: Fig’n wonderful I am. Fruity fun ‘n’ peach ‘n’ all, not too tart mind, bit’a pink pepper t’ take it down a notch’a two ‘n’ a bit’a ginger t’ warm yer up like. Proper cuppa stuff I am. Caffeine free an'all!

Ingredients: Organic: Figs, apple pieces, ginger, orange peel. Natural peach flavour. Organic pink pepper

*REVIEW* This tea is beautiful, it really is. It's quite a light and delicate flavour but I really enjoyed it, and I often brew quite a big mug too. With the hot weather we've been having recently I've been leaning more towards flavoured green teas and fruit infusions. To be fair, I'm not a massive fan of figs but I do really love peaches so I was quite excited to give this one a try. I loved the addition of a little bit of pink pepper in this blend, it really made it something special and a little different from your normal fruit brews. Gave it a slight depth and character whilst lifting the fig and peach flavours. 

*RECIPE* As a fruit tea I think this is perfect to be iced. Brew 4 leaf loaders of Fig n Peach into a bottle, I use my Jugalot from T2, and brew overnight. When you're ready to drink, top with either Sparkling Water or Fizzy Peach Flavoured water! Add slices of lemon, and a straw! (But remember always  us a bamboo, glass or metal straw though guys!) 

*My favourite way to drink this is add 2 shots of the concentrate, 1 shot of gin, and top with tonic water for a delicious twist on a classic G&T!

Company: Leaves of the World 

Name: Pink Flamingo

Tea Type: Fruit Infusion 

Loose or Bagged: Loose Leaf

Rating: 5*

Best Served: Hot w/o Milk

Water Temperature: 100° 

Brew For: 3-5 minutes 

Buy: Leaves of the World

Price: £10.00 for 100g

Description: Greetings tea lovers. The hottest bird around has landed and brings a refreshing treat for you to enjoy. Tropical flavours of wild hibiscus, rose hip, sweet beetroot with rhubarb and vanilla send me all in a pink flurry of feathers. Hot or Iced I taste just like your favourite rhubarb and custard sweets. See, why be like all the others, spread your wings and stand out with me

Ingredients: Organic: Apple, rose hip shell, hibiscus blossoms, orange peel, beetroot. Natural rhubarb and vanilla flavour

*REVIEW* This was on of my favourite blends that I received in the box. Sadly, I never got to try Pink Flamingo last year, and forgot to place an order when it was on a special a few months back. But the wait was so definitely worth it. If you love anything Rhubarb and Custard like I do, then this really is the perfect tea for you. You get  nice tartness from the hibiscus blossoms and a sweetness from the apple and rose hip shells which give the tea such a different dimension. Then you get that retro reminiscent flavour front the natural rhubarb and vanilla flavours. 

*RECIPE* I didn't know what to do with this tea, and I wanted to so much to just drink it it's that good. But I did do a recipe, in the name of blogging! So use 5 heaped leaf loaders of tea in a tea sac and brew in a half a mug of water. You can either cold brew over night, or steep it in hot water for around 10 minutes to really get a very concentrated and strong flavour. 

Add around 1/4 of a cup of the liquid to a pan and add 400th of chopped rhubarb and cook until all the rhubarb has broken down. You may want to add more liquid it depends how you prefer it. You wont need sugar either because you'll get a nice sweetness from Pink Flamingo! And voila a rhubarb and custard compote. Add this to top your yoghurt in a morning, below a crumble or mix with oats and set for a few hours. Delicious. 

Company: Leaves of the World 

Name: It's Strawberry Thyme 

Tea Type: Flavoured Green Tea 

Loose or Bagged: Loose Leaf

Rating: 4.5*

Best Served: Hot w/o Milk

Water Temperature: 75° 

Brew For: 2-3 minutes 

Buy: Leaves of the World

Price: £5.00 for 50g. £9.00 for 100g

Description: Yooooo, what’s up? I’m this super tasty Green tea packing to the max with some flavour, man. Check out my stats. Hey you got the time? That’s right, it’s strawberry thyme

Ingredients: Organic: Sencha green tea, sea buckthorn, lemon verbena leaves, thyme leaves, lemongrass, pink pepper, strawberry. Natural  strawberry flavour 

*REVIEW* Strawberry THYME?! Yes THYME! I love blends with sweet and savoury notes to them. When a company wants to be more daring about their lends I think it shows a unique quality to their brand and always attracts my attention Leaves of the World have a fantastic range of vege-fusions on their site too. I loved the flavour of the Sencha green tea, such a smooth clean and refreshing taste it's perfect for this. The natural strawberry flavour and strawberry in this blend is really prominent which is quite nice, LOTW have done a good job at making it stand out. Which, as that, would be a perfectly sweet and fruity green tea. But then adding the pink pepper, thyme eaves and lemongrass makes this just something different it really does. I've honestly tasted nothing like it, but it's delicious! I loved the earthy flavour front he thyme, the peppery notes form the pink pepper and a slight sweetness but herbal flavour front the lemongrass. This is a very well blended brew!

*RECIPE* Hmm what do you do with a savoury sweet blend? Well you take 4 leaf loaders of tea and brew it in around 100ml overnight (along with a couple of sliced strawberry and 2 mint leaves). You have to cold brew it to pull out a better more natural flavour from this brew, brewing this hot for too long could turn it slightly bitter. Once brewed, add the water to a small saucepan and add half 1/4 - 1/2 cup of sugar and leave to simmer until the mixture thickens. You now have a base Strawberry and Thyme. 

*Add 1 teaspoon of Leaves of the World 'Just Matcha' to a matcha bowl and add a small amount of hot water and whisk until combined. Add a shot of your syrup to a cup of ice, pour over your matcha and top with coconut/almond/soya milk.

Company: Leaves of the World 

Name: Sunburst 

Tea Type: Vege Fusion 

Loose or Bagged: Loose Leaf

Rating: 4.5*

Best Served: Hot w/o Milk

Water Temperature: 75° - 80° 

Brew For: 3-6 minutes 

Buy: Leaves of the World

Price: £5.00 for 50g. £9.00 for 100g

Description: Brighten up your day with me! Have you ever wanted to glow like a golden god/goddess as you strut down the street? Well, now you can. Drink me and feel the burst of sun come into your life and your skin.

My refreshing orange wedges and turmeric pieces will have you glowing in no time, plus I also contain  carrots and pumpkin too. I’m just a burst of sun in your life. You can even turn me into a Soda Tea Pop, and I’m a cool refreshing replacement for your everyday fizzy drink

Ingredients: Organic: carrot, apple, sea buckthorn peel, ginger, curcuma (turmeric), pumpkin, orange wedges, anise. Natural orange flavour

*REVIEW* I love this. Honest to god, I literally was speechless when I opened this packet. Looka t the colour of this tea! It's MENTAL. I can't believe how bright and orange it is. It really makes you feel slightly happier inside. Which is the perfect start to a Saturday morning. The orange, turmeric and carrot definitely contribute to this. The smell of this tea is sure the first thing that hits you. It's slightly sweet, but more herbal and savoury notes to it. When I brewed this up, it did discolour my brewer but after a hot soak it was perfectly fine again. Just wash what you use sooner than normal. I loved drinking this tea, so refreshing! Hot: this tea is stunning. The sweetness front eh huge pieces of dried orange, and carrot bits. With a spiciness form the ginger and turmeric. It doesn't taste medicinal but it tastes good for you which I find a very attractive attribute of the tea. Cold: this tea comes into it's own when you cold brew it. It has such a strong flavour! Ginger and Turmeric are also super good for you. 

*RECIPE* Finally, the last recipe! This one was the hardest to find a recipe for though, I wont lie. Because it is very split, savoury and a sweet blend of tea. But in the end I decided to take it somewhere savoury. Use 3 heaped leaf loaders of Sunburst tea and grind it down to a fine powder in either a pestle and mortar or spice grinder. Use 2tsp of the power and fry off in a little bit of olive oil, add half a block of extra firm tofu (I used Fry's Chicken Style Strips) and fry until crispy and fried off. Add sliced spring onions, 1 tsp of miso powder, grated carrot, 100ml of boiling water and bring the to the boil. Add a handful or two of sliced curly kale and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Once done, add a little salt and pepper and serve. This is such a beautiful style soup/broth and tastes delicious. You can always add some rice nooodles too. Healthy. Gluten Free. Vegan. INCREDiBLE. 

All four teas were delicious, when you are receiving a surprise box every month it's very rare you're impressed every time. But with Leaves of the World tea's I always am. They have such a wide range of incredibly good teas to suit anyones taste. My first ever Leaves of the World blend was Greek Mythology, a peppermint and greek mountain tea blend, but now it's Many Shades of Grey, a luxurious and floral black earl grey. It's amazing how they've perfected so many types of tea. 

Don't forget if you do fancy giving them a try but not sure what to get then try out their Collection boxed for a little variety! You can also use TEANOMADBECCA20 for 20% off your order too. (Not applicable on current Christmas in July sale).