Every so often, when trying a new tea, I'll have what the late Diana, Princess of Wales would refer to as a 'oh my god' moment. (Though I'm sure the late Princess's "oh my god" moments were not about a wonderful Darjeeling or a finely blended Earl Grey!). These are moments when you are temporarily stunned by the gorgeous aroma or fantastic taste of a new tea.
With Whittard's fabulous Bohemian Raspberry tea, I felt as though I was drinking a tea that was personally blended just for me. So gorgeous is this blend. For someone who is addicted to raspberries, be it fresh from the fruit bowl, or as a boiled sweet, in a dilutable fruit juice or in the latest chocolate bar from Cadbury's, if it has raspberry in it, it's all good.
I recently was browsing the Whittard webpage looking for something new and fresh to try when I clicked on their flavoured black tea and found this little gem. I had no other option but to order some! What I like about Whittard is that you get a choice of how you order your tea. You can choose between having the tea in a loose packet or in a caddy. I opted for a caddy. A girl can't have too many tea caddies!
First of all I'd like to take a minute out to talk about the packaging. The tea caddy itself is very classy. It comes with the Whittard mark embossed onto the lid. Under the lid there is a second metal lid designed to keep the tea fresh so there is no need for that horrible foil that is sometimes used for freshness and that somehow ends up in bits inside the tea!
Also, there is the very sweet addition of a small envelope. Inside, there are tiny blank cards that you can use to make personal labels for your tea caddy! It's a quaint touch that some may not think necessary but which I found to nice addition.
I know that you cannot judge a tea by it's caddies and packaging. Some of the nicest tea I've ever tried come in simple foil bags. But, there is also nothing wrong with packaging your tea in a classy, tasteful manner. And Whittard have managed to find a balance between simple, traditional packaging which also has a fresh, modern, twist.
When I finally got the two lids off the caddy I was hit by a fresh, fruity aroma that even my mum, who has no interest in tea nor has a particularly good sense of smell, commented on, saying it was "lovely".
To me, it was far more than lovely. It knocked the senses sideways. The aroma was fresh and fruity and felt totally natural. Sometimes you can get tea's that have fruity flavours added that both smell and taste synthetic. Not with Bohemian Raspberry. It's all natural. As if the raspberries were picked only yesterday.
To look at, this tea is quite frankly stunning. The black tea is rich and dark in colour, the raspberries adding a dash of brightness. A contrasting tea in appearance, at least, with large, visible pieces of raspberries.
With this being a black tea, I popped four homemade teabags into the pot, poured boiling water on top and let the tea infuse for several minutes. All the while I could almost smell the tea getting stronger and stronger as it infused.
This tea infuses to a rich mahogany colour.
When it was finally time to pour a cup (the infusion time seemed to take ages!) I was immediately impressed. I've not tried too many tea's from Whittard after being put off by a particularly strong Christmas tea I tried many years ago (no fault of theirs, I now appreciate that Christmas tea's don't taste too good when over brewed and taken without milk!)
The black tea is strong and robust, with a almost nutty, chocolate like flavour, but is totally devoid of any bitterness. It's smooth and very easy to drink, being both moreish and satisfying. The quality of the tea appears to be very good indeed and I would go as far as to say that even the most hard to please tea addict would have to try very hard to find fault with the tea used in this blend. Just ideal for a flavoured tea.The quality of the tea is so important, even when blending flavoured tea's as a bad base tea could put the whole blend, flavours and all, off.
Raspberry is not a fruit that is often used in black tea's. Quite often you see raspberry and blackberry in the fruit tea section but this is the first time (I think) I've seen it blended with a black tea, and oh my, what a success it is.
Whittard have not scrimped at all with the amount of dried raspberry pieces they have used in this tea. I ran a spoon through the caddy to see how much fruit actually was offered and there is a more than generous amount of raspberries added and they are large pieces, too. So it doesn't matter if you are at the start of your caddy, in the middle or reaching the end, you will get the punch from the raspberry no matter how much of the tea you have used.
The raspberries add a level of sweetness to this tea, the strong flavour adding a kick to, so it's odd, there is delicateness to this tea whilst at the same time, bringing something to the tea party!
Bohemian Raspberry is a full flavoured blend, that is sweet and gentle, whilst at the same time being a refreshing blend that is incredibly moreish. I'm now on my second pot of the day which is quite something!
I enjoyed this tea the other day with a huge slab of Victoria sponge that was oozing with raspberry jam - the two worked exceptionally well together. This is an ideal tea to serve up for friends, for afternoon tea for example - if you're willing to share which I'm not too sure I am if I'm honest!
This is a joyful tea that made me feel quite wonderful. I knew when I ordered it that I'd like it, and now I've tasted it I'm certain. I'm a fully fledged fan of Bohemian Raspberry! And, the best bit is Whittard sell this as loose as a refill so I don't have to keep buying caddies all the time either, so all round, I'm a winner!
I can't wait to really get to know Whittard and try as many of their tea's as I can afford to do so! Also, there are plenty of stores in London I can visit, so next time I'm 'up town' I will pop in and see what else is on offer!
I am really, really impressed with this tea. It would make a tasty and classy gift if you're looking to buy something for the tea lover in your life, and if you want to treat yourself it makes for a luxurious treat.
Congratulations to Whittards for making a truly wonderful fruity black tea. This will remain a staple in my tea cupboard for as long as Whittards sell it.
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