Hands up if, like me, you’ve been using the same brand of tea bags for…god knows how long? It’s so easy to fall into the habit of buying the same old teabags when you nip to your local shop. One of my New Year resolutions is to get a bit more adventurous with my food and drink, and what better place to start than with my favourite tipple: a good cup of tea.
The family-owned company Dragonfly Tea very kindly sent me a few different types of their tea to try out. What really made me fall head over heels with this British business is the fact they are passionate about their tea. Their staff travel the globe in order to source different ingredients and rare brews, meaning that their customers are treated to some of the most exciting flavours in the market.
And if you’re in any doubt as to how passionate they are about their tea, the founder, Bruce Ginsberg, spent time at a Zen monastery in Japan studying the ancient tea ceremony. Oh, and his grandfather Benjamin was the founder of rooibos tea. What a family.
Their artisan teas include types such as black, caffeine free and green. Many of them aim to invoke flavours from different parts of the world. For instance, their Green Gaucho tea uses organic mate which is one of the most popular drinks in South America. As such, it’s the perfect tea for those who are missing South America beverages – or even for those looking to mentally escape to the streets of Brazil (all without leaving their kitchen table).
The three tea types I was sent were the Moroccan Mint, Swirling Mist and the Golden Himalaya. Each of these took inspiration from countries across the globe. The Swirling Mist is made from Bai Mudan white tea which can be found in the high mountains dotted around the Fujian province of China. Organic darjeeling tea from North East India is used in the Golden Himalaya, while the Moroccan Mint uses sweet spearmint leaves from (unsurprisingly) Morocco, blended together with gunpowder green tea from China.
The Dragonfly tea website includes stories behind the (often difficult) adventures needed to source the ingredients needed for the tea. All of this arguably makes you appreciate your cuppa just that little bit more.
On the website you’ll also find some interesting tea facts. For example, tea vendors in Morocco pour tea by raising the teapot higher and higher above the glass. Not only does this add a bit of theatre, but it is also said to improve the taste by increasing the oxygen content. (I haven’t actually tried this out yet – will get back to you when I’ve done some research!)
Each box features 20 teabags, which are individually wrapped up, meaning they’re perfect to take on short trips. Paper labels are also attached to the ends with little inspiring quotes such as ‘Each cup of tea represents an imaginary voyage’ or ‘the act of tea making is a moment of calm meditation’. With these Dragonfly teabags, I found that they turned the occasion of tea drinking into an exciting feature of my day, not just a force of habit. I was eager to try the different teas that would set my taste buds off in their own little way, and that first sip of a new flavour was heaven. I didn’t gulp the tea down; rather, I was savouring every sip.
Of the three flavours, my two favourites were the sweet Moroccan Mint and the Golden Himalaya. The latter was a taste that I’ve never read tried before: a slightly earthy taste with a little kick. It’s definitely one of the finer types of tea I’ve tasted – maybe that’s why they call it the ‘Champagne’ of teas!
I’ll definitely be trying more of the Dragonfly range in a bit to widen my tea horizons. And if you’re after a little goal for the new year, why don’t you try the same, and give your taste buds a little shake-up?
- Each box costs between £2 and £2.09
- The Roobios tea comes in packs of 40 unwrapped teabags and costs between £2.09 and £2.49.
- Luxury tea collections are available in tins and cost £6 each
Many thanks to Dragonfly Tea for providing me with some tea samples for the purpose of this review. As always, all opinions are my own.
I love tea!!! My favourite tea is Earl Grey. Although I do love a good Jasmine!
Not such a massive Earl Grey fan myself, Soph – but am intrigued to try a good Jasmine 😀 (Dragonfly do some too, hurrah!)