The Beach in a Cup: Piña Colada Tea

Oh, sweet summertime. I miss it so much, and it's supposed to be here now! But, London weather is far too unpredictable to truly embrace the season. I decided to go out and buy a couple of new teas to, at least, bring a bit of summer into my kitchen. I tried a sencha piña colada flavored green tea from The Tea House in Covent Garden. It has pineapple chunks and flavoring mixed in with the green tea in order to create the taste of a tropical drink in a healthy form. 


The loose tea smells quite a bit how a piña colada tastes, and when it's brewed for 2-3 minutes, the aroma comes out even more. The green tea also blossoms beautifully in the strainer with the contrasting flecks of yellow. The cup of tea smells sweet and fruity, but just has a subtle taste of pineapple. It's really light and delicious, and has a great rich, pineapple color. It's great for summer, but doesn't beat a piña colada on the beach!

My First Formal Afternoon Tea

I've been in London for a year and a half, and I finally had the opportunity to experience formal afternoon tea just a couple of days ago. I was so, so excited! Afternoon tea is an English tradition, consisting of a small meal between 2pm and 5pm, to fill a gap between larger meals. My bff and I went to Hempel Hotel in Bayswater to enjoy personal tea pots full of aromatic leaf tea and delicious sandwiches and pastries. Our teas were incredible. I ordered organic jasmine pearls, and my friend had the silver needle tea. The fragrance of mine was light and flowery, matching the taste of the first cup. But, the second and third cups had a strong, sharp taste, and were naturally darker in color. My friend's tea had more of a regular, plain tea taste in the first cup, but after brewing longer, the white tea tasted slightly sweeter and fruity. The variety of sandwiches included smoked salmon and cucumber (my fave), ham and cheese, and egg with watercress. I also indulged quite happily in the scones and clotted cream. I wish I could have afternoon tea everyday! Seriously. Everyday.

Sencha Cranberry Rose Tea

This tea is perfect for the morning, right before you leave for work. It has sencha green tea leaves, which are originally from Japan, and provides caffeine to keep you going and antioxidants to make you glow. The cranberry adds a bit of sweetness. I've mentioned rose tea before, as I've been in search of it here in London. I bought my first bag of it when I was in Malaysia last year. The tea lady told me it helps regulate blood-flow (also helps during periods!) and keeps you looking young. Although the sencha cranberry rose tea has rose buds in it, they don't appear to be as fresh as the ones I've had. Some of the goodness may disappear as the petals become dry, but I'm not sure. The tea is fantastic, anyway. I also bought a tea filter that drops into the cup, sort of like a tea bag. It's definitely ideal if you enjoy drinking loose tea, and the leaves blossom beautifully when they're done brewing.