Tea for Tuesday: Heath & Heather Nettle Infusion

Heath & Heather Nettle Infusion

Tuesday has rolled around again, which means that today's post is part of Tea for Tuesday! Technically, it's been more "find a substitute for caffeinated green tea, which mostly consists of herb and fruit infusions",  rather than tea, but let's just ignore that. Today's "tea" is of the nettle variety and is produced by Heath & Heather. Nettle is well-known for its health-boosting benefits, and is also rather conveniently caffeine-free. As with tea, it's also possible to make your own brew using stinging nettle leaves, but I'm not sure how to do this yet, so for now, bags it is!

The aroma of the infusion is reasonably subtle, giving off an earthy smell that's somewhere between green tea and mushroom broth. That might sound unpleasant, but it's actually quite nice, and the infusion's colour reflects scent of it as well. 

Taste-wise, it's very similar to mild green tea, which I was pleased about as I have so missed that taste! However, it isn't as bitter as some brands of sencha can be, so if that's something you find off-putting about green tea, then nettle infusions might be an alternative to try. Personally, I loved this one!

Tea for Tuesday: Twinings Blackcurrant, Ginseng & Vanilla

Twinings Blackcurrant, Ginseng & Vanilla Fruit Tea

The first flavour that I decided to try for Tea for Tuesday was Blackcurrant, Ginseng & Vanilla from Twinings Fresh & Fruity range. The back of the packet indicated that this particular infusion is "naturally caffeine-free", so that was helpful!

The colour isn't as deep red as most blackcurrant teas tend to be, but watching the orangey red swirls diffusing their way around the cup was still rather enjoyable (or perhaps I just need to get out more, haha ;D). There was a faint aroma of vanilla as the boiling water hit the bag, but that dissipated quite quickly and the tea was quite odourless after that. 

As for the taste, the strongest flavour was undoubtedly that of the blackcurrant at first, before the faintly medicinal, but not unpleasant, smoothness of the ginseng came through. The vanilla merged nicely into the other, stronger flavours and the combination reminded me somewhat of a fruity version of elderflower. The packet also suggested that to add some sweetness, honey worked well, but I don't eat honey so I added a few drops of agave nectar instead. I did like the added sweetness, but it certainly wasn't a bitter tea and so it wasn't really needed. 

Definitely a flavour I'd have again!