I’m not usually a fan of fruit teas, not least because what are so often described as such are not teas at all but fruit infusions. Call me a stickler but I like to call a spade a spade, a tea a tea and an infusion an infusion…
Real fruit teas (containing fruit and tea) I do like; jasmine green, lychee black and a mango black tea I used to buy from a little old man in Camden market when I was a teenager (in the 1980s) but have seldom found since.
Bluebird sell a range of blends which combine good quality tea leaves with fruits, herbs and other ingredients in a way that struck me as fresh and appealing, so I was happy to accept their offer to review some samples. I asked for them to send small taster pouches rather than full packets of each. Great tea doesn’t keep well and I hate wastage. They did include a couple of full size packets to let me see their packaging.
The company names comes from a ski term: a bluebird day being one with sunny blue skies and fresh powder snow; ideal ski conditions, in other words. Why skiing? Because founders Krisi and Mike escaped the rat race to become “ski bums” in Canada (as they put it). Krisi had worked in the UK tea industry before their trip and whilst in Canada, found a job in a Canadian tea business selling some innovative tea products which they both really admired. The couple decided to hot foot it back home to set up a tea business of their own. Focusing on blending teas and other ingredients to create unique mixes, they refer to what they do as “tea mixology’; although the term struck me as a bit pretentious at first, it’s grown on me more as I’ve come to know their products and can see how well it fits.
Most of the thirty-plus teas in the range are priced at just £4.50 per 65-75 gram pack, with a couple that are a little more at £6 and £7.50. Delivery is similarly reasonable at £2.95 and free on orders over £30. That makes Bluebird one of the most affordable tea companies I’ve reviewed.
You can explore their full range of teas for yourself on their website, but here are my thoughts on the eight I tried.
Cherry Lips – Sencha green tea, Rose petals, Cherry
Brews to a traditional green tea pale green colour. Has the pleasant familiar grassy green flavour of green tea with clear real fruit cherry and a floral scent from the rose.
A Great British Cuppa – Indian Assam black tea, Ceylon black tea, Chinese Yunnan tea
Brews to a rich dark reddish-brown. Blending three black teas from different tea growing regions of the world creates a nicely rounded and rich black tea.
Elderflower Champagne – Chinese oolong tea, Elderflower, Lemon verbena, Apple pieces, Orange peel, Lemon peel, Hibiscus, Rosehip.
Brews to a pale green with little pools of pink from the hibiscus flowers; mixes to a pinky green. Initially, the smell is of mint and citrus (perhaps the lemon verbena coming through) but as it brews for longer, a clearer tea aroma pervades. When tasting, the apple dominates for me, with little elderflower, citrus or oolong detectable.
Toasted Apple – Chinese green tea, Apple, Japanese Genmaicha
Brews to a pretty green colour. The most dominant scent is that of the popped rice from the genmaicha. On the palate, the green tea dominates with a hint of fruit and rice. This is an ideal tea for those who want tea first, fruit second.
MojiTEA – Chinese green tea, Peppermint, Dried lime pieces, Lemongrass, Lime leaves, Stevia
Brews to a pretty pale peach colour. On the nose this tea is intensely minty, indeed little else comes through. I found it similar on the palate, with little evidence of the lime and lemongrass. The stevia gives a hint of sweetness.
Monkey Chops – Ceylon Black Tea, Vanilla, Calendula, Banana
This tea brews to a peach colour and smells intensely of sweet popcorn; it’s not an aroma I particularly like but I have a feeling it’s one of those love/ hate kind of smells. On the palate it tastes completely different to the smell, with a rich fruity flavour. I’m disappointed it’s not more obviously banana but it’s certainly fruity. The black tea is lost a little.
Lady Lavender – Ceylon black tea, Lavender, Bergamot oil
Brews to a pale peach, paler than I expected from a black tea. Smells of citrus but the typical medicinal tang of lavender comes through on tasting. The bergamot takes a back seat. A nice alternative to the usual Earl or Lady Grey.
Earl’s Paradise – Ceylon Black Tea, Papaya, Strawberry, Lime, Jasmine, Bergamot
Brews to a rich dark reddish-brown. Has a heady scent of tropical fruits and flowers, not obviously bergamot. But when you taste it, the bergamot comes through clearly and the fruits are less evident. It’s a lovely version of earl grey, with fruits used to add aroma and a gentle fruitiness to the finish.
I’ve enjoyed trying these unusual and inventive blends and am happy to recommend them, especially at the price point. And if you order a sample set you can work out which ones you like best without spending too much and then order larger packs of your favourites.
And for those who like to try something new, the Bluebird matcha is a blend of Japanese matcha (powdered green tea) and Kenyan white matcha (powdered white tea). That’s certainly something I’ve never come across before!
Kavey Eats review samples of the products above from the Bluebird Tea Company.
With thanks to Pete for most of the photographs.
Please leave a comment - I love hearing from you!10 Comments to "The Bluebird Tea Company"
Interesting teas. I enjoy fruit teas but always avoid any that come up looking particularly pink/red as I just can’t seem to get on with them.
I’ve discovered a recently opened and fairly local (to me) tea house – which is even open until 1am in the morning – it does over 100 teas, and only basic coffees. It’s going to take me a while to work my way through their range!
That green tea with the lemongrass and lime sounds lovely and refreshing – I’m drinking more herbal teas at the moment, but like the green tea infusions (with jasmine etc) a lot more than the straightforward fruit ‘teas’. And yep, a spade’s a spade and a tea’s a tea! 🙂
🙂
I totally agree with this part : “I’m not usually a fan of fruit teas, not least because what are so often described as such are not teas at all but fruit infusions.” and just for this reason i think i’m gone try it. Like Jo Romero it’s gone be the Mojitea for me. Thanks for the review.
Some are more for tea lovers and some are on the fruitier end of the scale. Just email them or tweet them if you want advice on choice, they’re very approachable!
Oooh finally what looks like a good lavender Earl Grey! Thanks for the reviews and a summary of what are some really interesting looking flavour combinations.
I am glad that you had a good experience with their tea but I have the complete opposite to say. I have tried a couple of their teas after they promised I could swap a gift I got of their Strawberry Lemonade tea and I almost threw up after every tea.
I found their tea was worse than PG Tips and saw many other customers spit out their tasters.
I’m sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy them! I don’t drink flavour teas very often but thought these pleasant. I gave some to friends to try and they liked them too. It’s all about personal taste though. My very favourite teas are greens and oolongs from momo cha, adagio, teanamu, east India co and steenbergs.
hi- i buy the summer of love tea last year and going to be expire soon
can i still make tea even after the expiry. pls advise
Please write to the actual company!!!!