Going Herbal…

It seems only fair to share some of my tea experiences with you on here, the highs and maybe even some lows. First up we’ve got Twinings Peppermint teabags.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, tea has been a big part of my life as far back as I can remember but it wasn’t until I got a bit older that I started to get more adventurous with my tea drinking. Peppermint tea is a firm favourite in my house, so when a box of Twinings Peppermint arrived in time for this years ‘detox’, I was pretty happy. So, if you’re a fan of peppermint or you’ve never tried peppermint tea or you just love tea please read on.

As far as my experience goes Twinings, thanks to Thomas Twining, have always been at the forefront of tea developments, particularly how we everyday folk approach our everyday cuppa. Supermarket aisles are now stocked to the brim with tea varieties but it wasn’t always the case and when I was growing up there was a selection of tea bag tea, and for weekends there was Twinings loose leaf tea in the special caddy out of reach. If you had to do a tea run in the office your list would have consisted of how many wanted it black or white and with or without sugar, it would not have been the unending list it can be today!  If I had known about and wanted to try a rose tea or even a green tea eyebrows may have been raised and I would probably have been redirected to a specialist tea shop. Gradually over the years though Twinings have added more and more blends, limited editions and stayed true to their reliable quality. So the very fact that we can simply pop into our local and pick up a box of anything from Lapsang Souchong tea bags to Jasmine Pearl green tea pyraminds and at a very reasonable price is at least in part thanks to Twinings.

So what did I make of their peppermint teabags? We’ll have to go back a bit first…

I first started drinking peppermint and herbal teas as a refreshing alternative to after dinner coffee and while these days I don’t consider peppermint tea adventurous as such, it felt it at the time and I continue to enjoy it. I drank huge quantities of tea and coffee to get me through those late nights (ok, and early mornings) at University desperately trying to prop my eyes open to get my work/revision done but then with my degree in hand I resolved to get off the caffeine wagon. I battled through my headaches and withdrawals largely by drinking caffeine free alternatives such as peppermint tea so, to me, it is a hero and a must have in the cupboard.

Peppermint is a familiar flavour to most, reminiscent of ice cream, chewing gum and well, toothpaste. Peppermint is also commonly associated with medicine being known for its soothing of all kinds of stomach problems and aiding digestion. My preference, when drinking a mint tea, is to use fresh leaves but that is not always the easiest or most convenient option and this is where Twinings come in. Their peppermint tea bags offer exactly what it says on the box, ‘intensely minty and deliciously invigorating’. As soon as you open the box you are hit with a strong but refreshing aroma of peppermint, it hints at a sweetness but is crisp and clean. This is no wishy, washy ‘tastes like water’ herbal tea, it is mint in a cup and I drink it hot or cold. It does have  a bit of a twang, I’m not sure what the technical tea drinking term is but I think it comes from this being a dried tea rather than the smoother taste you get with a fresh leaf or loose leaf tea but you get a nice green colour and the taste is fresh, stimulating your senses.  Once plonked into a tea cup or tea pot it should be brewed 2-3 minutes, I actually like to leave it a bit longer in the evenings. Like I said, this tea came just in time for my ‘detox’ which required me to cut down my caffeine intake but I can’t think of a time when this tea couldn’t be drunk or wouldn’t come in handy. It wakes me up in the morning and soothes me in the evening but really, like most  things, you just have to try it for yourself.

For more information about Twinings and their vast array of teas visit, www.twinings.co.uk.