Whether it be one lump or two, a splash of milk or a twist of lemon, there are many ways that people enjoy a cup of tea. I was recently sent some tea to try by
Capacitea, a London based company who offer a wide range of organic Chinese teabags and loose leaf teas which are sourced directly from tea plantations using only whole leaves and traditional methods of preparation to create a premium quality tea for you to enjoy.
As well as a fine array of tea they have a great selection of modern Chinese tea ware and gift sets, which are ideal presents for those tea lovers in your life.
Want to save 30% on your tea order? Use discount code "boost" at checkout!
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Capacitea - Dainty Maidens, Black Tea and Oriental Timelapse |
Now, I will be the first to admit, I’m not a huge tea drinker so this most certainly was going to be an interesting experience for me!
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Capacitea Chinese Black Tea |
The first taster was of the
Chinese Black Tea. The tea was nicely packaged in a classic Chinese red coloured box with a nice fan shaped cutaway through which you could see the silken pyramids containing the tea leaves. The tea itself hails from the Yunnan province of China and more information concerning the providence of the area is detailed on the box along with the brewing instructions, which are simple and easy to follow.
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Capacitea Chinese Black Tea Silk Pyramid Bags |
Having boiled my water to the desired temperature, placed my pyramid within my lovely glass tea cup which I had purchased especially for the occasion, I poured on the water and waited a couple of minutes for the tea to steep, then came the moment of truth.
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Capacitea Chinese Black Tea |
The tea itself had a good colour to it, clear, no floaters or bits having come through the pyramid, always a good start. Now the packaging referred to the tea as having fruity, caramel and malty flavours which are balanced out with a light tannic finish. I am clearly not a tea connoisseur but even I could smell and taste a touch of caramel and malt, the tea was light and refreshing with a good aroma.
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Capacitea Chinese Black Tea |
Could this replace my morning cup of coffee? You know what, I think it could! Again, I don’t really drink tea but I think I could be onto a winner here. Don’t be in a hurry to throw away your pyramid as it can be used several times as can the Blooming tea which I was also to sample next.
I had been sent two types of Blooming tea to try,
Oriental Timelapse, a mix of amaranth, marigold flower and tender green tea buds and
Dainty Maidens which contained a mix of jasmine, chrysanthemum and green tea, all of which are skilfully woven together into a ball shaped bloom by experienced Chinese tea masters. The blooms were contained within a slender re-sealable foil type pouch, classic Chinese red on the front with a photograph showing the tea bloom and white on the back of the pouch where the brewing instructions were clearly detailed. The pouches alone looked quite sophisticated so I was pretty eager to check these out.
Now to appreciate the enjoyment of the flowering teas, Capacitea recommend using one of their 500m glass mugs, thankfully they sent me one which is handy as I don’t think my glass tea cup would have shown the tea to full affect! Having boiled the water to the recommended temperature I allowed the Oriental Timelapse blooms to infuse for the required 4 minutes.
I had initially thought the blooms would sit at the bottom of the mug but they float, as they slowly unfurl they sink to the bottom of the mug. Now who would have thought sitting staring at a cup of tea for 4 minutes could be so entertaining, they really were stunning and impressive to watch as the beauty of the flowers was revealed with each passing moment. I’m not sure if it was coincidental but the Oriental Timelapse bloom took exactly 4 minutes to reach the bottom of the mug!
The Oriental Timelapse has a delicate scent which precedes a light plum taste which is completed with a touch of chrysanthemum, well, that’s what it said on the pouch. I found it to have quite a strong aroma, much stronger than the black tea and also earthy, however the flavour itself was very light but got stronger as you neared the bottom of the mug, not having tried chrysanthemum before I couldn’t say whether the taste reflected that but it was pleasant enough.
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Capacitea Blooming Tea - Dainty Maidens |
The Dainty Maiden packaging refers to a delicate jasmine scent and again a light plum taste completed with a touch of chrysanthemum. Of the two Blooming teas I found this the more refreshing and I could actually smell and taste a hint of jasmine (thankfully something I have come across before!). It had a stronger flavour in comparison to the Oriental Timelapse and was my preferred tea out of the two.
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Capacitea Blooming Tea - Dainty Maidens |
The Blooming Tea is certainly a sight to behold and most definitely one of those teas you whip out when you have company, who wouldn’t fail to be wowed by such a beautiful looking mug of tea! In addition, even though the tea is brewing for 4 minutes, it doesn't develop that bitter taste that so many green teas can if left to steep - testament to the quality teas used.
On the whole, very impressed by the quality and flavour of the teas, my personal favourite however being the black tea, so light and refreshing, and given that the Chinese have been producing black tea for centuries, I think they have perfected the art by now.
If you are a lover of tea, be it black, green, white, yellow, Oolong, Dark, flowering, loose leaf or pyramid bag then
Capacitea will have something to suit as well as some lovely items of tea ware. Even if you are not a tea lover the chances are you know someone who is follow my link below and treat yourself or make an early start on the Christmas shopping.
Want to save 30% on your tea order? Use discount code "boost" at checkout!