Getting Cosy With Cosy Tea

Fresh off the back of the Byron Bay Cookies trial, I was thrilled when I was given the chance to test out the new teas available in the Cosy Tea range. Beautifully packaged with its knitting-themed, bright modern colours and in a range of flavours, I couldn't wait to crack open the first box and get the kettle on. Here's a rundown of the different teas that I got to try:

Rooibos and Vanilla:  I tried Rooibos (Tick Tock) tea before and I didn't like it. The flavour was different to my usual cuppa and somehow I couldn't get on with it. So it was with a sense of nervous anticipation that I tried this tea. Firstly, the aroma that wafted up from the cup as soon as I poured the hot water in was terrific. It was sweet, homely and sensual - vanilla. It complements the tea really well, and I am now a Rooibos convert. I first made it as the box suggested - with a splash of milk - but it's also delicious without milk. We all loved it - my hubby has sugar in his tea and he didn't need any in this, it was already sweet and aromatic. Rooibos & Vanilla got the thumbs up from us.

Blueberry and Echinacea:  Dark purple in colour, fruity and with immune-boosting echinacea, this is the tea for the cold and flu season. Blueberries are already high in antioxidants and the echinacea gives that a boost. This tea is full of fruity flavour but might be a bit tart for some so you might need a swirl of honey or a teaspoon of sugar.

Peppermint:  This tea is minty, refreshing and is a great afternoon pick me up. It has more of a sweet mint flavour rather than a full-on overpowering mint taste you sometimes get with other peppermint teas. Peppermint is considered good for the digestion, too.

Jasmine Green Tea:  I love Jasmine Green Tea - and especially this one. You can taste the delicate, floral Jasmine. I like this made so it's quite strong - after having brewed in the cup for around 4 minutes.

Lemon Green Tea:  I'm not really one for citrussy tastes in my tea - I don't go in for black tea with lemon and all that jazz - so I was pleasantly surprised by this tea. The lemon flavour is very subtle, making this tasty green tea just that little bit more refreshing to drink.

Camomile:   Famed for its relaxing and sleep-inducing qualities, camomile tea is a firm favourite in our house with two young children and both of us with busy jobs. Cosy Tea stated on the packaging that this camomile tea contains liquorice - but the liquorice flavour is so subtle you can't really taste it in my opinion without knowing it was there and looking for it. But a delicious, calming cuppa it is.

What I Love About Cosy Tea

While tasting each of these teas, I was looking for downsides to it, to give a balanced review - but even the subtlety of some of the added ingredients worked in its favour. Other things you might not know about Cosy Tea include:

• It's certified organic, and the black teas are also Fairtrade.  
• The tea bags are brown, and undyed - no nasty bleached paper wallowing in my cup thank you.
• You can get a little display/holder on the website to hold the tea boxes - perfect for an office, café, or staff canteen. With its retro design it wouldn't look out of place in my kitchen, to be honest.
• As you may imagine by their packaging, Cosy Tea are also pro-knitting - on their website they have links you can follow to knit your own tea cosy - if you send in a pic of your creation, they might feature it on their Facebook page!

 See the Cosy Tea website for more information on Cosy Tea and their range.