Bird & Blend Tea Co.

Received a sample of this with my Bluebird order.

The dry smell is pleasant; very fruity & sweet. It steeps to a red, sangria-colored tisane with a somewhat floral aroma that smells (to me) like a strawberry pie filling. I can see hibiscus listed as the first ingredient (uh-oh), but since it smells so good, I’m hoping it won’t be an issue.

First sip… Yep, there’s the hibiscus. Maybe I’m sensitive to the flavor of hibiscus, but it’s really the only thing I can taste in this. Tart hibiscus with a slightly sweet aftertaste from the fruit. Disappointing, because all the other ingredients seem like something that I might like.

Oh well, I guess it’s just not the tisane for me.

Looks like I’m the first to review this tea. So, no pressure? :O

I wasn’t sure what temperature to steep this one because it has black and green teas, but I think the rule is that you steep at the lower temperature…

It smells mostly like cinnamon, but when you sip it the almond slides right it. And, oddly enough, I think I can actually taste the green tea in the blend too, which is amazing because I have a hard time noticing the bases under a lot of flavour. To me that is a sign that this blend has been balanced quite perfectly.

This doesn’t taste like it’s too strong either so it would be perfect for the afternoon or evening.

I’m not hugely into almond flavours, but this is very nice. I’d buy a sampler size of this!

Another sample!

I’m not getting cake in this – mostly rooibos with a bit of almond and some sweetness. It’s very tasty though, and the low caffeine level makes it a nice evening brew.

Additional notes: I forgot to count one of my packages of this for a sipdown the other day. ALSO, this was a much older sample and dare I say it had a ton more rhubarb flavor than even the fresh sample I’ve been drinking from lately? I had my suspicions when I first drank the new R+C, but this was sad to confirm upon finishing the old sample. So the older Rhubarb & Custard definitely had more flavor, if you’re considering the age of the tea. That is too bad. I LURVED the old blend.
2019 sipdowns: 52

Additional notes: I’m have some of this again thanks to KittyLovesTea! I’ve tried a cup of this before and I Love it. It tastes exactly as I remember it and my tasting note says it is a week away from being a year ago! It’s rhubarb and creamy sweetness and I will DEFINITELY be ordering this one from Bluebird when I eventually place an order. One of my favorite rooibos blends.

This is EXACTLY what I was imagining/hoping for! After a four minute steep, there is definitely a nice rhubarb flavor! Not too tangy, but definitely rhubarb. Then there is a lovely sweet creamy flavor to make the rhubarb taste even better. And the rooibos is a perfect background for a rhubarb flavor. It’s just a dreamy blend that reminds me of a strawberry rhubarb pie with whipped cream on top or something. Also, I had no idea stevia was in this one until I just saw it on the ingredients list, so I’m glad the stevia didn’t ruin it for me. I have yet to be disappointed in any of the teas from Bluebirdteaco.com that I’ve sampled. I could order them all!

Another free sample!

This one is an odd tea. It smells like perfume! Also, it kinda tastes like perfume! At least a little. Rose buds and jasmine seem like scents to wear, not taste, but when I get past that association, the licorice and cinnamon are quite nice. I’m not sure if this tea is for me, but it’s interesting. And I sipped my cup down faster than I realized.

I received my samples/order!

This green tea is enjoyable. It starts off apple-y, and finishes with a ton of cinnamon/spices. It’s very warming – I can see that this would be a great tea in the autumn. I don’t taste the pomegranates at all though.

And I agree with everyone – the packaging on these teas is adorable! I’m happy I bought a pack of Vicky’s Sponge Cake so I can look at more little bluebirds. I guess I won’t put that one in a tin – that’d be a shame!

286/365

Another revisit! It’s been a long time, with this one, and I don’t quite know why. I think probably the general funk I was experiencing a year or so ago probably had something to do with it. Fortunately, I’m confident that’s over now. My new job is turning out okay, and I feel a lot more positive about life in general.

That includes this tea, although I’ve always felt fairly positive about it if I’m honest. It’s a chocolate orange flavoured black tea, deliciously tangy, and definitely more orange than chocolate. The chocolate there is is lovely, though – smooth, milky, and a perfect counterpoint to the sharper orange. The orange is perhaps slightly artificial – there are moments when it reminds me of those fizzy vitamins – but that’s easy enough to overlook because the combination is a good one. It absolutely tastes like a Terry’s Chocolate Orange, so if you love those then you’ll probably love this. I’m glad to have this one back in my cupboard for a while.

I forgot about this one for a long time, maybe because I’ve only ever had one cup (which was a sample with a previous order). It’s part of their permanant collection, so I tend to overlook it when I’m placing an order – last time, though, I remembered! I still think it’s as good as I did when I first tried it – the first thing I can taste is creamy, milky chocolate, and that’s followed swiftly by a hit of tangy orange. It’s a pretty good match for it’s chocolate namesake!

The base here is ceylon, which possibly helps the citrus vibe. I’m drinking today’s cup without milk or sugar, and it makes for a smooth and complementary base. There’s a mild nuttiness in the aftertaste, but I suspect that’s a result of the combined ingredients, rather than the base tea alone.

Still scrummy! My original rating is unchanged.

This is one of the samples that came with my first Bluebird order. I’ve tried a good few chocolate teas now, but this is my first chocolate orange experience. It’s a combination I like in reality (Terry’s are a favourite of mine), so I’m interested to see how the tea version works out.

The dry leaves smell just like the chocolate bar. There’s the initial milky smoothness, and then the zesty zing of orange. I’m not 100% sure on the ingredients, but it looks like some kind of petal (maybe marigold?), pieces of orange and orange zest, something that looks like a hazelnut shaving, chocolate pieces, and maybe a small amount of hibiscus and rosehip, as well as black tea. All I know at this point is that if it tastes anything like it smells I’ll be too happy to care!

And it does, so I’m over the moon! The liquor, without milk, is a red-brown colour. With milk, it turns the colour of a latte or a mug of hot chocolate. The first thing I can taste is creamy, milky chocolate, followed swiftly by the slight tang of orange. It is just like drinking a bar of orange flavoured chocolate. Creamy, chocolatey, orangey. It sounds simple, and it is, but it’s so, so yummy and not at all artificial tasting. I’m really glad to have tried this one — thank you Bluebird!

I’m learning that I think I only like rhubarb when it’s paired with strawberries or something else and not by itself. Sometimes rhubarb can taste so sharp and like dirt. It reminds me a bit of taking a spoonful of plants and flowers in the garden. I saw this blend and knew I had to give it a try as I love custard and have been trying to find the perfect custardy tea blend. I’d actually love to find a plain custard rooibos tea, but back to this tea…

It has the same sweet and rather creamy rooibos tea base that Bluebird Tea uses. The rhubarb is very realistic, but doesn’t taste too much like a garden. The flavor is actually pretty light. I actually taste only two notes, the rooibos and the rhubarb. I’m not getting any custard or anything dessert-like beyond the sweetness from the rooibos. It’s very drinkable, but I would have loved custard and not just rhubarb. Thanks to Bluebird Tea!

Additional notes: Still loving this one, especially when early fall hits. Caramel. Apple. A deeper base than B&B’s usual Ceylon. It’s a B&B essential!

Additional notes: New batch from a recent Bluebird purchase! Egads, I am in love with this one on this chilly day. It’s just perfect. And I have to give Bluebird credit for their blends being very consistent over the years – this seems almost exact to past batches I’ve had over the years. The black tea seems like a darker brew than the Ceylon they use in other blends, so I love it just for that. The perfect briskness with a heaping teaspoon for a mug with sweet hints of caramel and apple. I’m very glad Bluebird sent me some of those free samples when they first started out.

Additional notes: Wow, the flavor in this one is still quite good and it isn’t very new either. Delicious. It’s a unique blend I haven’t really seen anything like.

Bluebirdteaco.com will be raising their prices soon, so I’m inquiring in the forums to see if anyone might me interested in a USA group order. To split teas/ shipping from the UK. Prices don’t change until orders after April 3, so there are few days left!

Additional notes: Sipping this one now. Still tastes amazing! A lovely toffee flavor with hints of red apple. Not as smokey as it should be, probably. The color of the cup is fittingly a caramel color. Cinnamon will pop up when I steep at a full boil later. One of my favorites from Bluebird. I just got an e-mail that they opened a new store! Wish it was in America so I could order more from them more often. :D

This one sounded lovely. I’m not sure where the bonfire of the name comes from, since I don’t taste any sort of smokey flavor. I’d call this caramel apple rather than toffee. It has a sweet apple flavor with caramel. The black tea base from Bluebird is interesting, since it isn’t a tough, strong flavored tea that masks the flavors, but it does taste different than most black teas. I don’t want to call it tangy or astringent, but it isn’t smooth or like a tea that resembles a black cup of coffee, if that makes sense. The second steep had more of that caramel apple flavor rather than the black tea… I’m not sure how that was possible! thanks for the sample, bluebirdteaco.com!

1 tablespoon for 248 ml

I can taste a mixture of the coconut and raspberry- but only very faintly. This blend reminds me of “Fantasy Island” by David’s Tea. The black tea base is a little too astringent. There may have been some spearmint contamination from my Nearly Nirvana sample sitting beside it.

Rating: 68

Still loving this, it’s a perfect comfort cup of tea!

Rubbish day at work, I was craving a cup of tea to cheer me up. This one does the job perfectly :)

Before my review for the actual tea, allow me to just sing the praises of Bluebird Tea Co’s fab customer service! I placed my order on Thursday evening & paid for 1st class delivery, so my parcel should have shipped on Friday. Friday afternoon I received an email from Mike, apologising & saying that unfortunately he was out of the office all weekend & there was no-one that could ship my order until Monday. As I had paid for first class postage, he offered a partial refund for postage & a discount off my next order. He even offered to drop my package off personally on Monday in case it was urgent (I live about half an hour’s drive from Bluebird)! I was more than happy to wait & my order arrived, as promised, today. Excellent service & no doubt my discount code will go to good use come payday!

Anyway, onto the tea… In the bag, this looks amazing. Super pretty! I steeped for 4 mins & the resulting tea smelt just like raspberry jam, or indeed, the inside of a Victoria sponge cake! The taste was a little light but creamy, & I could definitely detect the coconut note that other reviewers have mentioned. Towards the bottom of the cup, the raspberry gave the tea a little bitterness, but nothing too sharp. I might try this with sugar to see if it helps bring out the cake flavour some more. Yum!

1 tablespoon for 248 ml

Great flavour combination. The spearmint is the predominant flavour which balances well with the jasmine. The white tea gives the slightest pleasant astringent edge.

It’s easier to write this with a British accent right now as I’m currently watching Doctor Who.
You should definitely read this with that accent. I need to tell you that I am going to sprinkle British slang all throughout this tea note and you’re going to like it!

First of all, I like the name of this tea, it’s rather charming. (haha English people probably don’t even talk like that in real life but my knowledge comes from Downton Abbey, let’s be honest)

I was chuffed to bits to try this tea, I was hoping it would be ace.

Basically I try anything with the word “cake” in it.

Honestly this blend is quite brilliant, though I didn’t really get a cake taste out of it. There’s lots of raspberries, and some creamy coconut, but sadly, no cake. I steeped it for about 3-4 minutes and I am actually noticing a wee bit of bitterness, likely the tartness of the raspberries. I will add some sweetener on my resteep to see what happens,

I would have liked more of a cakiness to it, but I still right enjoyed it, it was jolly good but I wouldn’t quite call it the dog’s bollocks (wouldn’t want to call anything that, as a matter of fact!!) I’d rate this higher if it didn’t have the word cake in the name. But it was still delightful!

This review was brought to you on behalf of the British Stereotyping Society of Canada.
Right awful, it were! (the stereotyping, not the tea)

Ummm, thanks for the sample, Bluebird Tea Co :)

I’m having pizza toast for breakfast and made a great discovery!

Ankara Apple pairs awesome with pizza! The sage and spices taste really good against tomato and cheese. The apple sweet goes well with the sweet tomato of the pizza. Kinda weird, but makes sense. Ehh I’m weird.