Gloucestershire is a long way from Yorkshire which could be why I’d never heard of Taylor’s tea before. I have my friend Jennie to thank for the wonderful discovery of Taylors Sweet Rhubarb tea when we caught up recently.
We nattered for so long my tea was cold by the time I finished it. I could easily have mistaken it for a delicious rhubarb cordial if I’d not seen Jennie boil the kettle to make it.
A quick visit to the Taylors Tea website reveals their herbal infusions are created in partnership with the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew and use only natural ingredients and no added sugar. The tangy sweet flavour of the natural rhubarb in this blend is partnered with refreshingly sharp apple and the peppy zing of blackberry leaf.
Inspired by cold tea and a preference for giving E herbal teas instead of juice or squash I decided to make Sweet Rhubarb ice cubes. One teabag in a mug of tea left to stew and cool easily filled two small ice cube trays. We simply covered our ice cubes with water the first time before experimenting with sparkling water to create a home made version of our favourite thirst quenching bubbly drink.
We also sampled Spiced Apple tea from the new herbal tea range. The lusciously fruity apple pieces blended with aromatic star anise, punchy ginger root and the warming sweetness of cardamom and cinnamon was evocative of the sweet smell of Chai tea. It’s become a firm favourite as a caffeine free alternative – I love the Chai like spice blend but dislike the black tea used in other blends (don’t tell anyone but I still sometimes add a drop of milk to this fruit blend!). 
Finally we tried Green Tea with Strawberry and Vanilla. I’m not a fan of green teas but drink them in a medicinal kind of way on the two days I’m at work (ie. I hear they’re good for you but I can only tolerate the blends that have had some fruit thrown at them). Taylors Tea Green Tea has a distinctly fresh and natural strawberry flavour and smells delightful. Sadly for my palatte it’s still a little too green to buy it again. Nevertheless it’s not going to waste – I’m still making a medicinal morning green tea by pairing it with one of my other fruit blends or mixing some cocoa powder into it!
Disclosure: Taylors Tea sent me 3 tea blends to try. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are my own.
Love your ice cube idea 🙂 If we ever get anything resembling a hot summer again I might make some for Daisy – she is a tea addict and demands the last teaspoon from the bottom of my mug if she sees me drinking tea. We used to give Ollie regular ice-cubes to crunch when it was hot but so far Madam has not been so keen.