Hot or iced tea?

So the weather is just gorgeous, but it is not so good being hot and sticky at work. I always take a big bottle of water with me to work, and often re-fill it at lunchtime. But I have still been having a cup of tea when I get home- for some reason having something other than water seems to be more refreshing when I have been having water all day. Saying that I have not been having as many cups as I usually do! Today we went to Wimpole Hall (a National Trust place)- had a lovely walk around the gardens, and went to the tearooms but would you believe it, both of us were too hot for a cup of tea!

instead we stopped in town on the way home (I had to get my glasses and sunglasses adjusted yet again) and shared an iced chai. Refreshing.

Last night I made up some mint tea to go in the fridge (all I do is cover a mint teabag with boiling water- maybe half a cup full, leave it for 10 minutes, then take out the teabag, pour the tea into a jug and top up with water)- that was so refreshing this morning. I had it alongside an acai bowl of sorts.

For two of us I whizzed up one frozen banana, some frozen blueberries and cherries, a small peach, acai powder and a little of the Rude Health almond drink. We had it with strawberries (from our allotment), blueberries and some granola. It melted very quickly this morning!

Anyway back to the tea. I was sent some different Earl Grey teas by Twinings, and I have been enjoying them hot and iced.

I love “normal” Earl Grey tea anyway, so I was very excited to try some new varieties. The Earl Grey with lavender is lovely- the lavender flavour is not too strong, and I found I had to leave it to brew for a little longer otherwise I couldn’t taste it really.

I love the pretty packaging too.

The orange blossom was much more subtle- I think the orange blossom just emphasised the bergamot, similar to having some lemon in there. I have some of this brewing for iced tea as I type, I might add a few lemon slices in there too as I think it will be perfect.

I was not such a fan of the jasmine, partly because of the green tea I think- this was black tea, jasmine green tea (15%) plus flavourings, although I do prefer this to “normal” green tea. It is quite nice iced as the jasmine flavour really comes through- it has a sort of perfumed but refreshing flavour.

The individually wrapped teabags means that it is a bit of a waste, but it also means I can put them in my bag for work, and I think they keep the flavour for longer too. Often at home at the weekend we make a big pot of tea, using loose tea, but you can’t beat a teabag for convenience!

Are you a fan of Earl Grey? Do you prefer teabags or loose tea? Have you tried iced tea? Do you drink warm drinks when the weather hots up?

*I was sent this tea and asked to write a review, but all opinions are my own