Tea Heroes 2012 – the results!

A few weeks ago we asked you to help us choose the Tea Heroes of 2012! First of all, we want to thank you all for your responses. We’ve already contacted the winner of a Tea Discovery tea taster set, so congratulations! Now it’s time to share the results! Hopefully this will help you discover a new tea -or maybe confirm that you were right about your favourites!

OPULENT BLACK ………………….. Spice Chai (32.4%)

Beating Bristol Brew by just one vote, the invigorating and comforting Spice Chai gets to the top of your trusted black teas!

INTRIGUING OOLONG …………… Orchid (36.1%)

This oolong is so stunning that even thieves love it! Our whole consignment of Orchid was stolen and we’re currently trying to source an alternative! True story. Too much Orchid love.

GALVANISING GREEN …………. Matcha (28.6%)

The mighty Matcha gets your vote, followed closely by Green Jasmine. Once you try Matcha there’s no turning back!

ALLURING WHITE …………….. White Peony (30.6%)

This seemed to be a difficult choice! White Peony, Snow Jewel and White Whisper got nearly the same number of votes.

HERBAL THERAPY…………….. Peppermint (28.6%)

The trusted English favourite beats the exotic Mulberry by just one vote!

 

Do you agree with the results?

Magical Midsummer herbs

It’s the longest day of the year and it’s been celebrated all over the world for thousands of years. Midsummer (on the 21st of June) is the celebration of summer solstice, and for many years it was believed that picking midsummer plants on the night of the 20th would increase their healing powers. It was a night of bonfires too, as the fire was supposed to protect against the evil spirits that could wander freely on the solstice. Some of our favourite plants and herbs are typical midsummer herbs. They can be picked for several purposes: essential oils, perfume, cooking… and of course herbal teas! This is a list of our favourite midsummer plants and some tips to use them well. If you fancy celebrating midsummer in the traditional way, pick these gorgeous herbs once the sun is set. (Dancing around the bonfire optional!)

1) Lavender:

Beautifully coloured and with a soothing scent, lavender is a herb to treasure! Try popping some flowers in a glass of champagne. They’re also great in many sweet or savoury recipes.

Pick the flower heads when they’re looking their best. Picking them at night is ideal, as heat weakens their scent. Keep them on their stalks, tie them up in little bunches and hang them upside down in a dark, dry and well ventilated spot, for about two weeks. Then you can use the dry flowers to put in small cotton bags to perfume your wardrobe, or place a little lavender sachet under your pillow to help you unwind. We also love these bunches that we spotted on Pinterest!

2) Lemon Verbena:

We love the fresh, heady aroma of this versatile cupboard essential. Great for aiding digestion and easing stomach ache, it makes a fabulous tea and an amazing herbal lemonade. If you have a lemon verbena plant, pick the younger, tender leaves early in the morning, before it’s too hot. Add some dry leaves to your boiled rice for a lemony taste. You can also preserve it with sugar and use it in desserts.

3) Chamomile:

With a sweet, earthy taste and many health properties (though not recommended during pregnancy), chamomile tea is a pantry essential. To make your own, pick only whole flowers, no stems or leaves. Wash them, shaking any excess water, and let them dry. You can also bake them in the oven for a few hours at a very low heat. Store your chamomile in a tin and infuse it to enjoy its soothing properties. It works well with lemonbalm or with a hint of lavender (like our own Calming Chamomile). Great for calming your skin when applied externally: simply dip a cotton pad in cold chamomile tea.

4) Elderflower: 

These sweet scented flowers have diuretic properties, and have been used to treat colds and sinus infections. Pick the flowers on a sunny day and use them to make desserts, cordial or tea (2-4 flowers infused for around 10 minutes)

Chamomile and elderflower jelly

The humble chamomile, with its sweet scent and floral flavour, has always been valued for its health properties: Egyptians used it against fever and ancient Greeks treated headaches and bladder and liver disorders with it. Our Calming Chamomile is a blend of these bright little flowers with a hint of fragrant lavender,  a soothing herbal infusion perfect in the evening or when you need to relax in the cleanest purest way… But its natural, earthy flavour can be enjoyed in other forms too!

For this simple but stunning recipe, we added elderflowers (another seasonal favourite here at Lahloo!) and English strawberries to Calming Chamomile. A lovely, summery dessert that sparkles under the sunshine like a gemstone.

Sunshine jelly! 

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp Lahloo Calming Chamomile
• 2 heads of elderflower
• 270ml water
• 2.5tbsp caster sugar
• 2 gelatine leaves

Place 1 tsp of Calming Chamomile and two heads of elderflower in boiling water. Cover with clingfilm and let them infuse for an hour.
Bring back to the boil and add some caster sugar, mixing well.
Meanwhile, soak 2 gelatine leaves in water. When it gets spongy, squeeze excess of water and place in a separate bowl. Strain over the hot liquid and whisk together.
Allow to cool to room temperature and pour into little glasses.
Cover them with cling film and refrigerate overnight.

Our tip: for a fruity twist, add some finely chopped strawberries!

Alphonso mango and raspberry tarts with lemon verbena syrup

 

Once of the reasons why we love this month’s tea hero Lemon Verbena is that it’s so versatile. Renowned for having the purest citrus flavour of all herbs, it’s a great ingredient in cakes and desserts.

We discovered this fruit tart recipe online and Lahloo Pantry chef Laura thought it’d be great with ripe, sweet, juicy Alphonso mangoes, in season now. A lovely, light and fruity treat with the sweetness of the mangoes and the slight tanginess of raspberries and lemon verbena.

For the pastry: 

• 240g white flour
• a pinch of caster sugar
• 150g butter
• a pinch of salt
• 4tbsp cold water
• 1 beaten egg yolk and a pinch of sugar

For the filling: 

• 3 ripe Alphonso mangoes (sliced)
• a cup of raspberries
• 1tbsp Lahloo Lemon Verbena
• 30g sugar
• 100ml water

Combine flour, salt and sugar in a bowl. Add the softened butter in small cubes, and mix. Add the water slowly. The dough should be a bit crumbly, but it shouldn’t separate. Add more water if necessary. Cover with cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

In a saucepan, heat water and sugar and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add the lemon verbena. Let it infuse .

Divide the dough into four. Using a rolling pin, roll each ball between two sheets of parchment paper. When the dough is spread, peel off the top paper.

Place the sliced mangoes and a few raspberries on each pastry. Fold up the edges of the pastry and pour the lemon verbena syrup over the top of the fruit. Paint the pastry with the beaten egg and sugar.

Bake for 30 minutes at 200C until the edges are golden and the berries are cooked. Cool on a wire rack. They’re best eaten warm with a dollop of vanilla ice cream!

Relax, unwind and indulge your senses in style at Cowley Manor in the heart of the English countryside!

Over the past 2 weeks I’ve been taking Vicky, our new ‘tea apprentice’, on a tour around some of our customers. It’s been great fun but also really wonderful to take stock of some of the amazing people and places we supply with Lahloo Tea. One of these very special places is Cowley Manor in the heart of the Cotswolds near Cheltenham.

A few months ago we started working with the team at the incredible luxury hotel spa. Cowley Manor is a contemporary chic country house hotel set in the idyllic British countryside. With an emphasis on comfort, service and very few rules, Cowley Manor is the perfect place to relax, unwind and indulge your senses. The hotel oozes simple luxury and everywhere you look there is a another special place to daydream.

Not only do they now serve a fabulous cup of tea in the hotel, but they do so in style. You wouldn’t expect anything else from the team at Cowley Manor though; they use the Lahloo Tovolo Tea infuser. A unique, simple yet stylish way to enjoy loose leaf tea-cup by cup, at work or on holiday.

Then there is their fabulous C.side Spa! The C.side Spa uses only the most natural of products during each experience and their own in-house Green & Spring product range. Its such a stunning setting with a beautiful range of products it was a pleasure to be invited to create three specific blends. Each had to be in keeping with Cowley Manor’s ethos of relax, unwind and indulge the senses with natural ingredients taken from the British countryside used throughout the Green & Spring range.

The 3 teas Kate created – Bliss (a blissful, indulgent blend of Green Jasmine and Rosebuds), Revive (a reviving blend of Japanese green tea, fennel and peppermint) and Unwind (an utterly relaxing blend of Chamomile Flowers and Lavender) – are delicious as well as therapeutic. Whatever your mood or feeling, these teas complete the Cowley Manor experience. And they have been hugely successful with guests at the hotel, spa and village shop.

This place is the perfect place to getaway from it all. They even have wellies you can borrow!

To discover a very special place nestling in the Cotswold countryside and to book a luxury getaway, visit http://www.cowleymanor.com or to visit their Paris ad Amsterdam hotels visit http://www.curioushotels.com

To buy Green & Spring products visit http://www.greenandspring.com or to follow them on twitter hunt our @greenandspring

To find countryside seasonal inspired recipes like Lemon & Thyme Shortbread click here

So, what are your tea drinking habits?

Back in February we asked you to tell us more about your tea habits. You were all very lovely, so thank you for taking part. Your Lahloo Tea online shop voucher will be with you shortly (if you completed the survey but didn’t receive the voucher, please let us know).  We found the results really intriguing and we’ve listed a selection of them here. If you missed out on this one, see how your own tea habit compares?  Happy reading!

Which tea makes you jump for joy?

Why do you drink tea?

How you’re feeling definitely helps you to choose the tea you fancy. Tea is so good for the senses!

How do you choose which tea to drink?

Your perfect cup of tea would be…?

What’s your favourite tea cup?

We love that the quality and provenance are what make the difference when you buy tea.

What entices you to buy tea?

Where do you partake in your Lahloo tea habit?

Is your tea habit a…?

Your responses to this question are my favourites:

C.S. Lewis loves tea and a good book. What’s you perfect partner for tea?
Tea and….

a chocolate finger… or three
a cigar
a crossword
a cuddle
a girl to share it with
a great film
a purring cat.
BBC 6music
biscuits
biscuits or cakes!
bone china cup
breakfast news or newspaper & especially when reading a book
chocolate hobnobs, cake, digestives… or just tea 🙂
computer
conversation
dark (70% plus) spicy chocolate with black tea
freshly baked scones
friends when I have them, work most of the time
good company!
home made lemon cake
homemade lemon curd on hot buttered toast!
honey
hot bath
Leonard Cohen
my cat (she knows how to walk around the cup)
my husband, homemade vegan cupcake (matcha ones!)
peace and quiet
solitude or good company!
Tatester
toast!
tunes
Twitter
warmth

Lahloo giveaway, simply tell us about your tea habit

We’ve just sent out our latest newsletter and we’re after your help.

For Bristol-based illustrator, Hannah Broadway (left), tea and a good book go hand-in-hand – “You never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me“ (C.S. Lewis). So true!

We’d love to know more about your tea habits, so we’ve devised a little survey to help. If you have 2 minutes to spare over a cup of tea, simply click below. As we’re really nice peeps, we’ll give the first 50 of you £5.00 off you next tea order to say Thank you!

Click here to complete our mini survey

Take a leaf out of this lady’s book!

Perhaps the USA isn’t best known for its consumption of tea, but we have caught up with one American woman who has truly embraced the tea world in all its loose leaf glory. Her name is Meagan Lopez, or as others have grown to know her, The Lady Who Lunches. As the snow is finally beginning to melt, we ask her what has drawn her to welcome with open arms a typically English tradition such as tea drinking into her sphere, and why she is of the opinion that tea is bigger than ever in the states.

We begin the interview sipping a newly infused Snow Jewel silver needle white tea in the Arch House Deli in Clifton Village, and we get to chatting…

The Lady who Lunches!

When were you first introduced to tea?

Although coffee was the predominant drink of my adolescence, when I moved to California for University I found that coffee just wasn’t cutting it any more. Not only did it give me the worst breath known to man, it also left me with throbbing headaches and stomach pains. I needed something to keep me awake to study but without the bad effects. Plus, Californians are very healthy people in general, and I was quickly brought up to date with the benefits of drinking herbal teas, green teas and white teas. I started introducing it into my lifestyle pretty much immediately.

What is it about tea that has kept you a fan after all this time?

Honestly, there’s nothing better. As a woman, there are more benefits to drinking tea than we have time for me to explain. I find that I feel more energized after drinking tea. If I want to diet, green tea serves as a great appetite suppressant. If something I’ve eaten isn’t processed well, peppermint tea is the most amazing digestive. It’s soothing, healing and brings me back to life after a big night out. Plus, black tea has just enough caffeine to give you that lift.

The thing I’ve been the most impressed with since finding Lahloo are how natural and vibrant the ingredients you use are. I mean, to be able to look at the tea mixture and pick out the actual leaves, the chamomile flowers, the cinnamon sticks in the Chai tea. It amazes me. This may sound completely ignorant, but I don’t think I really realized that tea came from actual leaves until I was introduced to you guys. Ridiculous, right?

Thanks Meagan. Watch this space, we’ll be delving into more tea journeys…