Get fruity with me! (Twinings Raspberry and Echinacea)

Member Name: SusanLesley

Product:	Twinings Raspberry and Echinacea
Date:	17/11/07 (83 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Tastes good, price is good, no calories

Disadvantages: I do still prefer ordinary tea!

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Some time ago I decided to try a new eating plan, which my sister Helen had recommended; this involved cutting out wheat, yeast, milk and all stimulants. I was trying to sort out my lack of energy and high blood sugar. It did actually work up to a point but it became too regimented for my lifestyle as a carer.

Anyway during that time I tried a few of the different herbal and fruit teas to get an idea of what I like and dislike and this is definitely on the list of ‘likes’. So this was another one that got added to the ever growing selection in the kitchen cupboard!

PRODUCT

The name of the product is Twinings Raspberry and Echinacea Flavour Teabags. The tea comes in oblong teabags to which a string is stapled with a tag on the other end. This makes them easy to remove from the cup after the boiling water has been added. They are available in boxes of 20 and are priced at round about £1. The tea is made from hibiscus, Echinacea, apple pieces, orange peel, blackberry leaves, licorice root, lemon peel, raspberry flavouring and raspberry pieces and as such is natural and caffeine free. With a line up like that it was always going to be pretty fruity wasn’t it? It is described as a ‘gentle yet reviving blend with a fruity twist’ and I have no reason to dispute this!

PACKAGING

The teabags come in a pink box with a picture of a raspberry and what I assume is Echinacea on the front. The box is wrapped in cellophane so that it is sealed and is tamper free. The side of the box features some information about the company, Twinings, giving details of their various addresses and explaining that the box is recyclable and made from renewable resources.

TO MAKE

Firstly remember you do NOT add milk to this tea, so it is also great for people who have to follow a milk free diet.
You just pop a teabag in a mug or a cup fill it with hot water, allow it to stand for a minute or two, until it is the strength you like, then remove the teabag and drink. As I said earlier removing the teabag is dead easy. You just take hold of the tag and dunk the teabag around in the water until the drink is strong enough for you then just lift it out and throw it away. The only thing you do have to remember is to hold the tag as you pour the boiling water into your mug or else you’re likely to get the teabag, string and tag all in the mug with the drink, which rather defeats the object! Remember with herbal teas you need to let the drink cool a bit first before you drink it as it will be very hot due to not having the cooling effect of cold milk as ordinary tea does. If I am thirsty, I just add a bit of cold water after I remove the teabag and then it’s ready to drink straight away. It doesn’t even matter of you forget it and it goes cold as it’s just as nice hot or cold. You can add a spoonful of honey if you like your drinks to taste sweeter but I find it’s great as it is.

COLOUR

The colour of this tea is a lovely shade of red; obviously the depth of the colour depends on how strong you like your drink and how long you leave the teabag in the mug.

SMELL

The smell is very fruity as you would imagine given the ingredients of the tea. I can certainly smell the raspberry but there is another strong smell associated with this drink and I can only assume it is the smell of Echinacea. This is something that I have never knowingly smelled so I can’t be sure but it seems to be a reasonable assumption!

TASTE

I always find taste quite difficult to put into words but I’ll have a go. As with the smell the raspberries are evident within a general fruitiness and there is another taste which I assume is Echinacea. Luckily any taste associated with the licorice element of the ingredients is masked by everything else. I say luckily because I can’t stand the taste of licorice!

EFFECT

I haven’t noticed any dramatic effect from drinking this particular tea but it is refreshing and certainly makes me feel as though I have a bit more get up and go. I usually feel as though it’s got up and gone these days!

Of course another great thing for me at least is that it has no calories – can’t be bad eh?

SO WHERE DO YOU BUY IT THEN?

I get mine from Holland & Barrett, the health food shop in town, where they stock quite a good selection of herbal infusions. They can also be purchased from the supermarket; Tesco’s and Sainsbury’s both do quite a good range of these teas. They are also available by mail order from various internet companies, so they’re very easy to get hold of and so reasonably priced too, what more do you want?

Summary: A good fruity tea at a good price