Not just a shop, but a full on taste and scent experience (Whittards)

Member Name: thehonesttruth

Product:	Whittards
Date:	10/09/09 (24 review reads)
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I have an addiction . If I don't get my fix every day, I start to become irritable, snapping at anyone who comes near me . I start to shake, my eyes start to roll back in my head, and my head spins on my shoulders like that girl from the exorcist .

Well, maybe I am exaggerating , but I do have a bit of a tea addiction - I even have penpals with whom I swap teabags . It should therefore probably come as no surprise then that I'm a frequent visitor to my local branch of Whittards, located on Bridlesmith Gate, near to the Broadmarsh shopping centre .

Lets have a look in the window first shall we - here we see a colourful display of instant fruit teas, the artistic containers stylishly stacked, with several cups and mugs set around them. Its all very colourful and attractive, especially when you also see the sign in lovely big letters informing you you can get 3 for the price of 2.

But I don't have time to linger in the window, for the scent of rich strong coffee is beckoning me from within, along with another scent of subtly spiced fruit . It's making me pretty thirsty, which makes it pretty handy that they have some free sample going . One of a rich strong coffee called 'Monsoon Malabar' fron Southern India . I quickly culp down a little polystyrene cup full, and wince as it starts beating up my tastebuds . Its nice, but a little too intense for me . It's also very hot ... so I head with relief to the other free sample station, serving iced Cucumber and Mint instant tea .

Here, I pause with some hesitation . Cucumber and Mint ??!! In a drink ? Thats insane! Still, there's no denying that it's a steaming hot day, and my tongue is still throbbing from the heat of the coffee, so into the tiny polystyrene cup and down the hatch !

Actually, despite my reservations, its surprisingly good - dancing a little tap dance across my tastebuds is the cool, refreshing cucumber, followed shortly after by the invigorating mint flavour . Slipping a tub of this into my basket, I realise this is one of the products on the 3 for 2 offer . So, I spend a few minutes looking at all the other flavours, stacked in a colourful artistic arrangement - all of them begging me to put them into my little basket too . 'I'm rich and warming!' screams the Mulled Wine flavour, while Pina Colada promises to sweep me away to windswept tropical shores. All the flavours can be made hot or cold, and I spend a few minutes trying to get my head round the idea of a hot pina colada .

I eventually settle on adding an old friend, Dreamtime to my basket , along with English Fruits .

Happy that I now have three well chosen drinking companions, I saunter over the coffee section for a little browse . It's almost like being a library, shelves filled with little shiny bags of tempting dark brown beans of coffee, all of them launching an assault on my nostrils at once . While I like coffee, I don't drink it often , and sadly don't own a real coffee maker . Even though the beans look so tempting in their shiny little bags, I simply have no choice but to abandon them to a life on the shelves .

I do however see a small selection of instant coffees - including Stronger, Richer & Fuller Smooth Vanilla . Sounds a bit like the upgrade I'd like to make to my boyfriend, and vanilla is one of my favourites, so into the basket of beverage joy it goes!

By now, I've spent £14 pounds, £10 on the tea (5 pounds per tub on a 3 for 2 offer) and £4 on the coffee. I'm starting to think I should maybe call it a day, when my eye is caught by something bright and spotty. Nope, it's not some teenage boy working his saturday job (after all, most of the ones I know aren't too bright!) but a bright and colourful display of tea cups, mugs, tea pots, and little shiny teapot shaped tea strainers . I'm very tempted to pick up one of the tiny tea strainers, but I already have about four fighting for my attention in the drawer at home .

I decide to check out the non-instant tea section quickly before I pay, well aware that I have roughly 900 various teabags and about 6 boxes of differently flavoured green teas at home that my head tells me I probably should drink before buying any more . However, it's my heart that rules, and I pick up a pack of 40 House Assam Blend teabags for £2.50 - I love Assam tea - partly because of its strong full bodied flavour, and partly because the eight year old in me giggles at it having ass in the name .

Okay, £16.50 - I think perhaps time to call it a day on the shopping . I head to the till where the friendly dealer -Whoops, I mean till lady- is very happy to take my money, bag up my purchases and wish me a nice day . I think she's just happy because she gets a good choice of drinks on her break, but either way, she was lovely , polite and friendly. She ends our transaction with 'Thank you, see you again ' and I nod to myself as I inwardly aknowledge the strength of my addiction and the fact that she will, indeed, see me again very soon .

Overall, I love Whittards, and I enjoyed my visit today . But shopping is exhausting, and now I'm off to put my feet up with a lovely hot cup of tea.

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