Being quite an adventurous herb tea drinker I have tried most of them over the years. Some are my absolute favourites such as Summerdown Mint Tea, a beautiful tea made from an old variety of mint, and Sunny Camomile, a Lipton's tea with a lovely box and a delicious flavour. Others have ended up in the bin in record time, such as many of the elderflower teas, which you would expect to be lovely, but are often like drinking old socks.

So when I saw Clipper had brought out a tea made from nettles and lemons I had to try it! Part of the reason for this is due to of my daughters, as she is an eco warrior in spirit, and as a student on a tight budget she often using nettles from the hedgerows to make pesto and soup!

Clipper are a company devoted to sourcing fair-trade and high quality ingredients and they say "All our organic products are grown in a way that preserves the natural balance of the environment and will help sustain people, wildlife and the land for the future". This outlook really pleases me and so buying this tea really is a pleasure.

Clipper had been going now for 25 years and was started by Mike and Lorraine Brehe, who marketed two chests of tea from a single Assam tea estate. The success of this was to be the bedrock of the company who have blossomed from those early days into an brilliant organization, which I think is operating with all the right ethical considerations. With a market which is swapped with competition Clipper have remained loyal to their beliefs and to their customers, refusing to put profit ahead of sustainability.

Clipper Nettle and Lemon Tea is one of their infusions range and I purchased mine from Goodness Direct at www.goodnessdirect.co.uk, but the tea is also available in health food stores. I paid £1.19 for 20 bags, which is excellent value for an organic fair-trade product.

The box is a subtle affair in a buff shade with a black cup and saucer in which a lemon and nettle leaves are depicted hovering over a cup of the tea. It also tells me the bags are unbleached.

The bags are not wrapped in any paper at all and this is of course in line with their ethics, and certainly there are no strings on them either to end up in land fills.

The only ingredients in this drink are nettles, natural lemon, and lemon peel and all the ingredients are organic.

To make the drink you simply use freshly boiled water and allow to infuse for 2 to 5 minutes before consuming.

To enjoy you have to abandon any preconceived ideas about nettles and think of this as a drink inspired by nature! I actually love it, it has a grassy flavour with a lovely clean lemon scent, and is thirst quenching and really lovely. It cleanses the palate and I think it is especially good if you have a sore throat or a head cold. To me it tastes like drinking new mown grass!

Now according to Gillian Mckeith nettles are great weight loss aids as they support metabolism, and also have diuretic properties, that is they encourage the body to get rid of excess water. Also according to Gillian nettles are loaded with minerals and iron, and are great for cleansing and may help with hay fever. Now I have never noticed any of these claims, but if they are true this could be a good reason to have the odd cup, but only if you like it!

If you like this one there is also "Plain Nettle" and "Peppermint with Nettle" to try in the range.

The cardboard package is completely recyclable and so you leave nothing behind, and it isn't covered with plastic as many herb teas are.

I rather like this drink, it is a bit weird I have to admit, but it's refreshing and different, and certainly one to look out for.

I noticed recently when on the motorway going up to Scotland that they were selling Clipper teas in The Tebay Service Area there, and more recently I have seen them in many tea rooms and farm shops. Some of the more unusual flavours such as this may be difficult to find, but are well worth tracking down!
They are cheap so no sting in the tale either!

If you have a look on their website you can sign up to become a tea taster, and this will let you enjoy a free sample of their teas in return for some feedback from time to time on new products they may be launching.


www.clipper-teas.com