I am a coffee fanatic. With a busy schedule and life, you wouldn’t want to see me at 5am without a big mug full of caffeine. That being said, I also really love a cup of tea. There is something soothing about it and heaven is a place on earth while I sip that cup soaking in a hot tub. Doesn’t happen often, but when it does, I am at peace with the world.
Recently Julio & I had the chance to attend a #TetleyTeaParty at Trump International Hotel & Tower Toronto. During this immaculately executed event (follow the #TetleyTeaParty hashtag to see what I mean!), I was introduced to pairing tea with food. Having never experienced this to the level of wine pairings I am so adept in, I was pleasantly immersed in a whole new world. You could say I enjoyed steeping in the process of it all. Yes. I just did that.
With four flavours in the Tetley Signature Collection that we sampled, no matter what the occasion, Tetley Canada has a tea for you. Be it to soak in the tub after a long day or to enjoy with a beautiful meal, there is something for everyone. The Signature Collection takes tea to a new height with elegant blends and coy names. Take a peak at what we had the chance to enjoy and keep stocked in our pantry ever since!
Aside from the four tea blends, there is a new tea bag in town and it puts the rest of them to shame!
The new drawstring tea bag takes the mess out of steeping with it’s innovative design and simple 3 steps. It also helps to maximize the flavours from your tea bag being left in your tea cup and not in your tea bag. I don’t think I can go back to a regular tea bag now. You’ve got me hooked Tetley Canada!
“Tetley Signature Collection teas are the perfect combination of delicious premium blends, with no artificial flavour. These signature varieties are packed in our unique drawstring tea bag to allow you to squeeze out more flavour and remove the tea bag without any mess. Our high-quality signature blends were carefully crafted by our expert Tea Master, Mark Donovan.”
Speaking to the four Signature Collection flavours, let’s take a quick look at why you should be picking them up the next time you’re in the coffee & tea aisle.
Tetley Signature Collection High Tea
We had the opportunity to pair this tea with savoury ratatouille and assorted fresh scones. Savoury is the way to go if you decide to pair this tea with food because it brings out the subtleties of vanilla and floral flavours. Sipping it on its own, I could see myself enjoying a cup at the office during a stressful meeting to keep me calm and grounded. “The result is a delicious treat that you would serve at High Tea, but can now enjoy any time of day.” Of the four flavours, it was certainly the most elegant to enjoy. It is also, for the record, Amanda’s favourite flavour of the four and she is a tea aficionado!
Tetley Signature Collection Keep Calm & Sip On
Brilliantly blended flavours of camomile, spearmint & orange tea make the most unique of the four flavours available in the Signature Collection. I was hesitant at first, as many of you might be, by the combination of mint and citrus flavours. What I came to realize is that the delicate coolness from the mint plays off the warmth of the citrus in the most interesting of ways. If I had to pick one of the four flavours to pair with food, it would be this one, simply because each sip would be different depending on what I ate. We had the chance to enjoy it alongside curry chicken salad and lemon lavender cake. Both aromatic and bold, both with distinct flavours that were offset by a back and forth of cool and warm tea flavours mentioned above. As a Libra, I am always in search of the perfect balance and this tea came pretty darn close.
Tetley Signature Collection Mint to Be
Here’s a fun fact about me. Sipping mint tea always reminds me of my mom and relaxing on the couch with her snuggled under a blanket. It’s one of those sensory moments that brings me back to my childhood and fond memories with the woman who helped to make me the man I am today. It may sound cheesy, but that’s just hopeless romantic me. Combining the flavours of peppermint, spearmint & apple mint tea… it’s what I envision drinking relaxation would be like if you could distill the sensation into a liquid. Paired with cucumber sandwiches or triple chocolate cookies, the tea spoke in various ways. Alongside a refreshing light flavour, it rounded out on the tongue and created nothing less than a smile. With chocolate, it became a vibrant cup of crisp flavours. It truly was an amazing experience and one I recommend you play with at home when you pick up your favourite Signature Collection flavour. Mint to Be will be forever associated with my mom & I, and I somehow think it will bring back nostalgic memories of your very own.
Tetley Signature Collection Citrus Kiss
Finally, for the herbal tea lover out there, Citrus Kiss is the one for you. Combining flavours of green tea, lemon & grapefruit, the one word that keeps coming to mind is refreshing. I could see Catherine making a delicious recipe with this or telling me to rub my hair by the harvest moon with it… whatever those Holistic Nutritionists are doing these days. Pairing it with food, I would follow the #TetleyTeaParty rule of smoked salmon and flourless chocolate cake as some suggestions. Think of the citrus as a flavour that both cuts through others and also enhances them. Think of pairings, in my opinion, as opposites attract. Similar flavours may cancel each other out and leave you wanting something more.
At the end of the day, we all have our likes and dislikes but it’s nice to know that for those of you looking to try tea pairings, Tetley Canada has four incredible flavours for you to experiment with in their new Signature Collection. Or just to soak in the tub with too… don’t forget the tub.
To follow along in the fun with one of Canada’s favourite teas, make sure to ‘Like’ the Tetley Canada Facebook page and join in on the social media conversation with the #TetleyTeaParty hashtag.
For more behind the scenes of this and other amazing brands we are working with around the world, make sure to follow along with the #DoTheDaniel Instagram account!
Photos: Tetley Canada
Cheers!