Kimberley's Kyusu

Hey there Teacups! I know I don’t normally post on Sundays but I’ve had a hell of a week pain wise, I’ve not been able to work on anything blog wise as I’m sure you have all probably noticed and I really wanted to try and get this review out as soon as I could and before a new week of posts started. I was very kindly gifted the November box from The Rose & Dragon Tea Subscription, a tea company founded by Gabrielle with the aim of pairing tea with mindfulness in a simple and easily accessible way. That’s why all Rose & Dragon teas come with a mindfulness card that can be applied to everyday life, and every box has a simple follow at home teatation! – You can find out more about the Rise & Dragon Story Here

Tea & Tisane Tasting Notes

Earl Grey Crème – A classic Earl Grey with creamy vanilla notes and a mid strength bergamot note. Naturally a touch sweet, better without milk and honey. No astringency or bitterness, very relaxing to drink. Tried both with and without honey and preferred without honey. Didn’t add in milk because it was subtler than I thought it would be and I think milk would throw it off balance. You could add more milk or steep it for longer to up the strength but I preferred it as a subtler cup to be honest.

Toffee Apple – I tried this both with and without honey. I enjoyed it more with honey as it brought the apple out a bit more. It was pleasant on its own but I felt like that touch of sweetness gave it that indulgent feel you would expect from a Toffee Apple. I really enjoyed the Rooibos as it didn’t have the overly medicinal note it like some Rooibos does. The roasted dandelion root added a subtle roasted note to it and the orange blossom adds a nice subtle citrus which was surprising but a nice touch and rounded the blend off well.

Shinrin Yoku – This is by far my favourite blend from the box. Between the green tea and the Hojicha used in this, the green tea is definitely the most prominent, but the Hojicha provides a nice roasted underpinning and pairs really well with the roasted nice which also provides a nice subtle nutty note. The almond and hazelnut are incredibly prominent but you can definitely pick them both out individually and they amplify the natural nuttiness provided by the toasted rice. I had this both with and without honey and I think I prefer it with just a smidge of honey. Half a teaspoon of honey seemed the bring the almond and the hazelnut out a little more which was fantastic and it took away the slight astringency that the green tea was bringing to the cup. I enjoyed it without the honey as well though and could easily drink it both ways.

Overall I really enjoyed what was in my first box from The Rose & Dragon Tea Company. Two of the blends I knew I was going to love going into this testing session, but didn’t expect to enjoy both just as much as I did, and the fact they were able to create a rooibos base blend I enjoyed as well is fantastic. This is the first flavoured tea subscription box I’ve had in a while in which I have enjoyed each and every blend within it. It definitely made a fantastic first impression on behalf of the Rose & Dragon Tea Company and I’ll definitely be adding this box to the list of subscription I would like to sign up to in the future when I lift my tea buying ban and have sipped my way through the tea I already have. If you are looking for a brand new subscription to try out this year and flavoured teas and tisanes are your jam I highly recommend giving Rose & Dragon Tea a try, you are sure to be very pleased with what you receive.

Overall Teacup Rating: 5/5

If you want to find out more about The Rose & Dragon Tea Co and subscribe to their service, you can do both here. As always if you have any questions at all either stick them in the comments or send them to me in Twitter / Instagram @teaisawishblog and I’ll do my best to answer them all as soon as I can.

Speak to you all again soon. Happy Steeping – Kimberley

*The tea subscription featured in this post was gifted to me for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own and have not been paid for*