Author: Michelle

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Spice Boutique’s Unbleached Self Fill Tea Bags

Unbleached Self Fill Tea Bags by Spice Boutique
Paper, Cotton Drawstring
£3.95 for 50 Bags

Spice Boutique has provided me with Unbleached Self Fill Tea Bags for the purposes of providing an honest review.

First Impressions

I was contacted by Spice Boutique to see if I wanted to try out their Unbleached Self Fill Tea Bags and, of course, I said yes. Spice Boutique offers a range of sizes of bags (one cup, one pot, or extra large) in a variety of materials (either unbleached or bleached paper bags, or bags made out of corn fibre). The ones that I was sent are the unbleached paper variety.

What I learned while browsing the Spice Boutique website is that these bags contain zero plastic, are made of an unbleached paper, and have a 100% cotton drawstring. These bags are also 100% biodegradable and can be composted in your own bin (so no heat is required). And if you’re from the UK and looking to shop relatively local, these tea bags are produced in Scotland. I’m always on the lookout for some new tea products to try out, which is why I wanted to give these ones a go. It has a soft feel to the outside, they were easy to fill. The string isn’t knotted, so you do have 2 ends to the drawstring. It does allow for some flexibility in terms of either tying it around the cup handle or teapot handle.

First Use

The Unbleached Self Fill Tea Bags opened easily and have a wide enough opening to accommodate my largest tea spoon, which was great when I was filling it. I poured a spoonful of loose leaf tea into the bag and then pulled the drawstrings to cinch it tight. Because I was in the process of testing it, I didn’t knot the string around the opening or knot the two ends together.

The bags aren’t very large, but they had enough room for the tea leaves to open and expand. I’d imagine that you would run into issues with a more expansive tea – like a blooming/flowering tea or oolong tea. Those would definitely require a bit more space, but for the tea I was using (Earl Grey), there was plenty of space.

I didn’t test if the bag would biodegrade. I fill in a city that collects green waste on a weekly basis, so I don’t have my own composting bin.

My Overall Impression

I loved Spice Boutique’s Unbleached Self Fill Tea Bags. Overall, I found that they did a great job. After cinching the bag tight, the string did not loosen and I did not wind up with tea leaves floating in my tea, which is always a nice bonus. I found that the drawstring was a bit damp when I went to pull it out of my tea, but that’s just the moisture of the tea wicking up the bag and string, and it would have done that with any tea bag. I really like the idea of a fully compostable tea bag – it’s amazing how many tea products out there come in plastic tea bags still!

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Lemon Lily’s London Fog

London Fog by Lemon Lily
Black Tea / Flavoured
$9.00 for 50g

Lemon Lily’s London Fog came to me as part of The Sugared Teacup’s April themed subscription box.

First Impressions

Lemon Lily’s London Fog came to me via The Sugared Tea Cup’s April themed subscription box (late spoilers: it was all things British in preparation for the Royal Wedding last month!). I can definitely smell the bergamot, it’s very strong and overwhelms the vanilla. I can see the pieces of vanilla bean, but smelling it is a whole other story. The black tea has some long, wiry leaves in it which is nice to see – I can’t smell them though since the bergamot is a force to be reckoned with.

London Fog consists of: black tea, vanilla bean, and natural bergamot – all organic ingredients.

Preparation

Lemon Lily recommends steeping London Fog in 100°C (212°F) water for 4 to 6 minutes. My initial steep of London Fog was for 5 minutes.

First Taste

London Fog steeps to a deep reddish-brown colour. There’s a very mild vanilla aroma to it, with the bergamot being very much present (much like it was in the dry leaf). There’s a mild astringency to London Fog when I drink it, causing a little bit of a mouth pucker. I found there was a light vanilla flavour, with a slight creaminess behind each sip. The bergamot flavour is very present, with a bright citrus flavour throughout.

Given its name, I did try London Fog with a bit of sweetener (I used locally harvested honey) and evaporated milk. I found that the vanilla flavour to be more present once the bergamot had been tempered down.

A Second Cup?

I resteeped London Fog twice, adding an extra 30 seconds for each subsequent steep. I found that the first resteep was very much like the initial steep, while the second had no vanilla flavour that I could find. I would say that London Fog is good for a least one more steep.

My Overall Impression

I liked Lemon Lily’s London Fog. I think it’s really great with some extra sweetener and milk. I found, for me, the bergamot was quite powerful and it was overwhelming the more gentler flavour of the vanilla bean and I would have liked for the vanilla to be more present. I think if the flavours had been a bit better balanced, I would have enjoyed it a lot more.

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DavidsTea’s Just Peachy

Just Peachy by DavidsTea
Fruit Infusion / Flavoured
$7.98 for 50g

First Impressions

Spoiler, I’ve had Just Peachy before. It’s one of my favourite summer-time iced teas from DavidsTea and I realize a little while ago that I hadn’t written about it yet for One More Steep so I decide to do so. I first had Just Peachy in-store when it was offered as an iced tea sample (I’ve also had it hot before and I’ll discuss both further below). The dry leaf of Just Peachy has a very strong peach, fruity aroma to it – which is unsurprising considering the ingredients in the blend.

Just Peachy consists of apple, sweet blackberry leaves, peach, natural and artificial flavouring. Of all the ingredients, the one that stands out the most is probably the peach aroma with the hint of apple in the background. If you’re a fan of peach-based iced teas, you might like this one.

Preparation

DavidsTea recommends steeping Just Peachy in near-boiling water for 4 to 7 minutes. I steeped Just Peachy in 93°C (200°F) water for 6 minutes. I tend to be okay with steeping herbal or fruit infusions for a lengthier period of time because, unlike teas, they don’t have the tea leaves in there that can become bitter or astringent when oversteeped.

First Taste

Just Peachy steeps to a pleasant warm orange colour with a strong peach aroma. The flavour of Just Peach is peach and sweet. I find that the fruit ingredients in Just Peachy are enough that I don’t have to add any sweetener to it – of course your mileage may vary with your sweet tooth. The apple is also a very present flavour in this fruit infusion as well, but the flavour of the apple doesn’t overwhelm or overpower the peach, which is nice considering it’s Just Peachy and not Just Apple.

I’ve had Just Peachy both hot and iced. I find when it’s hot, it’s sweeter. When iced, Just Peachy is a nice, refreshing iced tea. I like it both ways, but really prefer to have it iced (especially when the weather’s hot!). I generally cold steep a pitcher of Just Peachy to enjoy throughout the week.

A Second Cup?

I try to resteep Just Peachy, but find that the flavour just isn’t there in comparison to the initial steep. I would say that Just Peachy is good for one steep.

My Overall Impression

I loved DavidsTea’s Just Peachy. Not really much of a surprise considering it’s a fruit infusion blend that I’ve (re)purchased. I really enjoy the fruity flavours of the peach and love the fact that I don’t have to add any extra sugar or sweetener for it to be a sweet iced tea. Just Peachy is definitely one that I recommend having iced (although it’s very tasty as a hot tisane as well).

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