I will admit that I never planned to buy Whittards Piccadilly Blend. Actually it was a blend that I tended to overlook whenever I was browsing the website. Recently though, I was placing an order and was told if I spent £4 more I'd be entitled to free postage so I just happened to grab this and I added it to my online basket.
I had quite forgotten that I had ordered it till the big beautiful box came through the post. So it was almost a surprise when I found this lovely little box nestled between all the caddies I had ordered. This blend is a flavoured black tea.
Due to my hurry to place my order I hadn't realised that I had brought this tea in the bagged version. Buy tea loose now is about as natural as it comes for me so very rarely do I buy bagged tea. However, bagged tea does have it's positives and the main one is it's a lot quicker to pop a bag in the water and leave it to infuse - its' a pretty instant way to have tea, yet, it doesn't replace the ceremony of making the tea in the pot, which is what I really love about loose tea.
This tea contains a black tea from unknown origin, hibiscus, rose, strawberry and lotus. A very interesting sounding blend.
I boiled some fresh water and infused the tea for four minutes, being careful to follow brewing instructions. The aroma from the blend is a fruity blend on the whole with floral tones weaving it's way through. Quite pleasant!
Taking a first sip, I was left a little underwhelmed. I think this is because I have been blown away by their other blends, such as Bohemian Raspberry, Orange Blossom and their heavenly Orange Pekoe. I'm not saying that it's horrible - rather that it lacked the wow factor the the aforementioned blends have in oodles.
This tea is a smooth, easy to drink, well crafted black tea. The base tea, which I cannot establish it's origin sadly, is lovely and rich and has caramel tones to it. Just very beautiful and flavoursome. I am really loving the black tea's that Whittard choose for their blends - it's so easy to drink and full of flavour. Just yummy.
The two most prominent flavours in this blend are the rose and strawberry. When you first take a sip on this the strawberry is the first flavour that hits your tongue. It's fresh and pleasant and instantly refreshing. It's incredibly light - this blend would be ideal to serve as afternoon tea with a huge wedge of Victoria Sponge.
Complimenting the fresh and fruity strawberry flavour is a natural sweetness from the rose. It brings to the blend a flavour not dissimilar to Turkish Delight. The sweetness is rich and brings a very interesting layer of flavour to the blend. The two flavours are well balanced.
I think I may of preferred this blend if the ingredients ended at strawberry and rose. But there is a underlying flavour that is just a bit "off" for me and I think it may be the lotus flower. It's has a slight perfume like element to it and I find it quite distracting from the other ingredients in the blend.
Obviously people's tastes are very different and you may love this tea. I certainly liked it, it's not horrid or horrible but it just doesn't do it for me. It's not a tea that I would return to again, nor would I reorder it when I next place an order with Whittard. It just lacked a bit of oomph and spark for me. And it left a strange taste in my mouth after I've finished it.
I have been spoiled, I think, by my recent purchases from Whittard which are just perfect for me. Their Orange Blossom is divine.
If you like your tea fruity and floral and if you like a slight perfumey edge to your blend this is ideal for you.
For me, though pleasant and certainly refreshing, it just lacks something that appeals to me. You, though, may think differently and I'd certainly love to hear from you!
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