I usually start my tea reviews in the morning, when I’m craving something strong and rich. Naturally, Lichfields Red Berries sounded far too light… but I gave it a go anyway. The results were impressive!
In this tea review, I’ll go through the flavour of this tea, how best to brew it, and where you can buy it in the UK. For the most part, however, Lichfields Red Berry tea is more likely to be found in a hotel bedroom. If you spot one the next time you stay at Premier Inn or Best Western, make sure you save it.
This is actually one of the best teas I’ve ever tried from a hotel bedroom. Move over, Twinings.
Note: this is a hibiscus heavy blend. If you love hibiscus tea, try reading my guide to the UK’s best hibiscus teas next.
Lichfields Red Berry Tea at a Glance
- Blend: Rooibos, hibiscus, and blackberry leaf with flavouring
- Flavour: Tart, rich hibiscus with not much else
This tea has a gorgeous, rich hibiscus flavour. It’s tart and sweet, just like red berries, with a velvety texture in your mouth. It’s delicious, but completely dominated by hibiscus with no room for the other ingredients.
Full Review – Lichfields Red Berries Teabags
- Type: Tagged paper filter teabag
- Tea: Rooibos
- Additives: Hibiscus, blackberry leaf, natural flavouring (orange, cranberry, strawberry)
- Flavour Notes: Tart, sweet, hibiscus
- Aroma: Musty, cranberry, concentrated orange juice, sweet, fruity, hibiscus
- Milk or Lemon: Neither
- Where to Buy: Amazon UK
The aroma coming from the teabag is a little musty, even though it is well before the use-by date. I can’t detect any of the rooibos base, which usually produces a nutty or medicinal aroma. Instead, it’s tart and sweet, with cranberry notes and a hint of orange squash – the concentrated orange flavour from your childhood.
I love how this tea looks when it has brewed. It’s got this intense velvety red colour to it, with a hint of magenta when it’s held in the sunlight. Beautiful!
The aroma is simpler – tart hibiscus notes with a hint of orange. The sweetness of orange really goes well with hibiscus… it’s just not evocative of the red berries we were promised by Lichfields.
Now for the flavour. That first sip is intensely tart, but it lessens as you get accustomed to the hibiscus flavour. It’s sweet and tart, quite refreshing. But is it really red berries? Nope. There’s no depth or complexity to the tea.
Overall, it’s a very pleasant hibiscus tea but don’t bank on any notes of rooibos or mixed fruits.
How to Brew Red Berries Tea
This is an herbal tea with a rooibos base and hibiscus, so you can use boiling water and not worry about lower temperatures. Just pour 200ml to 300ml (depending on the size of your mug) over the teabag and let it steep for 2 to 3 minutes.
Hibiscus gets strong very quickly, so I recommend you start at 2 minutes and take a sip before deciding whether it needs another minute.
Lichfields Red Berries tea is caffeine-free and ideal for drinking in the evenings, when you want something sweet without the sugar and caffeine.
Why Lichfields Tea UK?
Lichfields tend to sell their teas to hotels, so they can be placed in hotel rooms. Although you won’t find their teas available to buy in supermarkets, you can find them online on Amazon. Without an official website for Lichfields, it’s hard to learn much about them.
What we do know is that the hibiscus and rooibos, totalling 83% of the ingredients list, is Fairtrade certified. These ingredients create the base of the tea, with just blackberry leaf alongside them. Hibiscus produces a naturally tart, berry-like flavour, but there aren’t actually any red berries in this tea. For a true red berry tea, check my best berry teas list.
I’m not a fan of tea blends that rely heavily on flavouring to create the main flavour of the blend!
As for the packaging, it’s entirely paper based and can be recycled. I imagine it could be composted too. The teabags look very white, so they’re probably bleached, but that’s not at all uncommon for teabags in the UK.
You actually have to seek out unbleached teabags if you’re interested in reducing your chemical exposure. I recommend you start with Clipper Earl Grey, for example.
Summary
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this tea because I love the tart berry flavour of hibiscus. However, it’s quite one-dimensional and totally lacks the berry medley you’re expecting. Notes of orange, strawberry and cranberry would have really lifted it, and it’s a shame that they just don’t pull through.
If you’re interested in drinking Lichfields Red Berries tea, you can find it on Amazon UK using the button below or the link above.
Tea-Ware Recommendation
The weather is currently edging into autumn here in the UK and I’m drinking so many delicious tea blends from one of these tea bowls. I recently added them to my tea-ware shop, and they’ve quickly become one of the most popular items. Go check them out and decide which colour you like best! There’s free delivery in the UK.