This tea, Twinings Raspberry & Lemon with a hint of Rose Petals, might be one of the cheapest teas I have ever purchased. It can in at under £2 as an add-on for an Amazon order, yet the box contains 20 whole pyramid tea sachets. So, can this tea actually be good at this price point? I am reviewing it to find out.
In my review, I’ll take you through the drinking experience (flavour and aroma), as well as brewing instructions and the ingredients. Surprisingly, this tea isn’t solely made from flavouring. Furthermore, the flavouring it does contain is labelled as natural. Colour me impressed!
Now, let’s see if the flavour is as impressive.
Twinings Raspberry & Lemon Tea at a Glance
Izzy’s Rating
- Blend: Lemon and raspberry flavourings with hibiscus and herbal ingredients
- Flavour: Sweet rose petals with candied lemon peel and raspberry sweetness
This infusion is staggeringly good. The rose adds a gentle perfume with sweetness from the raspberries and a nice lemon edge. It reminds me of Turkish delight!
Full Review – Raspberry and Lemon Flavoured Herbal Infusion with Rose Petals
- Type: Tagged paper pyramid sachet
- Ingredients: Hibiscus, rosehips, blackberry leaves, lemon flavouring, raspberry flavouring, other flavouring, rose petals, lemon peel, liquorice root
- Flavour Notes: Sweet rose petals, candied lemon peel, raspberry sweetness, subtle hibiscus, tartness
- Aroma: Raspberries, vanilla custard, perfume, rose and lemon Turkish delight
- Milk or Lemon: Neither
- Where to Buy: Amazon UK or Twinings Official Website
Opening the little cardboard box, the initial aroma from the teabags is raspberries and vanilla custard. I recommend moving the teabags to an airtight container to help them stay fresh. Breathing in deeply, I can also detect a hint of rose perfume which is really lovely with the fruit sweetness.
Once brewed, this tea develops into a deep and clear magenta colour – it’s the hibiscus in this blend that creates this shade. As for the aroma, it’s sweet like powdered sugar with lemon and rose notes. Hello, Turkish delight!
I love the flavour of this infusion. It’s so good. The rose petals (which I usually detest) are really well balanced with notes of candied lemon peel and sugar-dusted raspberries. Usually rose with sweet notes creates a really soapy flavour, but not in this tea.
Twinings have done an excellent job with their Raspberry and Lemon infusion. I also appreciate the slightly drying sensation when you take that first sip. It helps the tea feel refreshing rather than overpoweringly sweet. After you swallow each sip, however, it leaves your mouth feeling hydrated. Overall, it’s very pleasant and easily drinkable.
How to Brew Fruit and Herbal Infusions
Brewing Twinings Raspberry & Lemon tea is super simple. You need 1 pyramid teabag per cup, pouring boiling water over it and letting it steep for around 3 minutes. The great thing about herbal infusions is that you don’t need to be precise. Use water that’s slightly cooler and brew for as long as you like. You can even leave the teabag in your mug as you sip.
For this review, I brewed for 3 minutes exactly to ensure that I was sipping the tea how Twinings intended it to be consumed. However, they also state that you can drink it over ice with an extra slice of lemon for a refreshing cup.
If you are drinking your tea iced, I recommend adding any sweetener (sugar, honey, etc.) while the tea is still hot. This helps the sweetener dissolve completely into the tea. If you add the sweetener after the ice, you’ll be stirring for an eternity to get it fully combined.
Why Twinings Tea?
I quite like Twinings, although they certainly aren’t my favourite. I also have some issues with their reputation for being posh – but I’ve already beat that drum in my Twinings Earl Grey Review. Let’s just say that they really aren’t any better than other teabag supermarkets. I’d even go so far to say that Tea Pigs are superior.
But looking at this tea, there are some good things to point out. To start with, there’s some real ingredients here. Hibiscus is a good start, rosehips add subtle flavour, and you can really tell that the lemon peel has added some zest. I also like that the flavourings are natural.
Of course, it would be even better if there were no flavourings whatsoever! I’m not sure how happy I am that raspberry, one of the main ingredients, is solely from flavouring. But you can make up for this at home, by adding some fresh raspberries to a cup of this tea once it has been iced.
And that’s something else that I quite like about Twinings Raspberry & Lemon infusion. It’s a versatile berry tea. Hot and iced, sweetened or unsweetened, and blended with different fruits to create ‘mocktails’. I have even thought about simmering it down into a syrup and then diluting it with sparkling water. One thing is for sure: it’s certainly worth the money.
Summary
Overall, this is a nice infusion with a great aroma and nice flavour. It’s unoffensive and not too sweet but has the capacity to satisfy a sweet tooth with the addition of a sweetener or fresh fruit. Add to that the fact that it can be consumed hot or iced, and I really think Twinings have done an excellent job here.
I’ve linked to this tea on Twinings official website, but it’s often easier to find it on Amazon (link above) or in your local supermarket.
Tea Recommendation
20 teabags is quite a commitment when you aren’t sure if you’ll like a tea. That’s why I usually recommend starting with collection boxes or samplers. For Twinings, the Fruit Selection Box is a good starting point. If you like those teas, chances are, you’ll like most of what Twinings has available.