The weekend is here and it’s time to reset with a delicious cup of tea. So, what better tea to review here on the Immortal Wordsmith blog than Twinings Reset. This tea is part of the Soulful Blends range – if you read my last Twinings tea review, you’ll see that this range of teas has been a bit of a letdown so far.
Let’s see if Twinings Reset can leave a better taste in my mouth.
This tea review covers my opinion on the flavour of the tea, best methods to brew it, a deep dive into the ingredients, and affiliate links to buy it from Twinings directly or through Amazon.
Twinings Reset Teabags at a Glance
Izzy’s Rating
- Blend: Orange blossom and peach flavouring with nettle leaves and herbal ingredients
- Flavour: Soft peach fruitiness with nettle and garden mint
Although this tea lacks in aroma, it is very calming to drink with an herbaceous flavour that feels just like a walk in an herb garden on a warm summer day.
Full Review – Twinings Reset Herbal Tea
- Type: Tagged paper filter teabag
- Ingredients: Nettle, lemon balm, apple pieces, aniseed, orange flowers, natural peach flavouring, natural vanilla flavouring, natural orange blossom flavouring, other natural flavourings
- Flavour Notes: Soft peach, hint of fruitiness, strong nettle, garden mint, herbaceous
- Aroma: Vaguely herbaceous, slightly sweet
- Milk or Lemon: Honey to taste
- Where to Buy: Twinings or Amazon
Twinings supply this tea in individually wrapped teabags – in theory, this should keep the tea fresh. But when I rip it open, there’s barely any aroma at all. I can detect a vague herby hint but nothing distinct enough to call by name.
Let’s add some hot water and see if that brings it to life.
After a good long brew (instructions below), the steam swirling up from my teacup is slightly sweet, slightly earthy and has a hint of wilted nettles. It’s pleasant but not verdant and fresh. I have to admit, my expectations for the flavour of this tea are now at rock bottom.
Surprise! It actually tastes good. Better than good, actually. There’s a soft peach fruitiness that sweetens your tongue, following by a strong flavour of nettles and garden mint. It’s refreshing and quite green tasting, so I’d definitely describe this tea as an herbal tea rather than a fruit infusion.
By the end of the cup, I was feeling relaxed and clear-minded. Good job, Twinings.
How to Brew Twinings Herbal Tea
Twinings recommend brewing this tea in roughly 200ml of boiling water for at least three minutes, leaving the teabag in the cup as you drink if you prefer a stronger taste.
I agree with Twinings that three minutes is just right for this brew. If you have quite a large mug, then add a minute to your brew time. Once the teabag has finished brewing, it’s always my preference to remove it from the cup. Over-brewing nettle leaves only intensifies that slightly bitter green flavour.
Add a teaspoon of honey to this tea if you’d like to turn up the sweetness.
Why Twinings Tea?
Twinings is a pretty big tea brand here in the UK – you could call them mainstream – and they’re sold all over the world. But that doesn’t mean we should automatically assume their tea is good or high quality. As I’ve noted in previous Twinings tea reviews, Twinings does not have an organic, Fairtrade or Soil Association certification. Instead, they’ve created their own program to verify the origins and quality of their tea.
What does that mean? Well, we have to take Twinings at their word.
Now let’s take a look at what’s inside the teabag. According to the ingredients list, there’s real pieces of nettle, apple, aniseed, and lemon balm. The peach and orange blossom displayed on the front of the teabag wrapper (and outer box) is only flavouring in this tea. At least it’s natural flavouring rather than artificial.
From my photographs, you can see that the ingredients are very fine pieces inside the teabag. This helps them infuse faster but does nothing for depth of flavour.
Summary
Ultimately, this tea is a not great, but certainly not bad either. The flavour is very simple and herbaceous yet effective at helping you hit ‘reset’ and calm down. I wish the ingredients were whole pieces rather than finely chopped bits of herbs mixed with fruit flavourings, but it’s what you get at this price range.
Try it for yourself and let me know what you think in the comments below.
Tea Recommendation
If you are looking for a calming evening tea that packs a bit more of a fruity punch, I have an excellent loose leaf option for you. I recently reviewed Nectar & Leaf’s Exotic Elixir which blends rooibos tea with mango, apple and hibiscus for a tropical vibe. It’s delicious and scored 4 out of 5 on my tea rating system.