Coffee shop chains might dominate the high street take away drinks market – a caffeinated flat white is the perfect fuel when you're out and about - but we’re still a nation of tea drinkers at heart.
If you’ve had a long, hectic day at work, chances are that one of the first things you’ll do when you get home is stick the kettle on, make a brew, sink into the sofa and relax.
If life’s getting you down, it’s tea and sympathy you look for.
And if you just need an afternoon pick me up, tea and a biccie (or two) will do the trick.
But there’s so much more to tea than a humble mug of builder’s.
And the mixologists at Bird and Blend Tea Co, which recently opened a store in Norwich, are on a mission to shake up our tea break.
The company was founded by Mike Turner and Krisi Smith, who met at university and lived in Canada for a while, where Krisi worked in the tea industry.
The pair wanted to work for themselves and set up their own business. When they returned to the UK, they started selling their own imaginative teas, blended with fruits and spices to create flavours such as Strawberry Lemonade, at markets.
With our thirst for take away coffee seemingly unquenchable, Mike admits that he was sceptical that it would work for tea.
But after a particularly successful trip to Brighton, they decided to relocate from London to the south coast and open their first shop.
When they started out, Mike and Krisi thought that the focus would be on making drinks for customers to take away and enjoy on the go, but it became more about selling the tea blends themselves.
“I think that Brits like tea done their own way and to have it at home,” says Mike. “We do take away drinks at our stores, but they show off what you can do at home.”
Mike is managing director and Krisi – who calls herself the Chief Tea Bird - is creative director, responsible for developing their flavours.
On the day Mike speaks to Weekend magazine in February on a visit to Norwich (accompanied by sprocker spaniel Otis, who is a huge hit with the staff and customers alike), Krisi and the team are already working on their Christmas blends.
They started out with eight tea blends, with some, including Monkey Chops, a banana infused black tea, and Strawberry Lemonade still part of the range today.
There are now around 80 on offer: black teas, green teas, white teas, fruit teas and rooibos, blended with all sorts of flavours – from Wedding Cake and seasonal favourites like Blueberry Pancake to teatime treats such as Chocolate Digestives and Cherry Bakewell.
It also includes a range of calming and relaxing blends, including Duvet Day (white tea blended with coconut, jasmine and cinnamon) and Good Kalmer (a herbal tea with cocoa, ginger and turmeric).
With sustainability at the heart of what they do, tea is mostly sold loose, however the top selling blends are also available as teabags.
And they now have 14 Bird and Blend shops around the country.
The Norwich branch, managed by Alex Ablett, opened at Back of the Inns in the autumn.
Alex admits that he was more of a coffee drinker before joining Bird and Blend Tea Co – but he loved the brand’s values.
And he’s now been well and truly converted and has become a big fan of rooibos tea.
“I generally do green tea in the morning, a matcha when I get into work and then when I remember that I need to sleep at some point, I turn to rooibos, which is caffeine free and has become such a love for me since working here,” says Alex.
With lots of blends available, it is tricky to know where to start, but Alex and the team of mixologists are happy to give customers guidance, inviting them to smell the teas (the aroma is amazing) and try some samples (and they really taste as good as they smell).
As well as selling tea and take away drinks, they also hold special events at the store including tea blending workshops and after hours tasting ‘lock ins’.
And they already feel like part of the community.
“Our locals come in and talk to us about what’s going on in their lives. If they’re having a bad day it’s the perfect environment to help with that – with a cup of tea,” says Alex.
Here Mike and Alex choose some of their favourite blends
Nearly Nirvana
One of Mike’s favourites, and one of their best-sellers, Nearly Nirvana, was one of Bird and Blend Tea Co's first ever teas. It’s a white tea, blended with jasmine and spearmint.
“When we first started, the teas were all one price except for this one, which was more expensive. It made it really popular because people wanted to find out why,” says Mike.
Antioxidant-packed white tea, he explains, is an expensive ingredient because of the way it’s treated. It’s delicate, and gets burnt easily so needs gentle handling.
Boiling water will make the tea taste bitter, so brewing it for three minutes at a temperature of around 80 degrees is perfect. And serve without milk.
Chocolate Digestives
With its hit of cocoa, this black tea could possibly convert any non-tea drinkers.
“This really works as a latte, like a hot chocolate, but not as thick,” says Mike.
Ginger Beer and Gingersnap Green
Both Mike and Alex are big fans of the Ginger Beer tea. It’s a rooibos tea, which is naturally low in caffeine, blended with ginger and lime leaves.
“I really like this one cold brewed,” says Mike. “Drop it in cold liquid and leave it to infuse – it’s incredible brewed in lemonade in the summer.”
“The great thing about rooibos is that you can over-brew it – if you forget about it and it’s been brewing for 15 minutes it still tastes really nice,” says Alex. “It gets almost like a spice to it.”
If you want to put a bit of zing into your day, Alex recommends Gingersnap Green.
As the name suggests, it’s a green tea, which contains caffeine, and as well as ginger, there’s the sweet taste of juicy peach, apple, mango and papaya.
“It’s got a really nice ginger hit and the fruit in there is preserved with a little bit of sugar, so you get a tiny bit of sweetness in there too,” says Alex.
“I love a green tea. It’s high in antioxidants and is quite minimally caffeinated, so it’s good first thing in the morning to just have a slow wake-up.”
Blue Raspberry
Blue Raspberry is a green tea, blended with raspberries and blue pea flower. It’s packed with antioxidants, is great cold brewed – and as Alex explains it’s a feast for the eyes as well as the tastebuds.
“It’s quite a tart flavour, on a green tea base. When the blue pea flower reacts with citrus it changes colour and brews a really vivid blue, so put a squeeze of fresh lemon in there,” says Alex.
Breakfast’s Ready, Honey
This rooibos breakfast blend was designed by Krisi for people who love a classic breakfast tea, but want to avoid caffeine and it’s become one of Alex’s favourites.
“I’ve got super into this one recently,” says Alex. “It’s just rooibos and honey bush. Honey bush has a nice sweetness to it – I'm vegan so I don’t eat honey, so this really fits that spot – and rooibos has a natural vanilla flavour to it. And it’s really good for digestion as well.”
Apple Strudel
This aromatic apple and cinnamon blend with a spiced rooibos tea base is officially a Bird and Blend Tea Co customer favourite at its Norwich store.
“By a million miles,” says Alex. “This is the one that people are coming in for.”
Bird and Blend Tea Co is at Back of the Inns, Norwich. See birdandblendtea.com for more information.
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