Birchall Tea Selection

A family tradition since 1872

Have you ever hear of the Virunga National Park? To be honest neither had I, until I tried some of the Birchall Tea selection. So what have an African National Park and a British Tea Company have in common? Well amongst other things Birchall Tea donate 5p from every purchase made from their company and they source their teas from across East Africa, some from Rwanda, which borders the Virunga National Park. This part of the world has lush volcanic soil where the tea bushes slowly grow at higher altitudes, developing greater flavours before being hand picked and prepared for us all to enjoy. Some of the amazing features of East African Teas are they are grown close to the equator so year round growing means better consistency of quality. No pesticides are used in this region making it a viable and well practiced tea growing region and a lot of these teas are high in antioxidants.

Virunga is Africa’s oldest National Park; described as one of the most biologically diverse places on our planet and is home to the world’s most critically endangered mountain gorillas. It is a UNESCO Heritage Site that is world renowned for its exceptional wildlife. Spanning over 7,768.93 km² (2,999.60 sq miles), Virunga National Park is one of the most exotic and dangerous places in Africa with monumental poaching issues. Over 650 rangers patrol the area to protect the wildlife from poachers. The Virunga are has also been deeply impacted with the effects of armed conflicts over the past few decades. It is now trying to rebuild its communities, provide a safe haven for the endangered animals and harness the Park’s natural resources to provide new opportunities for the wider community. I love that Birchall Tea support this fantastic area and it makes purchasing their teas even more worthwhile.

I have been lucky enough to try an amazing array of the Birchall Tea selection and will share them with you as I work my way through them.

Virunga Earl Grey Tea:

This Earl Grey Tea is definitely up there as one of my favourites. It is subtly aromatic and it has a soft taste that I thoroughly enjoyed at all hours of the day. It is one of those teas that makes you stop and enjoy every sip. I love how the Birchall Teas came in prism tea bags which are biodegradable and a mesh that makes it ideal for infusion. Beautiful, simple and classy packaging top this tea right off!

The Birchall Virunga Earl Grey is uniquely made from African black tea grown in Rwandan tea gardens, above Lake Kivu. It is recommended to brew this tea at 100 degrees C for 3 minutes. It can be enjoyed with or without a dash of milk.

Redbush – Sweet & Earthy:

Birchall Redbush is a classic red rooibos tea. It comes from the soft leaves of the wild South African plant, Aspalathus linearis. Sourced from the Cederberg Mountains on the Western Cape of South Africa. Rich in antioxidants and caffeine free it is perfect for any time of the day or night. It is a deep red colour, with a soothing aroma that is light and relaxing. Being a naturally sweet tea you wouldn’t require any additional sweeteners to it. Brew recommendation is 3 minutes in freshly boiled water at 100 degrees C. No milk for this one. With its earthy base notes it is the perfect tea to enjoy while sitting in my garden taking a few minutes out of a busy day.

Great Rift:

If you want one of the best breakfast blends around you have to try this Great Rift tea. In my opinion it is sensational! I don’t normally have too much of a preference when it comes to my breakfast blends, they are all so vastly different it is hard to get any kind of consistency. This Birchall Tea Great Rift is bright, golden and to me had a slight malt flavour to it. Brew for just 2 minutes with freshly boiled water at 100 degrees C, and I love it with a dash of full cream milk. Certainly the best way to start my day. This is one of those teas you will enjoy day after day, sadly my box was empty within the week!

I have more amazing Birchall Tea to review and share with you over the next few weeks – make sure you pop back and check them out.

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