National Chocolate Week with Whittard

Tis the season to eat chocolate! Before you write us off for being prematurely excited about the arrival of, dare we say it, Christmas, we are of course referring to the one week of the year where we're actively encouraged to eat chocolate and indulge to our hearts' desire - Chocolate Week! 

To celebrate, the beautiful people at Whittard sent us the most glorious selection of chocolate treats to ensure we did Chocolate Week in style. But we're not just talking any old hot chocolate, Whittard have gotten very creative and delivered a selection of chocolate beverages that are to leave you with the most worthwhile guilty conscious you've ever had. 

From the collection we tried; 70% Cocoa, Rocky Road, Caramel, White Chocolate and we kid you not - white chocolate tea. Yes this exists. 

To start we went with the Classic Cocoa - so so chocolately, it tastes like pure luxury. Next was the Caramel - this one is very sweet so if you're used to a nice dollop of caramel syrup in your coffee, this is the one to try. Then Rocky Road - again so full of flavour and topped off with some mini marshmallows you definitely get that textured, rocky experience. 

Now we're giving White Chocolate its own little paragraph because it needs it. Oh. Dear. Lord. This was actually heaven in a cup. Yeah sure we've had white hot choc before but imagine a Milky Bar, melted and served to you as a drink. This is it. It's so smooth and not at all heavy. Just A-mazing. 

Now for those of you who would rather a cuppa over a hot chocolate, the White Chocolate tea offers an alternative that lets you have the best of both worlds. Let it brew for just a few minutes and serve as it is. It is quite sweet and a very unusual taste but very drinkable. You'll notice a sort of shiny lining appear at the top which, as we learned at Paul Young's Afternoon Tea event earlier this month, is actually the coco nib. You probably couldn't drink this every day but it's a very unique blend and definitely one we would recommend giving a try.

Overall this was a delectable mix of chocolate treats and we can't wait for the weather to get a little frostier so we can wrap up in wooly jumpers and try them all again. If you're a chocolate lover or maybe just want to partake in the Chocolate Week festivities with a bit of luxury, look no further. 

For more info visit www.whittard.co.uk and if you've got any chocolately recommendations this #ChocolateWeek tweet us at @TeacupReview. 

New in from Whittard: Margaret's Hope, Limited Edition First Flush Darjeeling

The 'First Flush' is considered by many tea lovers, to be the highlight of the spring/summer season, as crops come into fruition and are harvested for our tea-drinking pleasure! 

As a mark of this special occasion, Whittard have produced a special limited edition chestlet of their prized First Flush Darjeeling - Margaret's Hope, which has been cultivated at altitudes of 915-1830m in the Himalayas. Much like a fine champagne, the marker of a good 'First Flush' comes from its originating tea garden and you don't get much better than Margaret's estate, which is considered to be one one of Darjeeling's oldest and best producers.

Sweet and subtle, this tea is a great one to try if you fancy indulging in something a bit special - we love it!

Read more about Margaret's Hope and see prices on the Whittard site!

Have you ever tried a Darjeeling 'First Flush'?

We were sent a sample of tea to try, but as usual, all thoughts and comments are our own!

The Afternoon Tea Club Cuts the Cake

Ah January, detox month – time to ask for gluttonous forgiveness and get over those overindulgent chocolate binges and festive drinks.

Whittard's Green Tea.

But if you’re anything like us, the chocolate pile from Christmas, doesn’t just disappear come the last verse of Auld Lang Syne. With all the good intentions of gym memberships, substituting orange Matchmakers for carrot sticks and fitting that 20 minute run into your lunch hour, it just seems a little bit sad, wasteful, criminal even, to throw away those untouched boxes of Malteasars.

So rather than punish ourselves, we declared February would be our realistic detox month – time to ditch the cake and start the detox!

Goodbye cake, hello fruit ... tea.

The lovely people at Whittard got us into the spirit with a detox package perfect for tea lovers like us. Bundled together with the Whittard seal of approval was a beautifully presented tin of green teas, caffeine free fruit tea and our very own Pao mugs equipped with infusers – suddenly, detox didn’t seem so scary!

Superior Green Tea selection.

Putting our new mugs to the test, we went for the loose fruit tea. There’s something about the smell of the Strawberry and Kiwi tea that just wakes you up. It’s refreshing and airy and though we did leave it to brew for quite a long time, it doesn’t hit you in the face which is good if you’re feeling a little bit un-enthused about the whole cutting-down thing.

Gotta love accessories.

From the green tea selection our favourites had to be the Strawberry and Rhubarb and Gunpowder flavours. On completely opposite ends of the tea spectrum, the Rhubarb flavour was subtle but pleasant, something to wind down with, whereas the Gunpowder was, as you would imagine a little heavier and smoky.

The verdict? If you’re hoping to battle the February fitness climb, these teas are the perfect companion to give you a little sweet fix and feel good about it. 

For more info visit www.whittard.co.uk and let us know how your tea detox is going at @TeacupReview!

Drink Me: Alice in Wonderland at Whittard

Fall in love (and down the rabbit hole) with the beautiful new Alice in Wonderland range at Whittard - I certainly did!

Decorated with beautiful images, inspired by the novel's original artwork, this characterful collection is perfect for any White Rabbit lover and is a must for planning your own Mad Hatter's tea party. I have to admit that I was quite surprised by the newness of this range, as it seems a natural connection to make, however I'm thrilled that it's now in existence and available for purchase. 

As a little preview, Whittard were kind enough to send over a selection of items to test out, including a rather lovely Alice Mug (with pretty key handle detail) Drink Me tea selection and English Rose Tea Pouch & Infuser. As is typical with Whittards, the quality of these things is all top notch and I have to say that the English Rose tea has since become a firm fave of mine and one which I will definitely be buying again - check them out today!

Head in store or online today to view the full range!

Caroline

x