AD – GIFTED | Do you drink tea? If so, do you take it black, with lemon, sugar, or with milk? Do you prefer caffeine-free tea, herbal tea, or a good old-fashioned builder’s brew? There are so many varieties of and ways to drink tea. Much as I love it though, especially with a good book in hand, I’ve never tried to drink it like the Chinese do. So I was very excited when Capacitea * offered to send me a few of their blends and teaware to try out.
Capacitea
Capacitea was founded by young tea enthusiasts in London, who are passionate about premium quality loose leaf teas and classically inspired modern tea wares. Influenced by China’s tea heritage, the founders aim to enlighten people that quality tea isn’t only a beverage, it’s an experience in itself. And using the correct teaware is also important in bringing out the best flavours, as well as the right quantity and brewing times.
According to Wikipedia, tea culture is defined by the way tea is made and consumed, by the way the people interact with tea, and by the aesthetics surrounding tea drinking. For me, the idea of Chinese tea conjures up elaborate ceremonies and an almost reverential appreciation of the drink. And not a cucumber sandwich in sight.
Gift sets
With so much choice available, I opted for one of Capacitea’s best sellers, the Dark & Black Tea Lover loose leaf gift set. This retails at £28.80 with free delivery and contains three 50g sachets of tea and a very stylish glass infuser mug.
If you’re not a dark tea fan, you could go for white, yellow and green tea varieties, or even a touch of the exotic with some fantastic flowering teas (which really do look just like flowers when they’ve brewed).
Infuser mug
The mug comes with a drop-in stainless steel infuser and cap. All you do is add your loose leaf tea or tea bag into the tea infuser and steep until your desired strength is reached. Then simply place the strainer on your cap to avoid any drips.
I like the mug, it feels comfortable to hold, and is practical as well as stylish. It’s been designed for on the go drinkers, as well as those who prefer to sip at their desk, or from the comfort of home. Fun fact: when you invert the steel infuser and run water over the bottom to rinse it, it “sings” – really!
Captain’s Breakfast
“The tea’s fruity, caramel and malty flavours are balanced out with a light tannic finish.” Originating from lapsang souchong, black tea has developed into a rich family of different teas over the years from its distinctive smoky ancestor. Not only that, this tea is a Great Taste award winner too.
Sniff and taste tests
On opening the bag, there was a lovely malty and smoky aroma, which I always associate with lapsang souchong. And very reminiscent of the tea I used to come home to after a walk along a wintery beach. The flavour certainly lived up to its description, and it’s one I’d have no trouble drinking at any time of day. Alan enjoyed this one as well.
Imperial Pu-erh
“Its rich forest foliage scent enhances its full-bodied and well-rounded earthy flavour.” Unlike most teas, Pu’erh retains both its flavours and antioxidants with time – rather like a fine wine 🙂 A fermentation process causes the leaves to darken and the flavour to become smoother. So the taste can transform through various stages of being fruity to nutty, grassy, herbal and earthy.
Sniff and taste tests
Despite much sniffing, I couldn’t detect any forest scent when I opened the bag. To be honest, I couldn’t make out much aroma at all. But the flavour was definitely on the grassy side and this was a much lighter flavoured tea, despite my leaving it to steep for a while. I wasn’t as keen on this tea but, considering its health benefits, I think it might make a useful addition to my attempt at a healthier lifestyle. Alan quite liked it as he drinks a lot of green tea anyway.
Dark-rose Waltz
“A delicate rose scent follows through to a full-bodied and earthy tea.” Although today jasmine-scented teas are better known, the rose can claim a longer history as the first flower to be used in Chinese tea. And this one’s another Great Taste award winner as well.
Sniff and taste tests
The fragrance when you open the bag is wonderfully floral and rose-scented. My quibble with aromatic teas is that they never live up to their smell but not this time. This tea is absolutely gorgeous. It has a delicate perfume but not too overpowering, you certainly don’t feel like you’re drinking rose water. I would happily drink this all day, and so would Alan, which I think speaks volumes.
Would we buy again?
You’d think that 150g of tea wouldn’t last very long. Well, you’d be wrong in this case, because you can use these leaves at least three times – just increase the steeping time accordingly. So your 150g of teas are going to last you a good long while.
I think one of the Gifts Sets would make an ideal Christmas or birthday gift for any tea lover. Or indeed for anyone who’s never tried traditional Chinese tea. And the infuser mug is a brilliant inclusion, the mesh is so fine that not a single fragment of tea escapes to spoil your brew. As and when our teas run out, I will certainly be repurchasing Captain’s Breakfast and Dark-rose Waltz. I thoroughly enjoyed my Chinese tea experience and I’d like to say a big thank you to Capacitea for enabling me to enjoy their quality teas the way the Chinese do.
Have you ever tried Chinese tea? Which of these three teas appeals to you the most?
* I was gifted these products in exchange for a review but all opinions are my own and unbiased.
This sounds lovely Lisa.
I haven’t bought any tea bags for at least six months, and I use a couple of infuser pots (one of which is one-person size) with my lovely leaf teas..
I’ll look out for Capacitea.
Thank you, Mary 🙂 I don’t normally drink tea without milk but these teas are lovely, so flavourful and refreshing! xx
This is the perfect gift set for any tea lover, you get such a good selection. He he, the thought of a singing infuser sounds very amusing! Dark Rose sounds so nice, I love the idea of a floral and rose-scented tea, I imagine that smells wonderful. Yum! The caramel flavour in Captains Breakfast sounds delicious too. I remember trying Pu’erh tea a few years ago and “earthy” is a very accurate description. It’s not my cup of tea (ha ha) but it does sound very good for you! Thank you for your great review Lisa, I really fancy a cup of tea now! <3 xx
I couldn’t work out what was making the noise at first, I thought I was going mad! If you get a chance, I’d really recommend the Dark Rose and Captain’s Breakfast though, they are delicious. I wonder what the Rose would be like chilled, I might have to try that soon 🙂 xx
Oooh, this looks great! I love tea (in the traditional English sense ?), but I’ve never tried Chinese tea. The infuser mug is a fab idea because I think this is part of the reason I am put off so it takes away that worry. I love the fact a small amount can last quite a while, too! Super review as usual, Lisa xx
That’s the reason I’ve never tried Chinese tea too, but having the infuser mug makes it so easy. I must admit, I was impressed that you can reuse the leaves, something I’d never advocate with normal tea bags, haha! xx
This set is so gorgeous! I’ve always been quite intrigued by all the ceremony and rituals around tea, as I don’t drink the stuff so I’m not sure about it’s appeal haha. The rose tea sounds amazing though, I love the scent of rose so this would be gorgeous to brew I can imagine!
Beth x
I’ve become a bit of a fan of loose leaf tea after this trial, everything tastes so fresh, totally unlike my normal brews of choice, haha. And the aromas are lush too! xx
This would be such a good gift for Christmas! These teas sound lovely!
Love, Amie ❤
The Curvaceous Vegan
Indeed it would, they are gorgeous! x
I love tea and I have been back at drinking so much of it lately! I had never heard of Capacitea before but loving the sound and look of it! The perfect gift set for any tea lover!
I hadn’t heard of them either but once this set is finished I’m very intrigued to try some of their other blends too 🙂 xx
This is my kind of post! I absolutely love tea, Captain’s Breakfast sounds amazing, you’ve described them so beautifully and the photos are lovely, I’ll keep an eye out for this brand!
Hels xx
Thank you so much, Hels! I’d definitely recommend trying the brand if you get the chance, the three we tried are lovely 🙂 xx
I haven’t used loose leaf tea before but many a variety of tea bag, you have me hunting for tea infusers & tea now! Haha
Oh, that’s great, exactly the response I hoped to provoke, haha! xx
It was so interesting to read about these teas. They sound really nice and I love that you can re-use the leaves 3 times. This would be a great gift for a tea lover, or even for myself!
Nicola
I think you can probably use the leaves more than three times but I’m not sure. Totally agree about the perfect gift for any tea lover though! xx
This sounds like heaven. I love tea and would love to play around with loose teas more. This looks like a great way to start x
I’ve never tried loose teas properly before this but I’m a definite convert now, the taste is so different to bags! x
What a great gift that would be and I love the red box!
It would be the perfect gift! 🙂
These teas look lovely, Lisa. I’ve never really used loose leaf tea but I’d love to give it a try. I do love a cup of tea! I’d love to try the Dark-Rose Waltz, it sounds lush! xx
I’d been wary too because of the faff of loose leaves floating around but this infuser mug makes it so easy! The Dark-Rose tea really is gorgeous though! xx
great post lisa! I don’t drink tea myself, but a lot of my friends do and this would be perfect to get them as a gift! will definitely be coming back to this post when it’s time to start buying christmas presents! xx
mich / simplymich.com
I would LOVE another gift set for Christmas, I don’t think any tea lover would be disappointed either! xx
Ooh the dark rose waltz sounds incredible and I totally know what you mean about teas sometimes not tasting half as good as they smell, that’s always such a dissappintment! This whole gift set would be perfect for the tea lover!
Soph – https://sophhearts.com x
It really is delicious. And, yes, I hate fruit teas that taste nothing like they smell, that’s such a let down! Xx
These would definitely make lovely gifts for tea lovers! I’ve tried herbal and fruity teas SO many times but I just can’t get used to them. I’m builders tea through and through with 2 sugars and milk! However I have started using soy milk in most things recently and I actually prefer it 🙂 xxx
I’m exactly the same, I can’t get on with herbal and fruit teas but these are totally different. I was so surprised but I’m a definite convert now! xx
This was fascinating. I’m not a big tea drinker, although I’d be happy to try the green ones! I know next to nothing about tea, and certainly don’t make my tea drinking an experience. It’s amazing that you can use the leaves up to three times though. It sounds like the sets are really good value for money. It would make a great gift x
Sophie
http://www.glowsteady.co.uk
Why thank you! It was such a wonderful experience, and one I’m continuing – I’m drinking some more Dark Rose Waltz right now in fact! You’re right, this set (or any of the others) would make a great gift, perfect for Christmas 🙂 xx
It took me entirely too much time to work out how to pronounce the name of this company! But their tea looks so gorgeous – I’m such a loose leaf tea snob and always have at least ten different varieties (varieteas?) on the go floating around somewhere, so this is right up my alley! The dark-rose waltz sounds utterly gorgeous, and I might have to invest for my tea loving friend for christmas!
Cordelia || cordeliamoor.com
Varieteas, hahahahahaha! If you like loose leaf teas then I think you’d love anything in the Capacitea range, their teas are just so fresh tasting and delicious. Well worth trying 🙂 xx
Thanks, Lisa, for your lovely comments and rich content. The taste of chilled dark rose tea will surprise you. Leave it in the fridge overnight, just brew it with cold filtered water, not boiled otherwise the tea will go bitter.
You are very welcome, thank you so much for the lovely teas and infuser mug 🙂 And for that tip, I will certainly try it, I’m sure it will be delicious!