Review: Rose Bud Tea from Yandra Tea Company

My drinking habits have been changing in recent months, consuming less alcohol than I used to in my younger years. While this has clear benefits for my health including aspects such as my sleeping, if I’m being really honest, I do miss that ‘ahhh’ feeling that comes with relaxing, glass of wine in hand, after a long or stressful day.

Replacing it with hot chocolate or other sugary drinks wasn’t really what I was looking for, so when I was offered a box of Rose Bud Tea to try out for the blog, it seemed a great fit. The tea is from Yandra Tea Company, who sell a range of luxury teas with an ethos of respecting nature’s resources. Their rose tea is made from harvested and dried rose buds, which they also use to produce 100% natural rose syrup (more on that later).

Before I even get onto the tea, I wanted to give a nod to the packaging as it is just so lovely. The rose tea is housed in a firm cardboard box with a magnetic closing strip, in a luxurious purple colour. I also love the inspirational quote inside; “A woman is like a tea bag – you don’t know how strong she is until you put her in hot water.”

Brewing the tea is really simple, you just add two to four (I use three, just to be in the middle!) buds to a cup and pour on boiling water. Leave your tea to steep for five minutes. I leave the buds in while I drink my cuppa, but I guess you could remove them if you felt they would get in the way of your enjoyment.

The tea is really delicious. It’s delicate but very flavourful, with as you’d expect floral tones and a level of sweetness, and I find it very refreshing. It makes a great change from your average cup of tea, and from many herbal and fruit teas which I just don’t think have much taste. You can also use the buds to make a cold drink; I haven’t tried it but I think it would be lovely, especially on a warm day.

As I’ve been drinking my rose tea in the evenings, it is great that it’s caffeine-free. And as well as being enjoyable, there are many reported health benefits of rose bud tea including stress relief. I have definitely felt a bit calmer and less anxious from drinking my tea, but I don’t know if that’s just the fact I’ve been taking a few minutes out to enjoy my brew. Either way it can only be a good thing!

Rose bud tea contains a high concentration of vitamin C which can help to fight off colds, and the tea is high in Vitamin 1, B3 and D. It’s been used as part of Chinese medicine for more than 5,000 years for many reasons such as to treat pain and aid digestive disorders.

I was also sent a Rose Syrup to try out which is made from 100% natural ingredients. It does contain sugar so it’s more of an occasional drink than the tea, but it is equally refreshing. It can be used in cocktails but given my new approach to drinking less alcohol I haven’t tried this out.

I have used it to make a rose lemonade (just by adding it to normal lemonade) which is delicious although very sweet. I’ve also mixed it with sparkling water which was a pleasant alternative to other carbonated drinks. I think it may also work with a tonic water, offsetting some of the bitterness you can find when drinking tonic.

The products are available to buy online at Yandra Tea Company. The tea is priced at £15.99 for 50g or £28.99 for 100g. While this is more than other herbal teas, as you only need a few buds at a time the box will last for ages. I’ve had at least five cups from mine and haven’t made a dent in the large amount of buds. The syrup is £12.99 and similarly, as you need only a small amount each time, you will get a lot from each bottle.

Have you tried Rose Bud Tea?

I was sent a box of Rose Bud Tea and a bottle of Rose Syrup for the purposes of this review. As always, the provision of free products does not affect my opinions which are always my own and honest.