Drinking tea. A typical part of British culture, one that resonates with so many as part of a ritual we share with others or enjoy alone in various occasions. A comforting cuppa in the office, a pot brewing with the family, or an enjoyable pick-me-up when you’re flagging in the afternoon; for a lot of us it is simply a part of everyday life.
With so many teas on the market, we really are spoilt for choice; from Jasmine to fruit infusions, herbal and botanical offerings to those that even claim they can help to lose weight, there is something for everyone in supermarkets and more niche shops.
Brewing up – The Clipper Way
The focus of this blog is on Clipper, a Dorset-based tea company that believes ‘it’s what’s on the inside that counts’, which is why they put so much effort into sourcing the most delicious, ethical tea out there. Their guys Dan and James, travel the world and meet suppliers, making sure the best goes into their tea bags.
Before I continue down the brand’s strong ethical route, let me mention that Clipper offer a whole range of ‘natural, fair and delicious’ drinks: we have Everyday Tea; Green Tea; Infusions; White Tea; Speciality; Hot Chocolate; Coffee; Fuso Tea Tents. That’s quite a collection, offering a hot beverage for pretty much any taste out there.
I was lucky to receive a selection of the Green Tea offerings, which to be honest, was also a bit of a challenge for me. Many know that I live on herbal teas, mainly peppermint, fennel and licorice, with a couple of ‘normal’ brews thrown into my daily routine. Here I confess: I’ve always wished I could LOVE green tea, especially considering how high it is in natural antioxidants and flavonoids which help to protect the body…But the bitter aftertaste has always been a bit too much for me!
Hooray! A Green Tea Convert
Step forward these Fairtrade certified tea bags of goodness, made from southern Indian green tea (this delivers the delicately subtle taste and the characteristic clarity that Clipper is known for), mingled with these delicious flavours:
- Pear & Honey
- Lemon
- Cranberry
- Mint
- Pure Green
- Lime & Ginger
Light and delicate while still offering a distinct ‘smoky’ taste, these additional flavours really brought the standard green tea cuppa alive. With cute, vibrant packaging (yes, biodegradable and recyclable!) and amusing and personable content – ‘Let your inner beauty bloom!’ – these were a real hit in the office, in particular the refreshing Mint, with fruity Cranberry and the zingy Lime & Ginger varieties also being favourites.
Personally, I loved the perfectly balanced pear and honey combination, achieving a wonderful fragrant sensation without not being too tart or sweet. That’s why I chose it as a basis for a clean eating recipe – check out my Pear & Honey Green Tea Loaf here! It’s fair to say my mind has been opened to the wonders of green teas merged with other flavours, so bravo to Clipper for helping me to enjoy!
Exciting News: It’s All Going Unbleached!
In case you didn’t know, Clipper have been using unbleached tea bags for a long time. Bleaching tea paper is an unnecessary process and it is this stand against it that sits firmly along with their dedicated organic and ethical ethos; they became the UK’s first Fairtrade tea brand. Initially unable to source unbleached paper for their string and tag range, this is now about to change…
Clipper are thrilled to announce a world first: string and tag teas will be made using unbleached paper! These new bags will look a little different, more naturally brown, making a stark contrast to the bleached white tea bags we are used to seeing.
Daniel Parr, Master Tea Taster, commented:
“Tea bag paper has no impact on taste, so we felt it was only right to use the most natural packaging we could source…At Clipper we welcome the fact that people are more aware of their tea and what goes into making it. We are committed to our promise of creating award winning teas, using nothing artificial. It has taken 10 years, but we can now say that all the paper we use is unbleached and even our string will be organic.”
So there you go, amazing news that the Clipper team should be proud of.
Fancy winning a year’s supply?
To coincide with this exciting news, you may notice the first TV advert going live on Channel 4 (just before ‘Food Unwrapped’) at 8.20pm tonight. In celebration of this exciting news and airing, I’m delighted to be hosting an awesome competition – WIN a year’s supply of Clipper green tea and this cute keep cup!
All you need to do is to make sure you’re following me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and find out from 8pm how to enter. The more channels you enter on, the more chance you have of winning! Competition closes at 9pm, the winner will be contacted directly and the prize will be delivered (UK residents only, I’m afraid!).
Find out more about Clipper’s unbleached bags over here, plus don’t forget to follow the friendly tea brand on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Now, let’s the kettle on…