Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Raspberry Rush

I tried a new tea last weekend.

I have been really into raspberries lately.  They are so tasty and pretty and they have the lovely tart but sweet flavour.  Shame they are so expensive!

I am always on the look out for some on sale so I can snap them up and enjoy them straight from the box as a guilty pleasure.

Anyway, I was sniffing my way around the samples at my local T2 the other week and I came upon their Raspberry Rush tea.

It is a black tea with raspberry and it has such a divine smell!

I was due to visit the new T2 Tea House (see post of 13 July 2011) with one of my best friends so when we headed in, I ordered myself a pot.

The smell was like fresh baked raspberry muffins!  It was strong, like it could permeate your kitchen if left for long enough.

The taste was different however.  It tasted like fresh raspberries.  Like the ones I sneak directly from the punnet.  The taste was subtle.  There was also an apple flavour.  A bit like the apple and raspberry juice you can buy.

I tried it with and without milk and without was definitely better.

It would be fantastic as an iced tea with some fresh mint leaves and lots of ice cubes.  Will have to pick some up when the warmer months roll in.

For now, I'm thinking some raspberry muffins are actually not a bad idea...


Wednesday, July 13, 2011

T2 Tea House

I discovered something very exciting a couple of months ago.

I recently moved up the north shore of Sydney and discovered that hidden in the outer suburbs at Hornsby Westfield and Macquarie Shopping Centre are two T2 Tea Houses!

Photo courtesy of Iron Chef Shellie
These little gems of quiet bustle and dimmed red lighting are a bastion of avid tea drinkers.  They look like a cross between an opium den and a Victorian parlour.  A mixture of comfy Victorian style chairs and black walls make for the perfect spot to slip away from the madness of the shopping crowds and into a cup of T2's finest.

My husband and I have been making it a regular date to pop in before we battle the grocery shopping for a constitution-hardening brew.

The other week I went with my husband and met up with a girlfriend for the high tea.

It isn't in the league of The Tea Room or The Victoria Room but at half the price that is to be expected.

The scones and jam are delicious.  The sandwiches a little dry and rather average but there is a good selection of cakes, including pear tart and little square of Turkish delight.

A cup of tea comes with the high tea and you can choose from almost anything on their vast menu.

All in all it was an enormously enjoyable experience!

I truly believe that one day tea salons will outstrip coffee houses in Sydney.  There is a change in the air and Sydney siders, who pride themselves on being connoisseurs of almost everything are sure to hop into the latest trend.

Now, dear T2, you really need to open one of these in the CBD near my work!