Mr Foodie Zero-calorie and non-alcoholic sparkling tea
Do you ever celebrate with tea? Most people associate Champagne and other sparking wines with celebrations but why not tea – sparkling tea!
London-based Jing have been sourcing fine tea from the far east since 2004 and now they have a sparkling tea available. We have had alcoholic tea before but this instead is a zero-calorie and non-alcoholic alternative for anyone who is avoiding, or doesn’t drink but would still like a glass of fizz. The bottle looks like sparkling wine, with the tea a golden-amber colour. Each bottle contains 740ml and it has a beer bottle stopper rather than a cork to preserve the fizz.
We were sent a gift pack from Jing comprising a bottle of the sparkling tea, a bag of Red Dragon single garden black tea, a tea timer and a Cup Tea-iere™, which is a cafetiere / French press-style infuser but without a plunger so that we could also make and taste one of their single garden teas. Big brand tea bags are typically blends of tea from unspecified locations, designed to mask strong flavours to create less exciting, more uniform teas so a single garden tea can let more smokey and earthy flavours sing.
The sparkling wine uses tea from tea maker Liu Guoqing in Shekou Garden, Fujian, China. It has no added sugar or nasties, and it is actually low in caffeine. The aroma is just like jasmine tea and you get this on the tastebuds as well as it has a dry, floral, refreshing taste.
The Red Dragon tea brews in only 3 minutes. Simply boil the kettle and then let it cool, put a couple of teaspoons of tea in the Cup Tea-iere™ and then pour on the hot water and turn the tea timer. 3 minutes later your tea is ready. It’s quite different to the average cuppa in the UK, with a smokey aroma and an earthier taste compared to conventional tea bags and as it’s also less bitter and tannic it should be enjoyed ‘au naturel’ without milk or sugar (don’t throw the tea away just yet as it can be re-infused to make another cup again later). If you are a strictly ‘with milk’ drinker or prefer using tea bags then there are different suitable teas available from Jing.
The sparkling tea is the first we’ve come across so it is pretty unique and should appeal to anyone who is a fan of jasmine tea and bubbly. If you are looking for some celebratory but alcohol-free for New Year, or any other event or occasion then a single bottle is £17.95 or you can order 6 for £100. Single garden tea starts at £6.50 for 50g while their gift sets are typically £30 – £60.
On the Jing tea website you can also order loose leaf tea from China, Japan, Taiwan, India and Sri Lanka; tea pots and tea cups; and you can even learn about tea producers and arrange private online tastings. Note that the sparkling tea is available for mainland UK delivery only.
Order before midnight on 29/12/21 and use code BOXINGDAY for 15% off and order by 2pm Monday – Thursday for next day delivery, which is free for orders over £50.
Where
Order from the Jing Tea website
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Disclaimer: we were provided with a complimentary sparkling tea kit.
