I recently got tweeting with someone on the subject of tea, which seemed a bit random at the time. When she asked me what my favourite tea was, I metaphorically shuffled my feet, felt very un-yummy and confessed that it would have to be Earl Grey. Earl Grey is in fact the only tea other than Barry’s (when in Ireland) and Sainsburys own which I had tried! Obviously I didn’t admit this, and quickly googled smart things to say about Earl Grey tea before tweeting back.
Anyway, her favourite tea was Rooibos Choc Cinnamon. I think she guessed that I might not know a lot about tea, because she diplomatically directed me to a very special place, Piacha Tea Bar and Shop. Being nosy, I had a look at their website (www.piacha.co.uk) and wondered how on earth anyone could come up with 26 flavours of tea. Then I got really distracted reading about Pia, the founder of Piacha, who had moved from law and technology to building her own vision of tea heaven to service not only London, but the whole of the UK. Yes, tea by post!
The Teas
There really are too many for me to list, but it’s worth having a look at the website to see flavours such as Ginger Chilli, Rooibos Rhubarb Fudge, Oolong Iron Mercy (conjured up images of WWF wrestlers!) and Ginger Chilli (yes pleasey!). Piacha really does open up a whole world of tea.
Pia kindly offered to send me some tea to try. I chose Black and Cherry. The next day little envelope popped through my letterbox. Inside, I was delighted to find 3 gorgeous little packages of tea (Tea Cards).
Pia had kindly sent me Black and Cherry, Jasmine Green Tea and Rooibos Choc Cinnamon.
Obviously, I do not possess such luxuries as tea strainer, as these aren’t required for tea bags. I do have a small sieve though, so I set about using that and my teapot to brew the Black and Cherry. Then I stopped, having realised that I frankly had no idea how to make loose leaf tea! In anticipation of such occurrences, Pia has actually put a whole section on her website just telling you tea facts. This includes a ‘How to make tea’ section which contains brewing guidelines for each type of blend.
Brewing guidelines
| Type of tea | Quantity | Temperature | Time | With/ without milk |
| Black | Recommended standard for infusing tea based drinks: 3 g/1.5 dl water. Varies depending on e.g. quality, type of tea, infusion time and personal taste. |
100 °C | 3-5 min | With or without |
| Green | 70–85 °C | 2-3 min | Without | |
| Oolong | 80–90 °C | 2-3 min | Without | |
| White | 80–90 °C | 3-5 min | Without | |
| Mate | 80 °C | 3-5 min | Without | |
| Herbal | 100 °C | 3-7 min | Without | |
| Rooibos | 100 °C | 3-5 min | With or without | |
| Hibiscus | 100 °C | 2-3 min | Without |
I started by supping my correctly brewed Black and Cherry while planting out Hyacinths taken from the children’s Great Grandmothers Garden. The activity was specially selected as gardening is one of the few activities that allows me to drink a whole cup of tea while it is still warm. The kids usually busy themselves by digging up whatever I have recently planted, and that keeps them occupied for at least 10 minutes.
The Black and Cherry verdict? Delicious! Hubby and I both really enjoyed this tea, and said that we would definitely have it again.
The next day I had a friend over for a playdate. I offered her the choice between Jasmine Green Tea or Rooibos Choc Cinnamon. Obviously she thought I was having some kind of yummy mummy breakdown until I explained my twitter tea encounter. Being a little more educated than I in the tea department, she chose the Jasmine Green Tea as she likes green tea, and loves Jasmine. The smell was absolutely divine. You really could smell the Jasmine. The verdict? Honestly, I hated it (sorry Pia!). Anna, however, loved it and went straight to the packet to see how much was left before she stuffed the remainder indiscreetly into her nappy bag! I suppose that really highlights the beauty of Piacha. No-one is ever going to like every flavour of tea. However, instead of browsing the limited selection available on the supermarket shelf and having to buy a whole box before drinking one cup and realising you hate it, you can taste! Piacha offers taste cards (AKA gorgeous little packages of tea), so you can try a smaller portions of more teas. Genius!
On to Rooibos Choc Cinnamon. Yum diddly yum yum pretty much sums it up! Goes well with cake, biscuits, chocolate, and you will probably want more!
Tea Bar & Shop
As I was wandering around Piacha’s website, I stopped at the section about the tea bar itself. I haven’t been to the tea bar which is based on Upper Street in Islington, London. However, Pia’s own description makes it sound like a truly wonderful place…”spacious tea bar with mellow jazz and comfy armchairs. Watching the buzzing Upper Street from inside the peaceful Piacha, with Miles Davis and a cup of Ginger Chilli, is good for the soul.”
I then thought I would look at the tea menu as I do go to London every 6 weeks or so as trustee of a children’s charity. I thought the clincher was the Peach Earl Grey smoothie.
That was until I saw this…
AFTERNOON TEA
Treat yourself to tea infused sandwiches, cakes and matcha ice cream. Enjoy with three Piacha teas of choice.
…and decided to invite myself for afternoon tea next time I am in London!!!
The Mothers Day Giveaway
Pia has very kindly agreed that it would be mean of me to tempt you all like this and not run a giveaway. In honour of Mothers everywhere, Pia is offering 5 Lucky readers a tea tastecard to be sent to a Mummy for Mothers day (I reckon this means if you are a Mummy you could ask for it to be sent to yourself!).
To enter, please click on the link above (Click here to Enter). There, you will be prompted to do the following:
- Like 4kidsandachicken on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/4kidsandachicken/).
- Like Piacha on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/piachatea/)
- Like and share this post to spread the love.
We know you are all super busy so the following are optional although they increase your chances of winning:
4. Follow 4kidsandachicken on Twitter (@4Kids1Chicken) and Tweet to confirm your entry.
5. Follow Piacha on Twitter (@Piachatea) and Tweet to confirm your entry.
6. Follow Piacha on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/piachatea/
Please note, your entry data will be shared with Piacha and with Slummy Single Mummy blog. It will not be passed to anyone else. By entering, you are consenting to your data being shared with these two parties.
Good luck everyone!
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