If I say ‘Pukka Tea is organic, ayurvedic teas’ you may well – quite understandably – ask ‘what the Dickens & Jones is ayurvedic tea?”. Well my friend, in a nutshell, Ayurveda is a 5,000 year-old holistic Hindu system of medicine that is all about balancing the body and mind through proper drinking, diet, lifestyle and herbal remedies. And ayurvedic teas are based on this principal – they’re a harmonious balance of natural ingredients designed to help keep you on an even keel.
Pukka’s herbalist Sebastian Pole develops their range of teas using organic herbs and plants to suit ‘your every mood’. Each tea bag is a perfectly balanced little marriage of enticing ingredients united in a clear purpose – whether it be warming your heart or purifying your skin.
What I like about Pukka teas is that they’re easy to use (these babies are bagged up, no need to fiddle around with filters) and it is quite obvious when you should drink most of them – for example, the range includes ‘Morning Time’, ‘After Dinner’, ‘Night Time’ and ‘Relax’. They’re also beautifully designed – a box of Tetley wouldn’t stand a chance next to a box of Pukka in a beauty contest.
There is a certain softness to Pukka teas – they’re really delicately balanced and a pleasure to drink. Some of their flavours are a bit off the wall/not to my taste – for example I won’t be trying peppermint and licorice (but then I do despise licorice), and am not really sure what ‘Three Tulsi’ means, but the ones that I do love really hit the spot, and do what they say on the tin (or box)!
At the moment, my favourite is the ‘Morning Time’ tea, a gorgeous caffeine-free blend of organic rooibos, honeybush and red ginseng, which does make my eyes a little bit brighter in the morning. Another good one is the ‘Night Time’ tea, which contains valerian root, a natural sedative to help you sleep deeply. However, BE WARNED – save this one for the weekend and don’t drink this tea if you need to get up early the next morning. After just one sip, my eyes start to feel heavy and I’m out for the count – and I find it a real struggle to get up the next morning!
As well as my more prescriptive favourites, the full range covers all your tea menu classics, but with a Pukka twist – there’s ‘Three Mint’, ‘Vanilla Chai’’, ‘Green Tea’, ‘Chamomile and Vanilla’ and ‘Three Ginger’, to name a few. And if you needed any further affirmation of their excellence, five of Pukka’s teas have been winners of the Great Taste Awards (the Oscars of the food world)!
I’ve bought Pukka teas from Waitrose and Whole Foods, but you can also order any teas from the range from the Pukka online tea room.
Review by Bryony Partridge www.twitter.com/bpbp
