Post Festivi-teas. Our teas reviewed by Natalie Millar-Partridge

Baby its cold outside, January is long and dark but it doesn’t have to be dull. You may be all partied out, though now is the time to delight in the art of self-love, relish in these slow winter days, take time out and greet the new year with winter-warmers created to inspire, ensuring your tea-break is more than just a quick slurp at your desk. Leave the gin on the shelf (at least until next month), these teas are designed for sheer indulgence and quiet moments of reflection - lose yourself in the art of new-wave brews. 

A few months back Katia Sokolskaya, founder of Nauteas got in touch asking if I’d like to sample some of the newly added teas to her small but well-balanced range. Of course, I jumped at the chance to trial the award-winning, gourmet teas that brand themselves as ‘Tea With Personality’. 

Nauteas are designed to bring an exciting tea-drinking experience to gourmet food and drink lovers. The packaging alone had me geared up to taste the teas inside – a beautiful burst of contrasting colour depicting the origin of the tea in painterly illustrations that are dreamy as they are eye-catching. 

The Nauteas collection consists of seven distinct flavours ranging from Long Black Tea and The Lost Earl to Heavenly Green, Pina Colada and Cherry Loves Rose - the only caffeine free blend.

The teas are inspired by Katia’s travels around the world, she is essentially setting out to breathe new life into Britian’s favourite thirst quencher. The blends are beautiful and unique, definitely a tea brand to watch. 

As a lover of pure greens, I am possibly the harshest critic as this is one tea I feel needs to hit the spot. I absolutely adored Nauteas Heavenly Green, it’s such a delicate flavour with hints of peach. A mao feng green with a natural sweetness. Like a good wine, this tea is appreciated through the nose as well as the taste buds. The perfect blend to kick start my day, three mugs later and I am in a heavenly place.  I even took a flask of this tea to share with a friend on recent dog walk to the coast, it offered the ideal warming comfort to an otherwise frosty day.

The Lost Earl is a slightly different take on the classic Earl Grey as it has the addition of a floral elegance to the zesty body.  Strong yet light – this tea creates an enduring brew with a little flight, perfect to keep me going during at my desk during afternoon lulls. Often Earl Grey blends can be a little bland though this one has enough uplifting floral and zest to keep it interesting.

Wow, Elephant Chai actually transported me to India! With a blend of black tea and Indian spices, it is bursting with cinnamon, ginger, black pepper, fennel, cloves and chicory roots. I like to drink this tea in quiet moments of an evening whilst reading. I add a dash of milk and let it brew a little over the recommended four/five minutes to really enhance the flavours. This is also great for the digestive system so a nice tea to have at the end of the day.

I was unsure about the Pina Colada pyramids, mainly because I prefer teas that are pure, of the less flavoured variety, that haven’t been ‘messed around with’ so to speak. However, the Pina Colada, inspired by beachside bliss delivers a really lovely easy-drinking tea experience. You can sip it hot or cold and it makes a naturally fragrant sugar-free iced tea. If you’re a lover of green tea and prefer a sweeter note, this is one to try – it offers all the benefits of a sencha green with the addition of candied pineapple and coconut. I really was transported to sunnier climes and memories of old friends, when life was easy, just hanging out. So relax into this brew, reminisce and dream of sunnier days ahead..

Nauteas use carefully selected ingredients to take you on a flavorsome tea journey in a single sip. The tea with personality certainly captured my taste buds.