If you ask me, there’s no better way of punctuating a day (whether a working day or otherwise) than by the ritualistic making of cups of tea. Boiling. Pouring. Brewing. Drinking. An hour or two of work or relaxation, and then the whole process begins again. It’s comforting and therapeutic, and reminds us that there are more important things in life than staring at lit-up screens for hours on end.

Taylors of Harrogate sent over a care parcel last week, containing their new range of herbal and fruit teas. They’ve teamed up with plant experts at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, to create the finest and most beautifully tasting infusions. Before we talk tea though, can we take a moment to appreciate the beauty of the packaging? (Scroll right down to the bottom of the post to see it in all its glory!) When the parcel came through, Jason and I spent a good ten minutes just ooohing over all the lush fonts and colours and illustrations. I’m in love!

The tea blends themselves are just beautiful- delicate and fresh tasting, with a little something for every taste going. Below is my day in tea…one delicious cup-full at a time.

A . M ::

Sweet Rhubarb blend ::

The rhubarb blend is the most delicate of the range, and a perfect cup of tea to open the day with. The colour alone is enough to make me love it! I like to add a half-teaspoon of sugar to bring out the fruit flavours, and serve as part of the most feminine, pink-hued breakfast in bed I can put together. A weekend indulgence of course, but such a lovely indulgence to make.

P . M ::

Lemongrass & ginger blend ::

I’ve found the lemongrass and ginger blend to be the very best way of beating the dreaded afternoon slump, during the past few days. It’s the most fragrant, invigorating hug-in-a-mug you could imagine, and tastes all the better out of a sweet tin mug. Make up a cup about an hour after lunchtime (right when your lunch  is settling heavy in your stomach and getting ready to make a nap seem like the most appealing thing in the world), and let the warming ginger and fresh lemongrass work their magic!

E V E ::

Spiced Apple blend ::

Are you already dreaming of how perfectly festive this blend is? It’s like mulled wine meets tea, and is all kinds of delicious! I’m planning on picking up a bumper pack of cinnamon sticks next time I’m out shopping, because can you even imagine how amazing this would be served with a stick of cinnamon, as well as a strip of orange peel and a drizzle of honey, in each cup?

And now, fun stuff! Taylors are offering one Cider with Rosie reader a complete set of their range of fruit & herbal teas, as photographed above!

To enter the giveaway, just take the ‘Flavour Fairy’ quiz (I got ‘blackberry and elderflower fairy!), then head over to Twitter (and be sure you’re following along with Cider with Rosie!) then tweet using the hashtag #CwRgiveaway to let me know which ‘flavour fairy’ you are! I’ll pick a winner 2 weeks today (on the 5th of Jan) and the sweet folk at Taylors will send out a parcel of tea right away for you to start the New Year with!

Which flavour takes your fancy? I’m about to go for a cup of the blackberry & elderflower right now…

** Post created in partnership with Taylors of Harrogate.