Ahmad Tea Lemon & Lime Twist Tea Review
Lemon and lime twist sounds like a brilliant ice lolly flavour, if you ask me. But this is actually the name of a black tea blend from Ahmad Tea London. It’s part of the 12 teas box and one that I’ve been looking forward to reviewing.
So often with lemon flavoured teas, you’re stuck with a super light or grassy green tea base. If the tea base is black, it’s more often than not a light Darjeeling type tea. Floral, light, and brisk. That’s why Ahmad Lemon and Lime Twist really stood out to me, as it’s blended with yummy, dark and full-bodied African teas.
The exact origin of the teas is subject to change (depending on availability) but the tea will be more or less the same, so read my full review to find out exactly what’s happening in the cup.
Ahmad Lemon and Lime Twist Tea at a Glance
Izzy's Rating
2/5
- Blend: African black tea with lemon and lime
- Flavour: Full-bodied black tea with subtle lime and bitter lemon pith
Certainly a flavourful tea! The black tea is full-bodied and bold, with subtle hints of lemon and lime juice, with an extra bitter edge reminiscent of white lemon pith. Strong, rather than refreshing.
Full Review – Ahmad Tea Lemon and Lime Twist
Izzy's Rating
2/5
- Type: Tagged paper filter teabag
- Tea: Blended African black teas
- Additives: Lemon peel, lime peel, flavouring
- Flavour Notes: Light lime, lemon pith, full-bodied black tea
- Aroma: Brisk black tea, lemon peel, sweet and sour lemon cordial
- Milk or Lemon: Neither
- Where to Buy: Amazon
I like that the teabags are wrapped individually in foil. It gives you a real oomph of aroma when you first rip it open, even if the tea isn’t as fresh as it should be. With Ahmad Lemon and Lime Twist tea, the initial aroma is quite bold and brisk. The citrus notes remind me of lemon cordial – both sweet and sour, plus utterly mouth-watering.
It brews quickly into a very dark, murky mahogany brown colour, thanks to the African black tea.
As for the flavour, it’s not as yum as I’d expected. The fruitiness is very light, with only a touch of lemon and lime juices coming through. Instead, the full-bodied black tea dominates the cup with a lemony bitterness that is just like the white pith between the fruit and the zest.
I wouldn’t call it unpleasant, but it’s certainly not refreshing or revitalising either. I’d say it’s well named – a classic black tea with a lemon and lime twist.
How to Brew Lemon and Lime Black Tea
I followed the instructions on the packet, pouring freshly boiled water over the teabag and letting it brew for 3 minutes. If you like your teas light, then brew for 2 minutes and take a sip. Dunk the teabag back in if it’s not quite strong enough yet.
Milk would be a bad choice for this tea, but a teaspoon of sugar would be quite nice and balance out some of the bitterness. As for food, nothing springs to mind as a good choice to go with this tea… so go to your default tea snack. For me, it’s malted milk biscuits.
Why Ahmad Tea London?
This is one of the most trusted teabag brands in the UK, and they also have a bit of a rep in the USA. Their teas are marketed as British souvenirs, apparently. Judging by the packaging on their tea range, I’d say their biggest competitor was Twinings, as some of their new herbal/fruit tea boxes are a tiny bit similar to the Twinings Superblend range which I’m eager to try too.
In terms of ingredients, this tea is a touch better than most other Ahmad Tea’s I’ve reviewed as it has real dried lemon peel and lime peel in it, besides the flavouring. Usually the fruit is just flavouring.
I also admire that Ahmad Tea give you the country where the tea is harvested from. Sure, the tea might not be the best quality, but at least it’s flavourful and at least you can get an idea of where it’s from.
Summary
Overall, I do recommend trying this tea and searching for it if you’re particularly fond of lemony, limey teas. As a general tea, it didn’t score very highly on my tea scoring sheet but that doesn’t always mean you will feel the same. Ahmad Tea Lemon and Lime Twist is quite affordable, so if you want to try it, there’s not much to lose.
Tea Recommendation
If lemony, limey tea sounds super refreshing and tasty to you, I recommend having a look at my review of Becky from Holland’s Green Tea with Lemon. It’s part of a tea set that is super tasty and a small step above Ahmad Tea London when it comes to tea leaf size/quality. Check it out!