If there’s anything I need on a Monday, it’s more focus. That’s exactly what this tea promises. Twinings Focus Tea is part of their Superblends range, including an assortment of teas that all have a functional benefit. I’ve reviewed Sleep, Calm and a few others, but today it’s all about Focus.
As a bit of a tea nerd, I know that the key to focus is L-Theanine, the amino acid found in tea leaves that slows down the onset of caffeine and gives you a clear mind. It can also boost creativity and memory.
So it struck me as strange that Twinings would choose to create a Focus tea that’s entirely caffeine-free. There’s no traditional tea in the teabags at all!
Let’s see if it’s just a marketing gimmick or if it actually helps me focus today.
Twinings Superblends Focus Tea at a Glance
Izzy’s Rating
- Blend: Ginseng root and vitamin B6 with herbal ingredients and fruit flavourings
- Flavour: Sweet fruity mango with hints of pineapple
This is a tea that’s been made for non-tea drinkers. It tastes like a fruit juice, with notes of mango and pineapple. It’s pleasantly sweet but it doesn’t really feel like you’re drinking something healthy (or focus-inducing).
Full Review – Twinings Focus Teabags
- Type: Tagged paper filter teabags
- Ingredients: White hibiscus, spearmint, apple pieces, lemon peel, lemon verbena, rosehips, ginseng root, vitamin B6, pineapple flavouring, mango flavouring, other natural flavouring
- Flavour Notes: Mango pulp, pineapple flavouring, sweet
- Aroma: Dried mango, cinnamon, pineapple, nectar
- Milk or Lemon: Neither
- Where to Buy: Twinings or Amazon UK
I have to admit, the initial aroma that hit my nose when I opened up the teabag wrapper was incredible. It smells like dried mango and cinnamon, very fresh and fruity but with a spicy edge. There’s a hint of pineapple juice too, but the mango leads the way.
Unfortunately, from here on out this tea loses all complexity.
It brews into a cloudy light yellow shade that reminds me of pear drops and has a super sticky sweet pineapple scent. No mango, no cinnamon, no freshness. It’s not exactly fake, but there is a note of concentrated fruit juice about it.
As for the flavour, it might as well be fruit juice. It tastes of mango pup with notes of pineapple. It’s rich and warm, with a long lasting fruity flavour… but it’s not tea. There’s no complexity.
It’s a disappointment, though it’s still not technically a bad beverage. The sweetness is fruity rather than saccharine, and it lands just a little north of mellow. I had no trouble draining the cup.
I wouldn’t buy this tea again, especially as it had no impact whatsoever on my ability to focus. More on that below.
How to Brew Twinings Focus
Use freshly boiled water from the kettle. Pour approximately 250ml over the teabag into your mug and let it brew for a minimum of 3 minutes. There’s no traditional tea in this herbal infusion, so you don’t need to worry about water being too hot or steep time being too long.
Don’t add any sugar or honey until you’ve had a sip. You will likely find that it is already far sweeter than you were expecting.
As for when to drink this tea, I think Twinings created the Superblends line as something of a gimmick. You could drink it when you need to focus – at work, when studying, even late night reading – but as it’s caffeine-free and easy to brew, there’s really no time of day when you can’t drink it.
Why Twinings Superblends Teas?
The Superblends range is made of “benefit-led green teas and infusions” that each have a purpose for your overall wellbeing. Focus is designed to pick you up and help you “see the wood for the trees.” Its key ingredient is vitamin B6, which can help to reduce tiredness and fatigue. It also contains ginseng root, which is widely believed to enhance energy and focus.
Notice how Twinings never actually say outright that this tea will help you focus?
The rest of the ingredients are just there for flavour. The mango and pineapple are made entirely from flavouring – that’s the white specks you can see inside the teabag. There’s also hibiscus, spearmint, lemon verbena and rosehips in the mix, but you can’t taste them at all.
Does This Tea Help You Focus?
Well, maybe. If you have a vitamin B6 deficiency, then I imagine the effects may be more noticeable. But beyond that, it’s unlikely that you’ll notice a difference.
If I was curating a tea blend for focus, it would contain:
- A green tea high in L-Theanine,
- Peppermint for that cleansing bright sensation,
- Floral notes, maybe jasmine or orange blossom, to add extra freshness
Ultimately, only you can decide whether a specific tea will help you focus. I encourage you to try different teas and pay attention to how you feel – find teas that feel right (we call this finding flow in The Navigation Codex) and listen to your intuition. For me, a super sweet and sticky fruit tea is the opposite of focusing.
Let me know what you think in the comments below.
Summary
Twinings Focus tea is pleasant and fruity. Whether it helps you focus or not really depends on you. The Superblends range is available in some supermarkets across the UK but the best place to buy it is either Amazon (link above) or directly from Twinings official website.
Tea Recommendation
Mint and green tea is always a refreshing combination for me – it wakes up your senses which can really help you focus on the task at hand. I recently reviewed Dragonfly Moroccan Mint, so check that out next. Like Twinings, it’s affordable and in teabag format for easy brewing.
