It’s hot. Like, reaching 34°C hot. So what better way to rehydrate and cool down than with iced tea? This week, I’m reviewing Whittard Cherry & Mandarin Cold Brew Infusion, a special tea that’s designed to be brewed in cold water rather than hot water.
Yes, you absolutely can brew any old teabag in cold water if you wait long enough, but this tea is especially made for it. That means (in theory), the flavour should be perfectly balanced for a cold drink rather than a hot one. Think about it – a cold glass of cola is perfectly sweet, but once it has warmed in the sun, it’s too sticky-sweet to be really refreshing. Temperature matters.
Let’s take a closer look at this cold brew infusion. In my review below, you’ll find detailed notes about the flavour, ingredients and best way to make this tea.
Whittard Cherry & Mandarin Tea at a Glance
Izzy’s Rating
- Blend: Apple, beetroot, hibiscus and morello cherry with natural flavourings
- Flavour: Subtly sweet mandarin with notes of tart cherry in the aftertaste
The flavour isn’t the strongest, but it is refreshing and pleasant to sip on a hot day. I wish Whittard didn’t rely entirely on flavouring for the mandarin element of the tea, though I have to admit that mandarin is the strongest flavour coming through.
Full Review – Whittard Cold Brew Infusions
- Type: Tagged pyramid sachet
- Ingredients: Apple, beetroot, hibiscus, currants, stevia leaves, morello cherry, natural flavouring
- Flavour Notes: Sweet, weak orange squash, subtle cherry
- Aroma: Dried cherries, apple, cake icing, raspberries, sour sherbet, cucumber water
- Milk or Lemon: Neither
- Where to Buy: Whittard of Chelsea
Whittard is selling this tea in boxes of 12 pyramid teabags. Though the box itself is cardboard, the teabags inside are wrapped in plastic – not great for reducing single-use plastic, but superb for maintaining the freshness of the tea.
The aroma coming from the teabags is subtle and reminds me of dried cherries. It’s not the “sherbet-like aroma” promised on the box (not yet at least), but it’s still pleasant. I detected notes of apple and thick icing like the kind on a Belgian bun, as well as fresh raspberries. There are no raspberries on the ingredients list, however.
Once it brewed, the sherbet aroma finally kicked in. There’s this hint of tart cherries and sour sherbet, with a refreshing edge. The best way to describe that refreshing edge is like cucumber water – the cucumber doesn’t add a flavour, but it somehow makes the water more like ✨ water ✨.
I’ll admit, the flavour was a bit of a disappointment. The mandarin is the strongest flavour and even that is crazy subtle – like really weak squash. The cherries make an appearance in the aftertaste only, coating your mouth in fruitiness as you think about taking another sip. And you will think about it, as this cold brew infusion isn’t hydrating in the slightest. Yes, it’s cool and refreshing in temperature and flavour, but the actual mouthfeel doesn’t linger.
How to Brew Whittard’s Cold Infusions
The instructions are simple – brew 1 teabag of Whittard Cherry & Mandarin tea in a glass of cold water for 5 to 10 minutes. You’ll need to consume this tea within 8 hours of brewing, rather than letting it sit in the fridge overnight as you might do with a DIY cold brew.
For this review, I brewed for 10 minutes but I wish I had brewed for longer. The stevia leaf is what gives this tea sweetness, and I wouldn’t try to add to it – not only will it make the tea overly saccharine, but it will also be difficult to pull off. Honey and sugar take forever to dissolve into fridge-cold water.
I checked the temperature of my water before brewing – roughly 5°C. I would avoid using room temperature tap water. I tried it myself and didn’t like the results as much.
Why Whittard of Chelsea?
If you’re after a cold brew or iced tea, Whittard is probably not the first tea brand you’ll think of. Lipton usually tops the charts, but if you take a look at their ingredients lists, you’ll find that there’s barely a trace of tea in there.
The line of cold brew infusions from Whittard are specially designed for use in cold water, so you can brew them relatively quickly. By “specially designed” I assume that means Whittard has changed up the ingredient quantities to ensure that it creates the right flavour in cold water, as well as using quick-infusion ingredients (like hibiscus and beetroot) to give it that ruby-red colour in minutes.
But visually, there’s nothing that separates these pyramid teabags to any other. They’re full of finely chopped ingredients and natural flavourings. Nothing special here.
One last note: all the ingredients are fruits or herbs. There are no caffeinated tea leaves in this brew. Why? It’s probably because most people don’t like the taste of tea when it’s cold and even if they do, you need to brew for much longer than 10 minutes to extract all the caffeine. By making these teas caffeine-free, Whittard are sidestepping the problem of caffeine levels and long brew times altogether.
Summary
Ultimately, this is a refreshing caffeine-free infusion of fruits and herbs. While it’s not the best beverage if you want a simple infusion (natural flavourings and stevia are relied on a little too heavily), it is certainly refreshing, tasty and convenient to brew in 10 minutes or less.
If you want to try Whittard Cherry & Mandarin yourself, you can find it on their official website using the button below.
Tea Recommendation
If you want a caffeinated tea that can be cold brewed to perfection, my top recommendation for you is Tea People Pineapple Green with Matcha. It blends the grassiness of green tea with the sweet fruitiness of pineapple. When cold-brewed, you naturally reduce the bitterness of green tea too!