Whittard Rhubarb Punch Fruit Tea Review
Rhubarb was one of the fruits I hated as a child, but have grown to love as an adult. So, Whittard Rhubarb Punch tea immediately caught my attention when I passed it in my nearby Whittard of Chelsea outlet store. It’s a fruit infusion, as it doesn’t contain any traditional tea leaf. That also makes it caffeine-free and great for kids… if they like the flavour!
In my full review below, find out what I thought of Whittard Rhubarb Punch tea, how best to brew it, and where to buy it.
You can drink this tea hot or iced. It’s also delicious cold-brewed.
Whittard Rhubarb Punch Tea at a Glance
Izzy's Rating
3.6/5
- Blend: Rhubarb with apple, hibiscus and fruit flavours
- Flavour: Tart, sour, sweet and fruity with rhubarb and hibiscus notes
This is a pleasant tea that really does taste like rhubarb. However, I felt like the tea was missing something. It’s certainly flavoursome, but it lacks that additional dimension to make it pop.
Full Review – Rhubarb Fruit Infusion
Izzy's Rating
3.6/5
- Type: Loose leaf
- Ingredients: Apple pieces, hibiscus, strawberry leaves, elderberries, elder blossom, rose petals, sweet blackberry leaves, rhubarb pieces, flavouring
- Flavour Notes: Tart, sour, sweet, fruity, rhubarb, hibiscus
- Aroma: Rhubarb, hibiscus, stewed apple, summer berries
- Milk or Lemon: Neither
- Where to Buy: Whittard Official Website
I purchased the small box of this fruit infusion with flavouring, but you can find Rhubarb Punch in Whittard’s standard pouches too. Either way, when you open it for the first time, you’re hit with a distinctly sour-sweet aroma of fruit. It’s undeniably rhubarb! There’s also a hint of hibiscus in there.
If you dislike hibiscus, this isn’t the tea for you. Whittard of Chelsea rely on the hibiscus element to create the tartness that you expect from rhubarb. Only 1% of the tea ingredients is actually rhubarb pieces.
It brews into a beautiful red-pink hibiscus colour. It’s quite clear, but a little dusty at the bottom of your cup. You can feel the thick and dusty texture of this tea in your throat after drinking a cup, which isn’t all that pleasant.
But nonetheless, the flavour is delicious. It’s sweet and tart, like real rhubarb, and the hibiscus works beautifully with it. Apple pieces and sweet blackberry leaf create a nice background as well. However, I still feel that this fruit infusion is missing something.
Perhaps a citrus element? Or maybe something creamy? It doesn’t stand-out for me as an amazing summer fruit tea. It just seems average. Perhaps I was expecting something a bit more impressive.
How to Brew Rhubarb Tea
Use boiling water for this tea, as it’s a fruit infusion. Add 4g of loose leaf to an infuser (that’s about a teaspoon and a half) then pour over 250ml of boiling water. Let it brew for 5 minutes. If you dislike tart and sour flavours, brew for 2 minutes and taste it there.
You can also pour this tea over ice instead of drinking it hot. If you want to sweeten it with honey or sugar, you need to add that while the tea is hot though. Sweeteners won’t dissolve into the tea easily if it’s already iced.
Whittard of Chelsea recommend eating custard tarts with this tea and I second that. Rhubarb and custard is a brilliant combination, as the creaminess smothers the tartness perfectly, drawing out the juicy fruity flavour behind it.
Why Whittard of Chelsea Fruit Infusions?
Whittard are one of my favourite tea brands. I’ve grown up with them a lot, as they have a few tea stores in my local area. Often, they’ll have a sample of tea to try when you visit them in-store.
Whittard Rhubarb Punch is well-made. There’s only a little flavouring needed, with a range of natural fruit and leaf pieces making up the majority of the tea. You can see the dried fruit pieces in my photography.
However, on Whittard’s official website, they describe this tea has having subtle floral notes alongside the rhubarb. Unfortunately, I couldn’t detect those at all.
Summary
Overall, this is a nice tea that I definitely recommend. It’s sweet, fruity, and you cannot deny that it tastes like rhubarb. If you like to make your own cocktails, then this would be a fantastic fruity mixer. You can find it at Whittard’s website using the button below or the link above.
Tea Recommendation
Feeling fruity? Use my Tea Review Index to navigate through all the tea reviews I’ve ever written. From simple Assam breakfast teas to complex pu-erhs, and tasty fruit infusions – it’s all logged there for you to browse.