Shekha toasts the arrival of warmer weather with a refreshing glass of Green Lady Sparkling Tea…
Rating
Appeals To
Iced tea lovers, fizzy drink fans wanting a healthy alternative, tea enthusiasts, mixologists, gin drinkers, summertime pub frequenters, those seeking an alternative to alcohol, those seeking a complement to alcohol, those seeking a complement to delicately flavoured foods, vegetarians and vegans, the person who drinks all the punch at a party
Price
Green Lady is sold in 250ml glass bottles for £1.89
The Product
The trend of non-alcoholic beverages is going strong, with more and more people turning to clean eating and healthy habits. Coupled with mixologists taking influence from Asian countries, where whisky and green tea mixer is ubiquitous, tea has been experiencing a bit of a renaissance in the restaurant industry.
Enter then, Green Lady, a marriage of adult soft drink with the whimsicality of iced tea, and the flavour profile of a high-end product – surely, they’re onto a winner.
Green Lady’s sparkling tea, apparently the first in the UK, comes beautifully packaged in an emerald green bottle, with clear labelling and ingredients. The neck of the bottle wears a little tag with a recipe for a gin cocktail – a quaint and practical touch.
Green Lady’s primary ingredient is Darjeeling tea, from the eponymous region in India. Darjeeling is often described as the ‘Champagne of teas’, praised for its lightness, fragrant aroma and flavour. As well as this, the region produces only 3% of India’s annual tea yield.
The drink is gently infused with Carob Fruit, native to the eastern Mediterranean, which contains a wealth of nutrients such as zinc, copper and magnesium, as well as being rich in iron, potassium and calcium.
Other ingredients include nutmeg and oil distilled from Rosa damascene petals, each having its own health benefits and rich heritage of global trade.
The Verdict
The overall effect is a pale gold, lightly sparkling beverage which the company recommend can be consumed on its own or with gin. Its light, floral bouquet also makes it an ideal, chic alternative to wine for teetotal guests enjoying foods like fish, white poultry and salads. Another suggestion is as a substitute for champagne to kick off afternoon tea sessions.
Indeed, after trying Green Lady, any of these ideas would work beautifully – and we can certainly vouch for the gin cocktail! The botanical ingredients in the gin marry up wonderfully to the slightly medicinal tea taste, tempered by the sweet fruit, spicy nutmeg and fragrant rose.
The company claims green tea is the “healthiest beverage on the planet” packed full of boosting antioxidants. And Green Lady’s refreshing taste, which distils the best flavour of tea without the bitterness, certainly has a rejuvenating effect.
It stands up where other non-alcoholic “adult” drinks fall down, set apart from the, predominantly overpoweringly sweet, competition. Hugely versatile, it lingers gently on the palate in layers of flavour which is still disarming in its simplicity.
Tea, in its myriad forms and flavour profiles is not unlike wine, racking up a similar cult following and price tag. But even tea aficionados would be hard pressed to take issue with Green Lady and its subtle flavour, summery bouquet and gentle sparkle. As an alternative to Champagne? Stranger things have certainly happened!
The Details
A list of stockists is available on www.greenladyno1.com
Packs of 12 bottles can also be bought from Amazon UK