Whittard Famous Tea Collection Review | Delight and Disappointment

Whittard Famous Tea Collection Review Summary

Whittard Famous Tea Collection Detailed Tea Review

Overview:

I received the Whittard Famous Tea Collection as a gift from my dear friend Adeeba Asri. The boxes all looked so pretty and there was such a great variety of tea, I was really excited to try them all and share my reviews with you.

But while some of the teas were lovely, overall, I’m forced to say it has been a disappointing experience. And I’ll tell you why in a minute. But first let’s get through the good stuff!

1. English Rose (4.1/5)

The English Rose tea felt like walking through a rose garden in full bloom. The aroma is floral with a little fruity hint, and the taste is rich, dark, and full-bodied, definitely not a thin or watery brew.

Even though it tastes strong, the caffeine sits at a nice medium level, so it’s an afternoon-friendly tea. I love having it with savory sandwiches or something light like toast with jam to bring out the garden tea-party vibes.

2. Marrakech Mint (4.6/5)

I absolutely loved this tea! It was so relaxing.

The aroma is all fresh mint leaves. You can barely taste the green tea because the mint is so strong, but I didn’t mind that.

You can drink it during the day and it will relax you and wake you up at the same time! It’s best enjoyed on its own, but it also pairs beautifully with berries if you want a snack.

3. Darling Grey (4/5)

If you love Earl Grey but sometimes want something softer, Darling Grey is a gentler, citrusy take on the classic.
The smell is light and flowery, and the citrus orange peel really comes through with a touch of bergamot.

It tastes super refreshing, and it’s perfect for a mid-afternoon boost. You can pair it with a sponge cake, scones, or a citrus biscuit for the dreamiest tea break.

Btw, I loved the smell of this tea so much, I felt compelled to use this tea to bake an orange yogurt cake! It was so good!

4. Spice Imperial (4/5)

The Spice Imperial is a black tea infused with spices. When I first drank this tea, I didn’t like it too much, but I think that’s beause I came to it with a biased assumption (maybe because of the name) that the tea would have a really strong flavor of spices.

But instead the hint of spice is quite subtle in this tea. As I kept drinking this tea, though, I fell in love with it and it became my favorite morning tea. The mild flavor of the spices creates a very balanced, fragrant tea that’s delicious and comforting.

5. Darjeeling (1/5)

I actually didn’t like this tea at all. It did not have the Darjeeling flavor and it became very bitter very quick!

And here’s where the rest gets disappointing:

So that leaves Jasmine, Chelsea Breakfast, Tippy Assam, and Mango & Bergamot. I was really excited to review the rest of the teas. However, when I opened the boxes after a few months, all of the teabags inside had caught mold!

It’s important to note that these teas were in individually sealed aluminium bags that had not been opened. I stored the teas in a cool dark place, as per the instructions. And the expiration date on the boxes was still quite far away.

I will concede that I live in a place where it rains a lot, sometimes days on end. And it’s a great environment for mold to grow. And I would’ve taken full responsibility for it if I had already opened the bags.

But the sealed aluminium packets are supposed to protect the teas from moisture in the environment. And it had only been a few months since I received the tea. There are 9 boxes with 20 teabags each, so naturally it would take me a few months to get through all of them.

And more importantly I had older teas (both sealed and opened) in my storage that were completely fine.

So there was obviously something wrong with the packaging. And needless to say I was incredibly disappointed.

All I can tell you is that the Mango & Bergamot smelled really nice. 🙁

Value for Money (2/5):

The Whittard Famous Collection costs 29.95 pounds (USD 40) for the 9 tea boxes, each box containing 20 teabags. That would bring the price of each box to 3.3 pounds (USD 4.5).

Since I only got to try 5 of the 9 teas, and I liked 4 of them, I’d have to say it was a pretty poor value for money to me.

However, if you were to buy the set and gift the boxes to different people, I would say you might get more of your money’s worth. The boxes are really cute so they would make great gifts!

But since I didn’t get to try all the teas, I can’t tell you how good the others are.

And if you bought the whole box for yourself or gifted it to somebody, I would advise going through the teas quickly.

Or open the the packets and store at least some of the teas in individual airtight containers, especially ones you plan to try later on.

Because unless you’re someone who generally drinks 5 cups of tea day, it would be difficult to get through 180 teabags quickly.

About the brand | Whittard:

Whittard of Chelsea was founded in 1886 by Walter Whittard, initially under a different name. The company is renowned for its premium tea, coffee, and hot chocolate. Whittard now operates over 50 stores across multiple countries and reaches customers digitally in over 40 countries.

You can learn more about their teas and sustainability practices by visiting their website.

Where to Buy:

You can buy the Whittard Famous Collection from the Whittard website.

It’s also available on the Heathrow Boutique website. If you are unfamiliar, it means if you are traveling through Heathrow Airport, you can pre order items from the stores online, and then collect them at your terminal.

If you live in the US, it’s available in World Market and The Bee’s Knees.

If you live in Hong Kong, you can order online from Natural Ponti.

Final Thoughts

Alright, so there’s my review of the Whittard Famous Collection. While I really liked 4 out of the 5 teas I tried, I had a disappointing experience as the 4 other teas caught mold inside the sealed aluminium bags.

I will definitely not be buying the whole box again. However, I would probably buy the Marrakech Mint again separately. It was my favorite tea out of all of them.

Have you tried these teas before? What was your experience? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!