Last week, to launch the Hallowe’en season, Bird & Blend Tea Co. remained open after-hours to host a potion-making and tea-tasting lock-in for grown ups.
Held at the firm’s first ever store, in Gardiner Street, Brighton, the event invited ‘wannabe potion-makers’ to enjoy an evening of seasonal tea tasting where expert tea mixologists guided them through a sensory experience.
Soon after my sister and I arrived at the event and checked in, we were treated to a Butter Brew tea cocktail, which could be non-alcoholic or customised with a spirit of your choosing.
We were then talked through a bit of the history of the brand, which was started by couple Krisi and Mike, who met whilst studying politics at university. They starting off packing tea in their bedroom and attending markets, building Bird & Blend from scratch.
Later, we sampled other seasonal teas, such as the fairy dust tea and the blue raspberry tea.
It was such a fun and sociable experience. We were in a small group of ten people, which meant there was a nice atmosphere and everybody felt comfortable chatting and asking questions.
Danii, the store manager and our Hallowe’en host for the evening, was really welcoming and knowledgeable. They told us all about the different ways you can brew tea – it really isn’t just a case of pouring hot water on top of a teabag.
Then, at the end of the night, we were given a £10 voucher to spend on anything we liked from the shop. I chose a couple of black teas – black forest gateau and monkey chops. I have plans for cold brews and tea concentrates. And if you want to know what they are, then you should definitely sign up for a future lock-in or tea mixology experience.
Bird & Blend is hosting another Hallowe’en event on Thursday, October 27. The spook-tacular lock-in will be broadly similar to the potions event, but with the chance to try and Indie PSL (Pumpkin Spiced Latte) and campfires and vampires tea.
I’m not normally that bothered about Hallowe’en, but this was definitely a night of themed fun that I could get on board with. Why should kids have all the fun during the spooky season?
For more information, and to book tickets for the event costing £10, visit: https://www.birdandblendtea.com/