Arctic Fire Tea

Arctic Fire gets its name from the way it drinks: a black tea base that opens with bold, fruity mango notes before peppermint moves in and cools the finish. That contrast, warm fruit against cold mint, is the whole appeal, and it's part of why the blend has built a following as one of the more requested flavoured black teas around. The base is China black tea, and the blend itself brings together mango, papaya, cornflower and peppermint, which is what produces that fruit-then-mint sequence in the cup. Tea & Coffee packs it fresh to order as part of a range running into the thousands of loose leaf types, which is offered as the reason for its consistency cup to cup. The dry leaf carries the same mixed, colourful look you'd expect from a blend with whole cornflower petals worked through it. Being a black tea, it sits toward the higher end of the caffeine range compared with green, white or oolong, with roughly 45mg per 8-oz cup. Some drinkers also point to the L-theanine and antioxidant content found in tea more broadly, which has long been associated with steady focus and general wellbeing, though that's a background note rather than the main reason people reach for this one. It works well hot or iced, and the name itself points to its strength as a summer iced tea, though it holds up just as well in colder months. To brew, add the loose leaf to an infuser, set it in a cup or mug, pour over freshly boiled water, and steep for three to five minutes. It's best taken plain, without milk or sweetener, so the mango and peppermint stay in focus.