'Teaing' up the Singapore summer with some icy brews

Hugely popular in Singapore, the luxury tea company TWG Tea has launched a new iced tea range for the summer. What we love about this, is these tasty, icy, teas leave no nasty tannin aftertaste. The teas are also packaged into gorgeous Summer Picnic Hampers, which are pretty cute in all fairness, all ready for a trip to the Botanical Gardens, or the East Coast Park. With coffee's dehydrating effects, iced tea has always been a popular choice in so-hot-it-hurts Singapore.

TWG Tea offers a distinctive range of teas, made from the highest quality blends and throws unusual spices and combinations into the mix. Highlights include The Geisha Blossom Tea, a calming, unique blend of green tea and ripe southern fruits, The Earl Grey Fortune, a robust Darjeeling, blended with TWG Tea bergamot, The Red of Africa Tea, which is caffeine-free -- great for those of us that can’t take the hard stuff -- and, chocoholics will rejoice at The Chocolate Tea, a rich, black tea blended with bitter, dark chocolate.

TWG Tea (The Wellness Group) has three elegant tea boutiques and two tea salons in Singapore and have just launched in Harrods, London. The company was established in Singapore quite fittingly, with Singapore’s history as a trading center for teas. TWG has contact with tea growers worldwide and uses these to create blends from flowers, fruits and spices -- resulting in a unique, modern take on tea.

And let’s not forget the real deal: the salons in Singapore also serve up delicious brunch, and afternoon tea treats, such as their popular macaroons. Philippe Langlois, a pastry chef with over 30 years experience at hotels in Paris and Tokyo, knows how to make a macaroon or two. He dishes up sweet macaroons and pastries to nibble alongside your cuppa. The black, Napoleon tea infused macaroons are highly recommended, bursting with creamy milk chocolate ganache, guaranteed to make any bad day in the office seem trivial. We’ll be grabbing a picnic hamper and heading for the beach when temperatures soar.

TWG Tea Salon & Boutique, ION Shopping Mall: 2 Orchard Turn, #02 – 21, tel: +65 6735 1837, or TWG Tea Salon & Boutique. 9 Raffles Place, #01 - 22. Republic Plaza, tel: +65 6538 1837. www.twgtea.com.