A Tea Blending Workshop at Bird & Blend, Glasgow
We received complimentary workshop tickets in exchange for this honest review
Looking for wheelchair accessible things to do in Glasgow? Well, Kirsty and I recently had the brilliant experience of joining a wheelchair friendly tea blending workshop at Bird & Blend Tea Co. on Glasgow's bustling Byres Road. We love tea. I mean, really love it. Kirsty recently discovered B&B’s matcha tea varieties and fell in love with them, so when we heard about their tea blending workshops we were very excited!
Wheely Good AccessibiliTEA
If you’re driving, you’ll be pleased to hear that there is some accessible street parking near Bird & Blend’s Glasgow store, but the Lilybank Carpark is just two minutes away if that’s all taken. Glasgow pavements and kerbs can be a little tricky to navigate so allow yourself plenty of time.
The store has completely level access from the street, through double doors. As our workshop was held after-hours, the lovely Callum and Lisa (our hosts for the evening) met us at the door and welcomed us in. Inside you’ll find the entire shop has hard floors, and a decent amount of room for moving about and gawping at all the teas like I did!
While the store doesn’t have customer toilets, they have an agreement with the nearby Little Italy restaurant whereby workshop guests can use their toilet - handy when you’ve been sampling so many teas! (More on that very soon). The wheelchair-accessible toilet at Little Italy was spacious and equipped with grab rails, and you can even have Italian lessons while on the loo because they’re played through the sound system. There’s a toilet break about halfway through the workshop (the whole workshop is 2.5 hours long).
The Workshop
The workshop was a delightful blend (pun intended) of entertainment and education. Our charming guide, Callum, a tea connoisseur in their own right, took us on a captivating journey through the spectrum of tea varieties. From the bold richness of black tea to the delicate allure of white tea, and from the earthy notes of mate to the fruity explosion of herbal blends – it was an eye-opening experience that left us wondering if we can make more room on our tea cabinet at home (spoiler: we can always make more room).
Bird & Blend's pride in their tea blends is evident - they’ve covered all bases, with something for all tastes. We were treated to an array of samples including hot teas and cold brews. The Smoky Russian transported us to nights by the campfire, while Rhubarb and Custard had us reminiscing about our childhood sweets. The Gingerbread Chai is warm and spicy (Autumn - I’m ready for you), and the legendary Chocolate Digestives blend was, without a doubt, a firm favourite. I’d never tried cold brew before, but I’m a total convert!
Making Our Own Blends
Next up, we were invited to create three of our very own blends. Base teas and a variety of ingredients were laid out on the table. Lisa, the store manager, kindly checked if the table height was good for me and offered to pass ingredients. While I couldn’t wheel right under the table, I could get close enough, and it was such a lovely social group so we were happily passing ingredients between ourselves. We each mixed up our three blends into individual pouches that hold about 10 cups each - that’s 30 cups of unique tea to enjoy! Alas, it’s recommended you wait a week before trying it. I’m still waiting. It’s killing me.
Of course, one of my blends had to be called Wheely Brew (thanks Callum for that suggestion!) It’s a blend of black tea and other flavours and fragrances that remind me of our travels through Scotland. So there’s coconut to replicate the amazing smell of the gorse in Moray Speyside, then rose and lavender from summer afternoons spent in beautiful gardens, and lemon thyme because, well, I love the song Wild Mountain Thyme. I’m hoping it hits the spot. I’ll update when I’ve tried it - keep an eye on my Instagram for that.
Workshop Perks
As well as the brilliant tea blending experience, you get a few perks too. We received a Bird & Blend canvas tote bag with some tea samples inside (there are options to upgrade your goodie bag when you book). Also, there’s an opportunity to shop their entire store afterward with a fantastic 10% off - loose tea, tea bags, matcha blends, mugs, gifts, and tea-making accessories, there’s heaps to choose from. And that’s all on top of free drinks of your choosing all evening! It’s a great opportunity to try-before-you-buy.
A TEAriffic Time
We left Bird & Blend with our bags full of new treats, excited about getting home and trying them. I highly recommend the workshops for anyone looking for wheelchair accessible things to do in Glasgow. They also run potion making workshops and tea cocktail workshops - check them all out here where you can filter by store. For tea enthusiasts like us, Bird & Blend on Byres Road is more than a shop – it's a tea haven. We’ll definitely be back!
