Cuppa donations go to a worthy cause

Twinings have announced the release of a special blend of tea designed by foreign affairs minister Kevin Rudd that has been described by a leading connoisseur as "rich,satisfying and robust".

The winner of last year's Twinings Tea Challenge, Rudd was one of 100 Australia celebrities who were selected by the beverage firm to take part in the marketing event.

In a close-run voting session the minister was able to edge out a "light and refreshing blend" developed by talkback radio host Alan Jones - giving him the right to allocate 10 cents from every packet sold to the charity organisation of their choice.

Rudd chose the RSPCA to be the beneficiary in this case - with 97 per cent of the nonprofit's funding coming from public donations, the funds will be used to care for the 160,000 animals the officers care for every year.

The winning brew is called the Australian Afternoon Tea and is a blend of  Irish Breakfast, Russian Caravan and Orange Pekoe that has been described by the current head of the family business, Stephen Twining, as "a big, full-bodied tea, nice in the mouth, well-rounded with high notes and a little bit citric".

Twining asserted: "Kevin Rudd wanted people to really know they were having a cup of tea. It's a traditional cup of tea but with new taste nuances to bring it up to date."