Cranberry Vanilla Wonderland

Yeahhhh, this one is not for me.

It tastes more like cherry than cranberry, and it’s definitely a candylike cherry. Add on the stevia, and it ends up tasting like a cheap cherry lollipop, or even a cherry throat lozenge. I don’t really taste the rooibos much under the flavoring and sweetness. The hibiscus is an attempt at balance, but there’s not enough to combat the overwhelming sweetness.

I think this one will go in my rehoming pile… :P

Holiday grocery store teas tried: 4/19

I always get a cup or two of this when I’m visiting family. I usually find cranberry flavored things to be too sour, but this one isn’t! The vanilla definitely balances it out, making it taste creamy and delicious. It really is a special flavor combination. A bit tart, then creamy and warm.

I agree with other reviewers who note that this tastes more like cherry than cranberry, but that being said I think it’s actually quite a lovely sweet tea for a chilly evening. I’m usually not a big fan of hot, fruity teas – but this one has enough vanilla and a touch of spice to keep it from being to tangy or sharp, as I often find fruity teas are when served hot.

It’s chock full of Stevia so if you’re not into that, you won’t much like it here. For me personally, I think of Stevia as a lesser evil compared to sugar, and I’m glad that tea companies use it instead of sugar. That being said, you can taste it in this blend.

If you don’t mind stevia, it’s a very soothing cherry vanilla tea that gets tangier as it cools. I’m sure fans of fruity teas & vanilla would very much enjoy this one. For me, it makes a nice change of pace on the occasional evening.

It took me a minute to place this, but it smells and tastes exactly like canned cherry pie filling. Normally I wouldn’t think this would be a bad thing because I love cherry pie, but this does not feel right to me. It’s actually a little hard to drink. Not to mention that this is a very cloudy tea which always turns me off.

Some “kind” soul left a box of this in the break room today with a note that said “please take one” so this one is not a loss for me. At least I don’t have a box of my own to drink. Thank goodness. This will not be making it onto my wishlist today.

Enjoying a decadently non-traditional Thanksgiving Day (extended family later = home, sleep late, lazy morning, chili for Thanksgiving Day Dinner)…which meant we found ourselves at Food 4 Less around noon to pick up odds and ends. And the best find of all was a huge bin of Celestial Seasonings holiday goodies on sale! Found Caramel Apple Dream, which I’ve been hunting for all fall, and impulsively grabbed this box, too.

On to real tea-related comments. Existing reviews aren’t very kind to the Wonderland, but I like it. Think sweet cranberry cookie, not tart cranberry chutney. The stevia, which turned me off CS’ Sweet Harvest Pumpkin, meshes better with the rooibos, and while it’s more sweetener than I’d add on my own, works just fine.

I’m a little on the fence about this tea. When I bought it, I imagined it being sweet and warm, but after having a cup, I think the flavor and overall impression is slightly underwhelming.

Upon opening the box, the smell is very strong and slightly artificial, like a berry cinnamon potpourri. After steeping for five minutes, the smell seems a little diluted, though you can definitely still identify cinnamon and berries. The liqueur is a pretty pinkish-red.

Much like the scent after steeping, the taste is somewhat diluted. It’s slightly sweet and the most notable flavors are artificial cranberry, cinnamon, and hibiscus. I don’t detect any traces of vanilla or rooibos at all.

I’m not sure if I’d recommend this tea, though I wouldn’t steer anyone away from it. There’s not much to this tea, but I’m sure there are some who would enjoy it, so I’d encourage anyone who’s interested to at least give it a try. You never know!

Okay, I’m really not a fan of this one. My first complaint is that the first ingredient is Rooibos. I really don’t understand what that is supposed to add to the blend. My second complaint is that this tastes more like artificial cherry than cranberry. I really don’t like artificial cherry much, and combined with the Rooibos, this reminds me of cough syrup. I can taste the vanilla, but it doesn’t make up for the other unpleasantness.

When I saw that CS had a new holiday tea out I had to grab it. I love cranberry and vanilla, so into the cart it went. It turns out this isn’t a cranberry vanilla tea, but rather a hibiscus vanilla tea with a good pinch of cinnamon thrown in. Since I’m not a big hibiscus fan I was sad when I realized the fruity cranberry tartness wasn’t gonna happen. I did find that when I drank this while hot all of the flavors blended, and it was actually a pretty tasty cup. As soon as it starts to cool however, the hibiscus flavor overwhelms the cup.

Oh well, I guess you can’t win them all. I’m sure I’ll drink a few more cups of this, but there’s no way I’ll finish the box. If anyone out there would like to try it let me know and I’ll send some your way.