Yes We Cran

I got this tea as part of the whole fall collection set, and was planning on giving this one to my mom, since I didn’t think I’d like it. Berry teas don’t generally work for me, and especially not ones with hibiscus. Still, I gave it a go, and I’m glad I did. The hibiscus was not over powering and the slight hint of tartness mixed with cinnamon spices makes it good. Not great, but something I could see myself being in the mood for every now and then.

While going through the fall collection in stores I fell in love with the way this one smelled in the tea. Unfortunately once brewed it didn’t live up to my expectations. I’m going to try messing around with brew times and see if it’s any better iced, but this is definitely a disappointing brew. It’s way too tart and almost taste as though I’m drinking a fall candle. I really wanted to like this one, but it’s just not doing anything for me.

Hmm. I’m not sure about this one. It smells quite strongly of a winter/autumn candle. My mom also said that it smells “like Christmas” to her. It does steep up to a beautiful deep crimson color.

Sipping… hibiscus is the first thing I notice and wow, it’s very strong! It lingers for a long time, but slowly changes into something like a spiced cider. I suppose that it’s cranberry that I’m tasting, but to be honest, it’s more of a weird cranberry candle + spice mixture. This is surprisingly drinkable given how much hibiscus is in it.. I think it also helps that I’m in the mood for something tart. I don’t hate hibiscus, but wish it didn’t take over everything in the universe when it’s included in a blend.

While I finished the cup, I don’t think that I would repurchase more of this blend. I think less hibiscus and more of a real cranberry flavor would have helped it out. It really is like drinking a candle only without a waxy flavor.

I love the smell of this one dry — tart fruit, warm cinnamon, and eggnog. It smells creamy and delicious. Steeped however … well, I couldn’t finish the cup the first time I made this.

I tried this again last night, hoping I’d enjoy it more. The first steep is very thick and extremely tart/sour. No cinnamon, but I get the sensation of having eaten something creamy after each sip (maybe this is my desire for a creamier tea clouding my senses?). Second steep is mercifully free of all the tart flavor and it’s approaching creamy. I’m reminded of Teavana’s Strawberry Cream, which was also unbelievably tart. Only difference between these two is that, if you chugged Strawberry Cream, the fruit flavor would mellow out into vanilla cream … and that just doesn’t happen here. It’s either all tart or mostly flavorless.

Another sample from my last DAVIDsTEA order.

Dry nose: smells like potpourri and clove, not sure if I like it yet. I didn’t get the gross hibiscus smell though so I supose that’s a good sign?

Liquor: Deep, deep blood red.

Taste: Smells much more interesting than it tastes. A little tart, but I’m not tasting any of the spices I smelled. Sweetening it made it a bit less bland, but I’m not a fan.

So when I went to get the two new pumpkin teas at DavidsTea on Friday, I had a sample of this in store and it was actually quite good. After trying a few cups at home, I have determined they must have steeped it for literally about 1 minute, and added a bunch of sugar lol. Nonetheless, I will review the current cup I am having of this tea to know what to improve in the future.

FIrst off, the dry smell is quite pleasant, cinnamon and spices with an apple scent in there as well. Definitely pumpkin spice. The tea in the store tasted very pumpkin-y, so I hoped to achieve this at home. Ok, the first cup I made was a complete write-off – blood red liquor, so tart I actually had to throw the cup out, and I am not a hibiscus hater…but that was just gross. So today, I tried a little less leaf for only about 2.5 minutes.

The steeped smell is still rather tart, although I can pick out the spices at least in there as well. And yes, it is still bright red. Ugh, less steep time next time.

As for the flavor..it is a huge improvement over the first cup, but this still isn’t the sweet spot. True, I can taste the spices, a pumpkin flavor, and a tiny bit of sweetness, but it is still quite tart and in need of some sweetener I think. Maybe I’ll add some brown sugar….okay, added some and some pancake syrup and not much change. Still quite overpoweringly tart. Whether it’s from the cranberries, rose hips or hib, I don’t know but…yeah. Gah. Ah well, can’t win them all. It is slightly improving as it cools, but still not a favorite.

Overall, I am not impressed with this tea. It was so tasty in store that I bought some, and at home it is just blah. I never sweeten my teas unless it is honey to enhance already awesome flavors (aka my amazing ginger teas), so the fact that I was adding random stuff does not bode well. I will play with it some more, as I know it has good potential, and I love the idea..but currently it’s just not for me. Sorry, but I will say this so far to this tea…No, we Cran’t. :(

Ehhhh, I never really care for these spicy fruity hibiscus blends. There’s a lack of harmony: whilst the spices are appropriate when you brew up a hot cup, the hibiscus is weird (at least for me). But cold brewed, the spices seem out of place in what should be a fruity drink.

I enjoyed this tea a lot more than I expected too! Generally I find hibiscus a bit offputting, but here it just adds a bit of tartness. Definitely tasted the sweetness from the apple, and some creaminess as well. The spice creeps up on you at the end of a sip, and it’s just delicious and such a FALL flavour.

Tastes like Christmas, and the hibiscus doesn’t ruin it! I wish there was a touch of pear or apple to add sweetness, but other than that the flavour is great. Tastes like my favourite apple cider spice mix. The ingredients here are a bit deceptive though, since the spices aren’t explicitly named – I’m pretty sure I taste cloves and probably ginger … Anyways, it was a pleasant surprise that despite the deep purple of hibiscus, the flavour was quite good. It’s like Christmas in July (because the temperature here right now is pretty much higher than all of July was this year!)

Received as part of the Fall Collection 2014. This “tea” was basically just watered-down spiced cranberry juice with hints of other juices and something I couldn’t recognize. Very tart straight, better with honey and coconut creamer but still mostly watered down spiced fruit-juice with honey and coconut milk in it. It’s reaaaaally not worth the money, IMO.