Cranberry Autumn

This was my official T-Day tea yesterday.
I am drinking it again this morning, since I really did not get to sit down and enjoy a tea time yesterday.
I even shared a little with the Hubby yesterday morning. (He asked me for some after sniffing my cup)
He proclaimed that it smelled like dirt and berries…not the most attractive description unless you are my farmer husband, he loves the smell of dirt.
I was not getting any notes of dirt though.
I do get oranges and cranberries though!
I think it is a very fun and festive tea.
I am enjoying it this morning with a my homemade Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls. Yum-O!
I hope all you wonderful Steepster folks had a beautiful Thanksgiving!

This is one of the samples I got today from TeaEqualsBliss, thanks so much to her. I LOVE cranberries and I’ve had good luck with Harney’s flavored teas so far so I was excited about this one. It’s very good. The black tea is smooth and the flavors are light, but they’re strong enough to let you know they’re there while remaining natural tasting. The cranberry is stronger than the orange, and there’s definitely some cranberry tartness (which is why I love cranberries so). Good stuff, now I gotta try Boston. Thanks, TeaEqualsBliss!

Tea of the afternoon…..

I have had this sample since last Winter. I figured I had better try it now that it is the prime season for this tea. I like the balance of the cranberry with the hint of orange and the black tea base. I am guessing that Harney’s African Autumn is the rooibos counterpart to this tea. The black version is definitely much more appealing to me than the rooibos. I guess that should not be a surprise as I prefer black tea in general.

Edit to add: After drinking the whole pot, I am not so sure on this. The first few cups were good, but by the end of the pot I am not liking it as well. It is reminiscent of hibiscus even though it is possible there is not any in there. In thinking about it, cranberry and orange flavoring could be kind of like the tartness I do get from hibiscus….. Final verdict…not for me.

(from the website) Ingredients: Black tea, cranberries, orange peel, natural orange oil, and artificial cranberry flavor.
No hibiscus. I am guessing I just don’t do well with this flavor combo……

Steeped the usual way….

Had another cup of this with my mom this morning… stopped at her house after going to the grocery store (realized we were out of dog food for the furry kids!)

I was able to try this because LiberTEAs is so awesome! Thanks girl!

This was more smooth than I thought it would be and I think that is a plus! I could taste the cranberry – not very bitter cranberry, I might add, and a bit of citrus, too. 3

When I first smelled this right out of the package I thought I could smell grape in addition to Crans and Citrus.

I ended up liking this just fine and dandy! It’s yummy hot or cold!

Daily work tea, bought for nostalgia’s sake. I went through a 4 ounce tin in the fall/winter of what I think was 2012? 2011? It was my morning staple for a while when I worked at the noodle house.

Still so fruity. Cranberry and orange peel with a little tartness. Not sure why I gave it a 95, though. I guess I was young and inexperienced. Note to self: 3 tsp is too mild for 24 ounces of water.

The perfect accompaniment to our apple-themed potluck/tea party!

My last Harney & Sons sample, courtesy of Courtney. Dry, this has a very faint scent, maybe vaguely fruity but mostly black tea. It reminds me a bit of Adagio’s Cranberry, from their Holiday Cheer set, in that respect.

Brewed, this smells much more strongly of cranberry — it’s definitely cranberry that’s detectable now, rather than just “red fruit”. There’s also a pretty strong influence from the black tea base — it’s kind of sweet smelling and slightly malty, and it contrasts nicely with the tart, almost bittersweet cranberries.

In terms of taste, I feel much the same way as I do about the scent. It’s softer than I expected it to be, with the tart cranberry taking centre stage and the mellow, sweet base still a big part of the flavour, but in a purely complementary way. I think I expected this to taste bitter (maybe a memory from the Adagio!), so I’m pleasantly surprised that it’s not. This is a tea no doubt better suited to a brisk autumnal day, but it’s certainly been a pleasing cup tonight anyway. Thanks again to Courtney for sharing this with me!

Cranberry and orange are definitely not my favorite flavors on this planet, especially not when put together, so this is something I wouldn’t look for normally. Chris_s gave me a large sample of this, so I got a chance to try it.

It smells like candy in the bag. Once brewed, it has a nice non-astringent black base and I can taste a light orange flavor in the background. The cranberry is more like a craisin (sweetened cranberry) and there is something both candy-like and lightly floral that I cannot put my finger on. And, I agree with TeaEqualsBliss that there is also a grape flavor to this. I kind of like it, but its not really my thing. If you like cranberries and orange and candy, then you will probably love this.

I’ve been enjoying my Shui Teas so much that I haven’t had anything new to log for a while. I was feeling a little disconnected from Steepster so, in honor of Fall (even though it’s still 106 degrees here) I thought I’d give this one a try.

This tea (in silken sachets) has a bright fruity fragrance that deepens to an almost bitter citrus. This is true before and after brewing.

Once brewed, you’re left with a garnet colored tea. The taste is mildly flavored. From the fragrance, I expected a high level of bitterness or tartness but there’s just a subtle pucker after a slight fruit flavor. I would prefer that the tea base be presented a bit stronger, but overall this wasn’t bad.