Flavored Black Tea: Red Grape

Sipdown (127)!

Thank you Cameron B.! I’ve seemed to really, really enjoy grape teas as of late which is surprising because I’m so anti-raisin, which is used in a lot of “Grape” tea. This sipdown was done as a cold brew, though I’d have been interested in trying it hot too.

It tasted really, really good! Like a fancier/darker Grape Kool-Aid? You know, sweet and very “purple” (not red, sorry) but not abundantly artificial/chemical. There was maybe a touch of a red wine/boozey quality that made it feel a little more “adult” but no, mostly I just enjoyed slurping back big sips of Kool Aid tea.

I don’t know much about this company other than what I read in Cam’s tasting note for this tea – but they sound like one I’d be curious in exploring a little more. I was really impressed with this blend when I had sort of just dismissed it based on the name alone…

Yay, I’m so excited! I’ve been wanting to try Creha’s flavored Japanese black teas ever since I found them on Yunomi. They have a number of unique (and classic) flavors and most of them sound amazing. Unfortunately, they don’t offer sample sizes of these teas, and most of them are around $17 for 50g. So when I built up a bunch of rewards points by writing reviews, I knew exactly what I wanted to spend them on! First of all, this canister is freaking adorable! And I love the unique artwork on the front (this art is different for each flavor). The tea itself was packaged in a cellophane bag inside the tin, which is a nice extra layer of freshness. The leaves look whole and quite pretty, they’re a bit curly and very dark in color with some reddish spots. The flavoring is definitely very powerful in the dry scent (mostly because it was just opened). It reminds me of grape soda, and there’s an alcoholic edge because it’s so strong. Hopefully the scent mellows a bit over time.

Happily, the steeped tea does not have an overpowering grape aroma, and there’s no trace of alcohol. It smells lovely and sweet, and I can detect the black tea’s aroma as well. Yum, I actually quite like this. I admit, it’s definitely an artificial grape flavor, but I don’t mind that with the black tea. There is the teensiest hint of bitterness in the beginning of the sip, so perhaps this one needs a slightly lower water temperature or shorter time. Otherwise the base tea is very smooth and mellow, and tastes mildly of bread and malt. There’s also a little bit of creamy honey and some hay notes. It’s quite good, and I bet this would be amazing iced.