Merry Cranberry

I told a friend I was drinking this tea and he said “… isn’t mistletoe poisonous?” That was an interesting moment or two. The first link that popped up in google was all “OMG don’t eat any part of it ever you could DIEEE”… but they wouldn’t be allowed to put it in tea if it were deadly, would they? Aaaanyway…

Got a sample of this from Janelle because I was super curious to try it… and it’s pretty tasty! I’m not getting very much anise at all (which is great because I don’t like anise). It smells like cloves and vanilla and craisins, and tastes much the same, but I do get a little green tea and something kinda interesting that must be the mistletoe. Mmm… I’m glad I got the chance to try it. =]

I am loving this tea. Nice and light but still Christmassy (is that a word). I was wondering about the star anise and wether it would take over the tea or not but it hasn’t in any of the cups I have had so far. The green tea comes out quite nicely even with everything else going on.
And my favourite part? I love eating the cranberries out of my steeper after the tea is done steeping. So yummy.
This even resteeps well once. I normally prepare my tea with the regular paramaters and then I just add more water to the steeper and get the tea when I have finished my first cup.
I do have to remember to pay attention when at David’s getting my tins refilled. I asked the girl for 100 g of this one and when I saw the tin wasn’t full I told her to go ahead and fill it. Well imagine my shock when I looked at the tin at home and it had 190g in it. Whoops. Guess I won’t need to refill this tin for awhile.

This is a good tea. I like this one.

So, the smell of this one honestly made me think of root beer. I’m drawn in by the smell for sure. I steeped it up this weekend and had it while I was away at my aunt and uncle’s cottage, and I’m having it again now that I’m home. It’s amazing everything tastes different when you’re away and relaxing somewhere else other than home. No cellphones, no internet, no contact with the outside world. It’s just you and nature and family. I can’t wait to go back in the summer.

Anyways, the tea is really good. I love the cranberry flavour. I swear though, that this one has a bit of a root beer flavour to it. I don’t know how that is, but it does to me.
Added nothing to this one today as it really doesn’t need it.
I’m loving that I don’t have to add anything to most teas now. I’ve gotten myself to a place where I actually drink most of my teas straight. Black teas still need some milk, but that’s just a personal preference.

Had a very Merry Christmas, mostly since I was showered in tea gifts!
(imagine swimming in tea like Scrooge McDuck).
I wasn’t sure about this tea due to so-so ratings, but I really enjoyed it! I feel it could benefit from being more cranberry-y, so might dice up berries before next attempt, maybe that will help them steep better? I always wonder about dried fruit.. I can’t imagine a raisin imparting that much flavour, but I am no tea scientist. Anyhow, was a great light before-bed tea and if there is still some at the store, will treat myself to more!
Happy New Year all :)

I started off not really liking this one, but the health benefits of it has been plentiful. My friend came to my work in a frantic state because she knew she had a uti and couldn’t get a doctors apt until three days later. I know that cranberry tends to help with this and she was about to drink a bottle of minute maid cranberry cocktail. I told her not to, and gave her this tea instead. It helped alleviate her symptoms and get her through until her appointment. I am now drinking it because I have felt something like that might be coming on and its doing just the trick. I like this tea because the cranberries in it are huge. My only complaint about this one is that because it is a heavier green tea, the actual leaves get overpowered by the cranberry, the star anise and the cinnamon… but all in all, its a helpful cup of tea, that I will be sad to see discontinued. I should mention, I have tried it hot and cold, and I actually prefer this one cold brewed.

this one was a bit tart for me, but smells just lovely. the spices really round it out and, for me at least, make it more palatable.
if this didn’t have the green tea it would probably be my go-to night time herbal for the holidays.

In the store, the sample was so flavorful and wonderful, so I bought an ounce! I’m excited to drink it.

I got this as a christmas present from a lovely friend who enjoys tea as as well.

I MUST learn not to sweeten David’s Teas without trying them first. This didn’t need any sugar, and the little bit I put in almost overwhelms it :(

This is REALLY cranberry-ee. Which is good. A good real cranberry taste, not an artificial one. And I was a little worried when I saw cinnamon in the ingredients, I’m not a fan of spicy teas. This is not overwhelming, and balances out the flavors nicely. Yum!

Steeped up a small pot of this at a friend’s house the other day. No kettle, so we boiled water on the stove then let it sit for a few minutes. I lost track of steeping time, as she was on the phone and I have nearly zero concept of time if I’m not using a timer. I also think I put too much tea in, all she had was a big spoon. I’m not used to steeping in pots.

Yum! I had this as a sample in-store which was a bit weak and light, but steeped at home made it just like christmas in my mug! I could taste the cinnamon, but it wasn’t overwhelming. I could definitely taste the cranberry, but again, it didn’t over power the tea. I have a hard time with anything licorice-y, but the anise didn’t bother me at all.

I might buy a ~bit more, but this isn’t something I’ll keep in my permanent collection. It’s a nice tea for when company is over on a chilly day. (although I rarely have company…)

So first complaint: HOLY CRANBERRY. I ordered 250 g of four different types of tea, and this one seemed like it only had half as much in the bag as the other three. That makes me sad. Bright side: I like cranberry.

Taste-wise: it’s pretty good! For the life of me I wouldn’t have been able to figure out this was a green tea if the package didn’t tell me. Tastes like cranberries, apples, cinnamon, and a little bit of an I-don’t-know-what kick (probably a combination of the blackberry leaves, star anise and mistletoe). Yum! Definitely does remind me of Christmas, although it would have to be a lot more cinnamon-y and pine-y to be truly Christmasy to me.

I’m not sure if I would buy it again only because the tea is so heavy; you don’t get much for what you pay for, and there are a lot of other lighter green teas I like just as well.