Cranberry Earl Grey

Strange VariaTEA TTB #14

I learned my lesson from the last Earl Grey I sampled in this box and tried this one without milk first! Straight, I was getting quite a bit of hibiscus, which sort of reads as cranberry, I guess? With milk, the tartness faded into the background and the bergamot popped more, giving me more traditional Earl Grey vibes. But I love traditional Earl Grey, so I’m not mad about it!

#SVTTB Round Two – Tea 9/???

I’m basically working towards trying all of the Plum Deluxe blends in the box, since it’s harder to get my hands on them here in Canada. The idea behind this one intrigued me; strawberry and bergamot got well together so I could see cranberry being comparable.

Personally I thought the bergamot itself was pretty light handed, but maybe that was for the best because it let the bright, tart red fruit note pop enough to be quite distinct among the black tea. It kind of gave me loose Monk’s Blend vibes, with the black tea and grenadine combo. So, I suppose, bordering a little on more just “red fruit” versus cranberry specifically. I liked it, though! Not enough to keep it, but it was a fun spin on Earl Grey that I’m pleased to have tried.

I think I’ve said it here on Steepster before, but some of my favourite teas to work on myself and to try from others are these “twists” on such established, classic teas where it feels like so many routes have already been explored. It’s cool to see all the different ways tea companies put their own stamps on those types of teas.