Twinings Cranberry & Raspberry Tea Review
This is my last Twinings fruit tea review from the selection box (keep an eye out for the collection box review coming soon) and it’s turned out to be my favourite. Twinings Cranberry and Raspberry tea is a surprisingly flavoursome berry tea blend that tastes very realistic.
Read my full review below to find out why the realistic flavour was a surprise and how best to try this tea at home. It’s available in the collection box or to buy individually from both Amazon and Twinings official teashop.
Cranberry and Raspberry Tea at a Glance
Izzy's Rating
3.1/5
- Blend: Hibiscus, apple and elderflower tea with natural cranberry and raspberry flavourings
- Flavour: Realistic cranberries with sweet and tart raspberry notes
I was impressed with the flavour of this tea. It’s true and strong, with an intense flavour and lingering sweet aftertaste. Cranberry and raspberry notes are distinct and flavoursome.
Full Review – Raspberry and Cranberry Tea
Izzy's Rating
3.1/5
- Type: Tagged paper filter teabag
- Ingredients: Hibiscus, apple pieces, rosehips, elderflower, liquorice root, natural cranberry flavouring, natural raspberry flavouring, other natural flavourings
- Health Benefits: Reduce inflamed sinuses, soothe cold symptoms
- Flavour Notes: Fresh cranberries, tart and sweet raspberries, lingering sweet aftertaste
- Aroma: Sweet raspberries, juicy cranberries, slight bitterness, mixed berry pie filling
- Milk or Lemon: Honey, if desired
- Where to Buy: Twinings Official Teashop or Amazon
As far as I can tell, you can only buy this tea in individually wrapped teabags, which isn’t great for reducing waste but does prevent the tea from going stale quickly once opened. Notes of sweet raspberries, juicy cranberries and hibiscus tartness hit my nose. It certainly smells more natural than other raspberry teas I’ve tried (like Lloyd’s).
It brews into a glorious ruby-pink-red colour that’s so inviting and perfectly reflects the depth and sweetness of the tea.
It sweetens once brewed so that the aroma is closer to a fruit compote or berry pie filling. Rich and simmering with sun-ripened summer sweetness. The flavour matches. It’s so natural! True cranberry and tart/sweet raspberry notes swirl through my mouth with a fruity depth that’s both intense and refreshing. It’s like drinking fruit juice but with a lot more going on at different levels.
Like Shrek and onions, this tea has layers.
The aftertaste is worth noting as well. It coats your mouth in gentle, long-lasting sweetness. You’ll feel sad when you take that last sip and realise it’s over.
How to Brew Twinings Cranberry and Raspberry Tea
I brewed for 3 minutes in freshly drawn boiling water. Although it’s an intensely flavoured tea, Twinings Cranberry and Raspberry tea has a long brew time, especially compared to other teas in the fruit selection box.
I’ve been drinking this as a dessert tea, but you could definitely drink it with dessert as well. I imagine it would cut through a rich slice of chocolate brownie or sticky toffee pudding with ease.
As it’s caffeine-free, it could also be an evening soother.
Why Twinings Fruit Tea?
I’ve reviewed more than a handful of Twinings teas in my time and this tea follows the trend. You can expect:
- Pretty and effective, yet wasteful, packaging.
- Finely chopped ingredients in the teabag (not always a bad thing when it comes to fruit/herbal blends).
- Natural flavourings rather than artificial.
- Very similar tea bases.
The hibiscus, apple and rosehip combo seems to be a favourite of Twinings and creates the base for several of their fruit teas. I wonder if maybe this is to save money – they create a big batch of the generic blend and then add natural flavourings to differentiate it and cut costs. But that’s just speculation.
Cranberry & Raspberry Health Benefits
I’d love to be able to recommend this tea for menstrual cramps, as that’s what cranberries and raspberry leaf tea are traditional remedies for… but unfortunately, this tea doesn’t contain cranberries or raspberries.
Instead, this is predominantly an apple and hibiscus tea (creating that sweet and tart base) with natural flavourings to create the cranberry and raspberry flavour.
I would say that this tea is very good for a cold. Add a drop of honey and it will do wonders for your sore throat. Furthermore, Twinings Cranberry and Raspberry tea contains 8% elderflower, which is a good herbal remedy to reduce inflamed sinuses and speed up flu/cold recovery.
Summary
Overall, I do highly recommend this tea based on the flavour alone. I found it to be the most authentic and flavoursome of all the fruit teas from Twinings and is just so easy to drink. You can buy an individual teabag from Twinings, or use the link below and above to order a whole boxful. You won’t regret it.
Tea Recommendation
If Twinings Cranberry and Raspberry Tea sounds like a cupful of joy, then take a look at my review of the delightfully juicy Ahmad Peach and Passionfruit Tea review next.