Mediterranean Tea Inspired By Blood Orange And Cranberry. (Twinings Cranberry & Sanguinello Orange Tea)

Member Name: Machair1

Product:	Twinings Cranberry & Sanguinello Orange Tea
Date:	08/06/09 (44 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Perfect for those wanting to avoid caffeine, cut calories, and hydrate themselves.

Disadvantages: None

I have been enjoying some lovely fruit and herb teas recently, and one which I have recently discovered is Twinings Cranberry and Saguinello Orange.

I purchase mine from www.goodnessdirect.co.uk but I am sure they will be available in the larger supermarkets. They are also included in the selection pack Twinings do called the Twinings Fresh & Fruity Fruit & Herbal Selection 50g. This selection pack offers five different individually wrapped fruity teas so you can try them and see if you like them enough to purchase the entire box. These flavours are
5x Blackberry & Nettle
5x Pomegranate & Raspberry
5x Cranberry & Sanguinello Orange
5x Cranberry, Raspberry & Elderflower
5x Blackcurrant, Ginseng & Vanilla.

I rather like these selection packs as the bags are individually wrapped which makes them really portable and easy to pop a couple in your handbag whereas the packs of 20 are unwrapped.

I would say here on an environmental note that the wrapping I love is not eco friendly, and other companies such as Celestial Seasonings refuse to pack their tea bags in individual sachets and also refuse to have any string on them which will eventually be in landfill. So although convenient, and I do like these, I don't buy them unless I have specific travel needs.

I enjoyed the Sanguinello tea first in the multi pack and went on to purchase the packet containing 20 tea bags which retails for £1.35.

The first thing I noticed when buying this was the beautiful cover which is so attractive and would look lovely on any kitchen surface. Slices of orange and lovely ripe cranberries make this an aesthetically pleasing product.

The tea contains all natural ingredients including hibiscus, apple pieces, natural cranberry flavouring, natural sanguinello orange flavouring, rosehips, and liquorice root. Twinings describe this tea as being inspired by the Mediterranean and it certainly is in my opinion.

Sanguinello oranges are more commonly known as blood oranges and they have a crimson flesh. The oranges are grown in Spain and they have a sweet flavour which when married with the cranberries produces a lovely mixture of sweet and sour. I really love them and sometimes buy the excellent blood orange juice made by Tropicana.

To make the tea all you do is add boiling water to one tea bag in a mug and leave for 3 minutes. I have left this in the water, and have even used it twice, and you won't get any bitterness if you do this, but you can remove it if you wish, and it won't spoil the flavour which is intense and refreshing.

The best way I have found to enjoy this tea is to actually chill it and to serve it with slices of oranges, if you can find blood oranges then so much the better, and it is really lovely to enjoy in the garden on a sunny afternoon.

The tea is caffeine free, has only a trace of calories, and of course it counts as water so it is hydrating the body rather than the opposite which can occur with caffeinated drinks. The orange flavour is discernable but there are berry fruits in there too making the flavours reminiscent of a punch bowl where nothing dominates. In fact this tea reminds me of Christmas time and I can imagine serving this hot with a lovely mince pie.

The best way to enjoy the tea hot is to buy some orange flavoured biscuits to go with it. Club make a lovely orange variety as do Bahlsen, and you can even enjoy the humble Jaffa Cake too. All are lovely and make a tasty little treat to go with the tea.

The other day I went into my local out of town Sainsbury's which is a giant superstore, and I was absolutely amazed at the number of fruit teas they had there. Shelves and shelves of them were making choices difficult. I would say though that having tried many over the last few months I am getting a few favourites and this is certainly one of them.

You may also be able to sample these if you are a coffee shop or tea room, as I recently had the pleasure of drinking one somewhere between Uig and Lochmaddy when sailing to The Outer hebrides in a Cal-Mac ferry cafeteria!

It's perfect all year round, has a lovely intense flavour and is a pleasant change from tea and coffee.

Summary: A versatile drink which can be enjoyed hot or cold.