Review: Mulled Pomegranate Cider and Poached Pear Cider

Here's a special update just in time for Thanksgiving. Well, for us Canadians anyway. This time of year is the time when the temperature drops, the skies turn grey, and my curly hair becomes a bird's nest. This year autumn came a bit early, to my great pleasure, which means I can enjoy my hot teas without dying of heat stroke.

I recently went to Teavana and picked up their newest launches. So in honour of the holiday weekend, I'm reviewing them BOTH! 

Now Teavana's herbal infusions are pretty good, but I have a hard time with herbals in general for the simple fact that you see the same flavours over and over. Raspberry, chamomile, lemon ginger, peach and mint are some of the main guys, but when I see "pomegranate" or "pear," I gotta take a closer look.

Herbal infusions are so pretty (Pomegranate on the left, Pear on the right)

Mulled Pomegranate Cider

Type: Herbal Infusion

Ingredients: Pomegranate, cinnamon, hibiscus, carob, ginger, apple, raspberries
Brewing Time: 5 minutes
Brewing Method:  Tea-for-one

Smell: Bursting with fruit and a soft hint of the spice. Reminds me of a good potpourri.

Flavour: Unsweetened, it has a sour but spicy-sweet flavour. Sour obviously comes from the hibiscus, but the spices really balance it out. Sweetened with honey, the sour notes chill out, but conversely the spicy notes also mellow out. More of the fruity flavours come out when sweetened, which is good if you want a fruity infusion, but not if you want that spice which becomes an aftertaste rather than part of the flavour.

Mmmm, pomegranate-y...

Poached Pear Cider

Type: Herbal Infusion

Ingredients: Cinnamon, apple, cardamom, ginger, lemongrass, pear, ginger
Brewing Time: 5 minutes
Brewing Method: Tea-for-one

Smell: Light-bodied, mildly fruity, but nothing more than that.

Flavour: Very light bodied, very light in any flavour really. It's almost as if you have hot water after eating a pear. You can taste some floral notes, probably the white hibiscus. This would be a refreshing tea to have with something rich like dark chocolate. This is also a good option if you need something with ginger in it but don't like spicy teas. With honey, more sweetness comes out and less of the floral.

It's the pear-fect blend!

Overall rating: 1 2 3 4 5

Both blends are beautiful in their own way. In fact, I believe they would make a great addition to a Thanksgiving meal, or any time when you want something that's just a bit different. Herbal infusions are plentiful, and many bear many similarities to each other. These two are spicy and sweet, fruity and floral, full-bodied but refreshing. The first would be a great accompaniment with your turkey dinner, the second a great pear-ing (pun always intended) for the decadent desserts that come after the meal. Both will help enhance the flavours of the holiday and season, and both will help with that stomachache that comes from eating too much.