Cloud Catcher earns its name honestly: the peachy, pale-gold liquor and the mix of sweet and tart fruit make it feel suited to grey, wet afternoons, though it works just as well cold in summer. The blend is built from freeze-dried kiwi, cherry pieces, apple pieces, coconut flakes and cranberry slices, with natural flavouring rounding out the mix. The result is a cup with layered fruity notes — sweet from the apple and coconut, sharper from the cherry and cranberry — and a light tropical edge running through it.
It's a fruit tisane rather than a true tea, meaning it contains no leaves from the Camellia sinensis plant and therefore no caffeine, which makes it a fair choice for anyone avoiding caffeine late in the day. Tea & Coffee packs this one fresh to order at its factory in Kent.
Fruit tisanes like this have a long history that predates the widespread drinking of true tea, and infusions of this kind are sometimes linked to the American Revolution, when colonists turned to brewed fruit as an alternative to British imports. Later, in the early twentieth century, fruit tisanes became a common base for iced tea as it grew popular in America.
To brew, use freshly boiled water and infuse for five to ten minutes. It's best served plain, without milk or sweetener, letting the fruit carry the flavour on its own. Some drinkers reach for fruit tisanes like this one for their antioxidant content, though the levels here are modest compared to true teas — worth knowing rather than a reason to expect much of a health boost.