Linda, ah, good point! I had removed my Sadaf tea bags from the box years ago and never realized it contained Earl Grey. Good catch! My only guess is that since only 2/5 of my tea bags were the Sadaf bags, and it only “contains” Earl Grey (and not sure the amount), it turned out okay. It appears that many people brew kombucha with Earl Grey without incident. But you should probably look for a different tea to work with – Rooibos, Yerba Mate, Darjeeling would all be great additions to straight black tea. The cardamom tea sounds great, but the flavor can take on a different profile after brewing, so it might not taste much like cardamom after the fermentation – but it’s worth a shot!