Lupicia

I really thought I’d tried this tea before, but maybe that was back when I was just lurking on here. Thanks to tea-sipper for giving me the chance to definitely try this! The black base was pretty mild, and the fruitiness came out more and more as it cooled. Without looking, I would have said that the fruit flavor is sort of like lychee? It’s not my favorite, but I think it did a solid job and was somewhat original.

STTB Tea

I brewed this one luke warm and left it brewing for a few hours before I drank it over ice. I think the long brewing time in cooler water really brought out the best in this tea.

This is one of the better oolongs I have had.. It has a very complex floral aroma (it smells like like peony flowers), some vegetal and orchid notes, and a very smooth jade oolong flavour. I’m going to be ordering this next time I order from Lupicia because I am very impressed at how distinctly it smells like peony flowers. I also like the thickness and smoothness of the base without being bitter.

STTB

I almost didn’t try this one because I thought it was a straight green. I’m glad I did because it was a tasty apple flavour. I don’t like apple candy but I enjoyed this.

The base is very astringent (drying, makes my tongue tingle, a bit bitter). This is ok when you steep tea properly, but I forgot about my cup and let it steep for 15 minutes (it was fairly cool water, though). Lupicia always has excellent flavouring. If only they had a smoother base for some of their greens I would be tempted to buy some of this next time I’m in the USA,

I’ve been continuing my matcha smoothies for breakfast… I used to not be a “breakfast person” but I kinda like that I’m getting my “tea and breakfast” in one this way, and I’m really liking how I feel with the sort of “mellow yet strong” caffeine hit I’m getting from the matcha compared to just making a warm cuppa (not that I don’t still love a warm cuppa).

I was getting tired of my “Lime in the Coconut” smoothies I’ve had for a few days in a row now trying to sip down my Coconut Matcha and just wanted to change it up this morning, and for whatever reason, was craving caramel apple as a flavor profile. I had this matcha, and it’s really old, past the best buy date, and in a package I hadn’t even cut open yet. SIGH. And this is my eternal problem…

Normally I just dump the powder into the blender but I whisked it up with the vanilla oat milk into a latte first this morning to sample separate from the smoothie, since I had never tried it before. (It meant more dishes to be cleaned, but MATCHA SCIENCE!) I normally prepare my matcha as lattes (as I find it too bitter for me typically in just water) but these “matcha au lait” mixes that Lupicia used to make are made to be latte mixes (at least from the instructions). There was definitely a sweet grassy matcha flavor present, but also a very sweet candy-esque note… caramel, though? I’m not entirely sure I got an overwhelming impression of caramel, though I could see what they were going for… maybe a subtle hint of a caramel flavor? Definitely something sweet and creamy, and there is quite a bit of sugar/milk in the mix for this one. I definitely would not drink this not prepared as a latte (as the mix suggests), but think it is fine. It is sweet so I don’t have problems with “matcha bitterness,” but at the same time, doesn’t have a flavor that overwhelms that “grassy matcha taste” either. On the other hand, it isn’t my favorite flavored matcha I’ve tried by a longshot, either. I guess it just feels a little lackluster?

The smoothie was good though! It consisted of the matcha latte (minus the few sips I took for MATCHA SCIENCE!), a green apple, half a cup of dates, some ice, and a big glob of caramel sauce (because health conscious I am not). It hit the “sweet/tart green caramel apple” I was wanting quite well!

This is a single teabag I got from some past Lupicia order as a sample. Grapefruit isn’t really my thing, but I figured I may as well just steep up the cup and get it out of my cupboard. I cold brewed it, probably letting it steep for a few hours in 350ml of ice cold water in the fridge while I was doing some washing up and food prep stuff in the kitchen.

This actually isn’t as jarring to me as I was expecting… maybe cold brewing made the grapefruit come across less bitter/acidic than I usually find it? (Or I wonder if the flavor is simply growing on me! I normally love tart/sour flavors, but have just never liked that one particular one for whatever reason…) This is actually pretty refreshing. It does taste like grapefruit, and I am getting a bit of a citrusy tang, but it isn’t overwhelmingly sour. The base tea is coming across very light (but it probably is quite old at this point); there is a subtle grassiness, and, oddly enough, a slight note of melon rind. Honestly, I really like this as an iced, cold brew tea, and I didn’t expect to at all, which is really surprising me! I’m not sure if I’d pick this over other citrus flavors, but I don’t think I’d turn down exploring other grapefruit teas a bit more if the opportunity arises in the future, either.

I’ve been loving this tea for about a year now… how have I not written a tasting note?! Picked this up in Paris at the Lupicia store there. Wish I had time to visit their tea room in the back.
It has a dark rich berry scent to it. I’ve been enjoying it with a bit of cream. The chocolate is subtle. I think it works more to add depth to the flavor of the berry as opposed to tasting like chocolate in it’s own right. My cup is cool now, so it’s hard to pick out the flavors in the sip, but the finish leaves me with a light yet rich raspberry flavor. I’ll have to add more notes when I have a hot cup in front of me again.

A sad sipdown on one of my favourite blends. This fruity/floral has delicious lychee and rose notes with stone fruits and a smooth decaf black tea base. I’m going to miss this one.

Sipdown (256)

Thank you CameronB for sharing this one. I used the whole sample in a 16 oz mug and I think that might have been slightly overleafed. It was peachy but had a sharpness from the oolong that I didn’t love. That was probably due to the overleafing though.

Ultimately I think this was a solid peach option but also not a standout in the sea of peach offerings. Probably for the best because lupicia isn’t really easy to get in Canada now.

I’ve wanted to try this one for a while, and thanks to Whiteantlers, I finally can. I know there are two separate Muscat teas from Lupicia: the Queen’s Muscat, which blends green oolong and white tea, and this one, which is the darker version. I am so glad it’s the darker version.

I see people divided on this one: Either it’s too artificial, or it plays into the muscatel elements very well. For me, I was actually surprised how natural this one felt to me in terms of the mouthfeel. Muscadine wine, and Muscato, popped in my head instantly drinking it, having the same sticky sweetness that can glue my lips with its syrupy thickness. Better yet, it’s what I imagine “Muscatel” tasting like before I taste a Darjeeling, only to be disappointed by dryness and malt. I know Muscadine is named after Moscato, but still, very muscatel. This one delivers “muscatel” in the juiciest sense of the word. The flavor is intense and obnoxious, but I was able to cut it very easily with Gong Fu Cha style short steeps in increments of 5-10 seconds.

I gave some to my mom, and she instantly liked it with an “Oooo, this is tasty,” but then, she didn’t finish it. She let it get cold as she played World of Warcraft in our subterranean cooled basement. I come back about two hours later, and she’s finishing it.

With a raised brown and an open face, she remarked “I actually like this better cold.”

Again, it was like chilled Muscadine wine. There was more to the tea, and the roast comes out as the flavoring bleeds out into the earlier brews, dissipating in the late ones.

Other reviews have already described it in detail, but this is an oddball tea. It’s great if you know what a muscat is, and love it. It’s overpowering if you hesitate with the word “Grape.”, because this is grape soda in tea form.

Samurai Travelling Tea Box – Tea #42

Gongfu!

…I think I had this the day the “Great Steepster Freeze” started, but then because of the free I waited to post the note. Now that it’s obviously going to be an extended time period, I’m posting anyway.

I steeped this in a new teapot from Teaware House and I definitely misjudged the leaf expansion on this one but it still tastes great! Soft and very floral, but also has a great buttery flavour and the wet leaf/steeping aroma reminds me of coconut water! I’ve had a bunch of blended tea from Lupicia but not a lot of their straight tea & this makes me want to explore more!

Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/CDHEVRqAjRn/

This is also usually the part where I share a song that I listened to during this tea session, but the song I was listening to (Strawberry Wine – Lemon Drop) actually isn’t on Youtube at all so there’s nothing for me to link to.

Highly recommend giving it a listen on Spotify though!

Also from Cameron B!  Thanks again for all the lovely teas!  I’ve had this a couple times, just trying to find that darn chocolate.  I KNOW Lupicia does chocolate teas very well.  But this seems to be only banana.  I would never guess this was chocolate at all.  It’s also the Runts banana, which I’m not overly thrilled with, but this tea would have been even more disappointing with NO banana AND NO chocolate.  But at least banana.  The base uses two types of black tea, one of which is CTC and I kind of like when some black teas are like this – a balance of caffeine but also another type of black tea for flavor.  I’m surprised more companies don’t do this.  I don’t want every tea blender to do this, but this is fine.
Steep #1  // 1 1/3 teaspoons for full mug // 20 minutes after boiling  // 1 minute steep
Steep #2  // 2 minutes after boiling //  3 minute steep

The first time I tried this, I had it the way I am sure it was intended – hot.

But years ago when I placed my first Cuppageek Teas order, it came with a yerba mate straw with the strainer. I was thrilled. It was going to be such fun to put water and tea in a mason jar and drink it cold with my lunch next day! Except after all my excitement, I never did. I never planned ahead for my tea, or I would just make whole gallons because we go through iced tea so fast in summer.

I finally decided to try my straw on a cold steeped tea but I was skeptical about whether cold water would TRULY extract enough flavor. I figured I should use one of my strongest teas to insure that there would be something to taste.

Wow. Left it overnight and seriously this is every bit as strong as when I made it hot. And it is definitely a hoot to get out a mason jar with leaves in it and slurp away, so I am going to be doing this more.

My impressions of the tea remain the same as last note. My fantasties about how cool and Pinterest-y using the straw would be…oh ya. I want to do some fruit and herb blends next!

I was making soup when the doorbell rang. I was surprised because I wasn’t expecting a package and no one else ever rings the doorbell. I set down my spoon and hurried to the door where the dogs (I am keeping my grandpup for two weeks) were enthusiastically announcing the presence of the postal carrier and there was indeed a box by the door! A surprise box from White Antlers!

I read the nicest letter and then dug into the box of goodies. Everything looks so good! I picked this to be the first I try.

About the soup – I was inundated with cucumbers from the garden. I have given away cucumbers. Made cucumber sandwiches and cucumber salad. Some cucumbers were about to get away from me, looking a little sad in the fridge but still edible. They are not a sort suitable for pickles.

So I cooked some onion, added broth, tossed in chopped cucumber, lots of dill, garlic, evap milk because I don’t usually keep cream on hand, blended it….and it was really delicious. But I really didn’t taste cucumber. It could easily have been cream of zucchini. I decided to make it go a little further and added finely diced carrot and potato. Topped it with mozzarella. Yes! We will have this for a couple of days for supper.

All that added to say that when I saw the instructions for this tea, I was a little leery of sencha with boiling water. I looked at other reviews and decided to go with a lower temp and short time. And when the water hit the leaves…it smelled a lot like the soup on the stove!

A short steep of two minutes and…This tea is THICK. Or as the young whippersnappers like to say THICC.

The name would imply the taste of cherries, but it is not cherry. It is salted cherry leaves, such as the brined leaves wrapped around mochi. There is nothing fruity about this tea. It is savory through and through!

This is like drinking a broth, nice and salty, something that would take the edge off your hunger when you are sick and can’t really eat anything but you are hungry nevertheless.

And what was really cool was that it smelled so similar to my soup that was still simmering on the stove. This would be an excellent addition to the base for a fresh vegetable soup, especially a cucumber, zucchini, or turnip soup. YUM.

Thank you, White Antlers! There are so many teas in the box that I can not wait to try!

I’m surprised at myself that I haven’t tried this one yet. I bought it around the holidays last year (I think this is a seasonal tea?) and apparently forgot all about it. I also forgot that this was a strawberry tea or I’m sure I would have had some sooner. I don’t taste any coconut or rose, but the strawberry is coming through loud and clear. I’ll have to do a little comparison tasting with the other strawberry teas I have from Lupicia to see how they are different.

I love jasmine; in my garden, in my perfume, in desserts and of course in tea.

That being said, it’s a no-brainer that Lupicia’s Jasmin Mandarin Special Grade would be up my alley. The dry fragrance is strong, so if you love the scent of jasmine, you will enjoy it. If not, no worries, it mellows out when steeped.

I recommend a light steeping if you’re using a tea sachet like I did. It can get astringent relatively quickly, but the flavor is beautiful

Will consider purchasing this one once there’s room in my tea cabinet^_^

Taste and smell are pretty true to honey dew melon. But it’s strong, really strong. I could do with a more subtle flavor. All I can taste is flavoring. The only thing that doesn’t work for me is the weird aftertaste.

I don’t like this one as much as the black tea version. Honestly, the green tea kills it. It’s me not liking green tea, not that the tea is bad. I also think that the flavor overwhelms the tea.

Thanks so much to tea-sipper for the swap! This tea definitely seems more like chocolate than like earl grey, though I feel like I can sense a bit of greyness down below. I would have preferred a bit of a stronger bergamot, but with milk and sugar, this is a very pleasant cup. It’s not a flavor combo I expected to work, but it did! The resteep was too weak, but I quite enjoyed the first steep.

The lightness and perfect balance of fruit and vanilla is something I find refreshing. I used one teabag in a 2 cup teapot.

I’ve never had a kumquat, so I don’t know how accurate the flavour of this tea is, but in taste it’s much milder than in scent, which is deliciously citrus fragranced. The citrus, tangerine-like note is present in the flavour of the liquor, alongside a prominent sourness which could be coming from the Nilgiri base rather than the delicate flavouring, though overall it gives an impression of a cross somewhere between an orange and a lemon. The delicate flavouring is something which Lupicia do really well, but I find myself just wishing it were stronger in this particular blend, especially as I overleafed my cup and the citrus note is still so delicate. Nice, but not one which I will miss.

Thank you Marzipan for sharing this with me. Sipdown 207/399.

From the Samurai TTB.

The notes on this one don’t make it sound promising, but it’s hard for me to pass up a new-to-me Lupicia tea. Grateful to tea-sipper for including it. (I do think we must like the same types of tea because I keep gravitating toward the ones you put in the box!)

I do really like the way this one smells – definitely fruity. Maybe stone fruits? Not peach, perhaps apricot. During steeping, I smell strawberries. After – grapes. Could this be right? Still no honey.

Tasting it, it is so familiar. It tastes like something I’ve had, something from Teavana maybe? The fruit all but disappears in the finished cup which is really disappointing. I do wish I knew my tea types better, because this has a very distinguishable taste. It’s only I don’t know which type of black tea it belongs to.

Overall, it lives up to its reputation on Steepster. Which isn’t saying much. This one unfortunately wasn’t for me.

Sample sipdown 194/397 courtesy of the lovely Marzipan

My thoughts on this tea are very much in line with other reviewers here. The tea is smooth and a touch malty, and I’m picking up some mineral notes too. The flavouring is very natural and elegant as I’ve come to expect with Lupicia; stewed fruits reminiscent of date, plum and apple with some honeyed notes which help to give the overall impression of preserved autumn fruits. It smells a lot better than it tastes, in my opinion. The scent is heady and draws you in, while the flavour is milder and more generic by comparison. I am enjoying the cup, but not enough to consider purchasing more.

Ah, Cookie. Buttery, brown sugar cookie goodness. This makes a good breakfast tea with milk because of the CTC leaf, and the additional flavours hold up to the milk well. Cinnamon and almond notes are most prominent, alongside something deeper and almost earthy, but sweet at the same time, that I’ve never been able to put my finger on but is instantly recognisable to me as this tea. My cup is already empty, and it smells like shortbread.

I received quite a bit of this tea in swaps with WhatSheSaid and Marzipan (thank you both), and I’m stunned that I’ve never written up a note on it before. I must have been enjoying it too much! Now I only have enough for one small cup left, and this will be making its way back onto my wishlist and – hopefully sooner rather than later – into my first Lupicia order. I’ve made the happy discovery that I can order from the Lupicia France website, if I can only muddle through my rudimentary understanding of French enough to actually place an order.