Lupicia

Additional notes: So I finally tried mixing this with some ripe pu-erh!  Teavivre’s loose ripe pu-erh.  A teaspoon of each.  What I SHOULD have done was only add some of the pu-erh,  rinse it, then add a teaspoon of the Alphonso to properly get the pu-erh started before steeping the Alphonso at all.  I’m hardly tasting the pu-erh on the first cup.  And I didn’t want to steep this a long time so that the mango flavor had already disappeared on the first cup.  But the mango flavor is still as lovely as can be, as if I were drinking it without the pu-erh.  The pu-erh adds a nice depth while not overpowering, and this basically worked like I wanted it to.  Even the third steep has some lingering mango while the puerh becomes more prominent.  I swear I had a very starchy mango tea but I’m not sure which one it was now… maybe I’m just thinking of actual mango. But I’m REALLY glad I tried this combination.  Should have went for a fourth steep.
Steep #1  // 1 teaspoon of this + 1 teaspoon Teavivre’s loose ripe puerh for full mug // 20 minutes after boiling  // 1 1/2 minute steep
Steep #2  // 10 minutes after boiling //  2 1/2 minute steep
Steep #3 // just boiled // 7 min

Thanks for sharing some of this, Cameron B! Hope you’re doing okay. I was very intrigued by this one… and luckily it tastes exactly like I imagined and hoped! Lupicia hardly fails on these fruity teas. The fruit flavor is strong here and very unique from any other tea that ever called itself ‘mango’. There is a nice floral note as well. The black tea is tough enough, while not distracting from this amazing flavor. The black tea has a clear, fruity quality itself that pairs perfectly. I’m not sure how accurate it is exactly to mango… it doesn’t really have that startchy element that mango has. But I love the flavor of this tea regardless of how accurate it is, so I’m fine with it. I would also love to see this fruit flavor on a ripe pu-erh… get on that, Lupicia!
Steep #1 // 1 teaspoon for a full mug // 18 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // 5 minutes after boiling // 3 minute steep

Gongfu…!?

Something a little different from late yesterday afternoon; Muscat Oolong steeped gongfu, mostly just because I could. It actually worked really well, just had to keep the infusions VERY short. First few were very sweet & grape forward with floral undertones and as the flavouring brewed out a soft, gentle floral oolong w/ just a hint of greenness was left!

It’s just what you do when you’re both DEEPLY craving a specific tea as well as the ritual of brewing Gongfu…

Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/B-HcSfpgV33/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdaSI7oN42E

Current cold brew – I might be pushing it a little bit by drinking a cold brew at around 11PM at night, but its just so good. Has a bit of a sweeter, juicier top note to the cup but then the body is smoother, silkier and a lot more floral tasting and that’s where a lot more of the characteristics of the oolong hit. It’s almost even a little buttery? I’ve been having big gulps of it inbetween tasting notes and it’s been really delightful.

From my Lupicia order.

I picked up 4 oz of this tea – which is a lot for a tea I’d not tried before, but I have a lot of faith in Lupicia’s ability to deliver a really strong fruit flavour with their oolong blends, and I had heard very good things about this blend.

Sure enough, when I opened up one of the two vacuum sealed bags to transfer it into something resealable it was incredible smelling – I was practically drooling. Floral orchid notes from the oolong base and a bit of a greener undertone, but mostly bright, sweet and juicy muscatel grapes notes – exactly as promised!!

I told everyone working in the lab that I would make a pot, to share, of whatever tea they were collectively most interested in trying – and while I was surprised they didn’t choose one of the melon teas, this was what they ended up selecting. It was beloved by everyone. Smooth, delicate but flavourful – clear and well defined muscatel grape notes! It was perfect and accurate and delicious – but also importantly it showcased the beautiful base oolong as well! Plenty of floral notes to compliment the excellent muscatel grape flavouring: aromatic orchid notes, hints of lilac, and a buttery greener finish. So well crafted!

Man – I am fucking PSYCHED to have some amazing Lupicia teas back in my cupboard!

Sipdown (624)!

Thank you Sil and the rest of the involved Heffalumps & Woozles for letting me get in on your Lupicia group order earlier in the year! I received the package of teas earlier today while at work, and I immediately cracked a bunch of them open to share with coworkers.

This was one of two individually wrapped sachets included with the rest of the teas, which I’m assuming were free samples from the big group order? I’m not entirely sure, though…

I can’t remember if I’ve tried this in the past – but when I opened the sachet package it both smelled pretty nice and also somewhat familiar. It’s supposed to be “white peach” flavoured, and I did get peach from the smell but mostly I found it quite floral smelling – both in the way that is characteristic for the base oolong used but also in a bit more of a perfumed rose petal sort of way. Also a little bit buttery and slightly coconut-y, from the base tea.

Steeped up it was fine… but not amazing.

It certainly lacked the robustness and dense, juicy fruit note that I know I’ll be getting from the bulk of the other flavoured oolongs I included with my order. The peach note was there, but minimal – very floral, delicate peach. Really, it was a super floral cup in general: a little rose-y but mostly a lot of orchid and gardenia notes from the oolong itself. Just a hint buttery, and a creamy mouthfeel as well. I can appreciate this tea a lot asa soft, delicate tea that showcases the base used in a very lovely way. However, personally, I wanted just a bit more peach/body.

Smells great, tastes fine

I haven’t really been drinking any tea this weekend. I’ve been going through it, and tea was just the last thing on my mind. I know there are some folks that want tea reviews to just “be about the tea,” so I will focus on the tea… those that want to know more about what is going on can read the addendum below the review.

So, I’ve decided to drink this sampler of Lupicia’s Paradise Green. From the information I can get on it (from the Steepster listing since Lupicia is still transitioning to their Ala Moana website — that will be coming May 23rd, by the way!) apparently this is a tropical flavored green, but I don’t have any information on the ingredients, even the sampler packaging doesn’t include that. My sniffer isn’t working great at the moment (lots of mucus!) but I’m getting more of a peachy/apricot aroma from the dry leaf? Ah, I suppose it could be mango! And it is a bit sharply fruity.

Steeped, I believe I’m smelling a bit of peach, mango, and pineapple. I didn’t smell any pineapple in the dry leaf, but it is coming forward now, and I’m getting it in the flavor of the tea as well; it starts off mostly as a peach fuzz/mango flavor, light, juicy, and sweet, with a slightly tangier pineapple note toward the end of the sip. I’m tempted to say the green tea has a bit more bite than I usually get from a Lupicia green, and this was steeped around 170F for only two minutes, but I switched to a migraine nasal option which leaves this really awful taste down the back of my throat, which could be playing with my tastes a bit. I definitely am picking out a nice grassiness though, which I always appreciate about their flavored greens; the base is not dominated or overwhelmed by the flavorings. It is a pleasant fruity cup, and would likely be a lovely iced tea, if I had more of this to play with.

*

Read no further if you are uninterested in non-tea life musings. So, my lifemate of the last twenty years, my cockatiel Kali, passed away last night. Saturday at 4 a.m. she suffered a night terror (common for cockatiels) and injured herself badly thrashing against her cage. I woke and came to her immediately, but she’d lost all her pin feathers from her tail and wings, and several in her wings were “blood feathers,” new growth feathers that receive an active blood supply, so she was bleeding badly. I did what I could to calm her and stop the bleeding, but it was obvious she’d lost a lot of blood, and living alone, it was impossible for me to remove the blood feathers and staunch up the wounds myself. I waited out until vets would be open Saturday morning, and called every one in my little Idaho town — and was turned down service by every. single. one. “We don’t do birds.” I was told there was one avian vet in town, and their vet wasn’t open Saturdays. Would not be open until Monday. I was told I could take her to Boise, two hours away, to get medical help. I did not think trying to transport an already panicked and terrified bird two hours in a car was a good idea, as her blotting wounds could reopen if she spooked and started thrashing. She was unable to climb at this point, grounded without any pin feathers to give her balance and act as “finger support” for lift up her cage, so I put blankies and food and water sources on the bottom of her cage and hoped that Monday first thing I could call that one avian vet to get the blood feathers removed. She passed at some point as I was sleeping last night. Instead I was calling the vet about their cremation services. I feel like I’ve failed her since I couldn’t get her the medical help she needed. I’m really torn up. I can’t help but feel like my situation and feelings were “belittled” because she was a bird instead of a cat or a dog, but she’s been with me since I was 16 — I’m 37 now — so 20 years of my life. Take a minute to reflect on all that has happened within two decades of a lifetime.

I chose “Paradise Green” because I know she’s in a better place now… paradise. If you have a pet, please give them love. Drink a cuppa today in memory of a pet you loved and lost. Cherish the winged, scaled, finned, and furred members of your family. <3

This one is definitely not for me… It doesn’t taste nasty or anything, it’s just so artificial tasting. One of the few Lupicia teas, I just can’t do. I can’t even get myself to think about the base tea lol. Maybe I’ll try it with a splash of milk or something. It’s like water with a bunch of imitation vanilla flavoring in it. >.<

Upon opening the bag, you can smell the fruity notes in this tea! I stepped for the bag for 1 minute in 150ml of boiling water per Lupicia’s instructions. Upon first sip, my first thought was ‘This would be amazing iced!’ The flavor is clean and a little malty. I liked it but didn’t love it. I tend to be gifted a lot of black teas that are similar, so I would have no need to purchase this on my own.

Sampler Sunday! I’m having a migraine today, and after sipping down my White Thunder (a white mint tea) this morning, I decided to try what my doctor suggested and pair pain medication with caffeine this afternoon. Caffeine has never really affected my migraines one way or the other (it’s not a trigger, and has never really helped with vasoconstriction, either) but he thinks during the attack it could help get my pain medication to respond quicker. I’m having major problems getting triptans, the only real abortive therapy out there for migraines, to do anything for me lately.

So, this freebie teabag of Earl Grey from Lupicia. The dry leaf has a strong citrusy scent that reminds me of grapefruit. I probably steeped it a bit longer than I usually steep black teas, so I expect this to be a bit more astringent/stronger than usual and than I typically prefer, but the idea was to try to get a pretty caffeinated cup. It was a nice reddish-brown color and still strongly citrus in aroma.

Surprisingly, the tea itself is pretty smooth, and even has a bit of a malty aroma beneath the strong citrus of the bergamot. The bergamot in this Earl Grey is pretty strong, and I usually prefer bergamot on the lighter side, but I am not finding this unpleasant. The bergamot has a strong lime note to it, with a touch of a tangy lemon zest. It’s hard to pick out the flavors of the black tea beneath the strong bergamot, but I’m getting a bit of malt and molasses. Overall it’s a fairly nice cup for a plain EG.

I brewed this per the Lupicia’s directions.
This tea is pretty darn good. The tea leaves look like tiny evergreen needles.

The color is a delicate cloudy light green. The brewed tea smells of damp chestnuts.
The tea starts of very delicate in flavor — a light green tea — with a nutty finish. There are flavors that I cannot quite discern, but read to me as Asian (growing up in an Asian household).

This is a sipping tea and requires some thought to really taste the distinct flavors. My palette isn’t mature enough to discern all the flavors yet, but I hope to explore it more.

I love Earl Grey and I love Darjeeling. This seemed to be an interesting combination of the two so I opted to try it.

The tea leaves have heavy smell of bergamot, which is to be expected.
The brewed tea has the aroma of a traditional Earl Grey as is the flavor, except that it finishes with a Darjeeling flavor at the end.

It’s a decent, every day tea, when you want something traditionally English. I paired this with cookies/biscuits and it complimented the baked goods well. I probably won’t use this tea as a “tea tasting” or for when I just want to experience complex flavors of a tea.

Brewed: Western Style
1st infusion: 2minutes @ 208F. A medium gold color with a sweet aroma tinged with grape/muscat. It has a sweet taste of grape with a mild astringency.

2nd infusion: 2.20 @ 208. A light yellow color. It smells of smoke with a more muted scent of grape. When tasting, it starts off smokey followed by grape with a slight mineral finish.

Gong Fu brewing:
1st infusion: 12 seconds @ 208F (1tsp). Color: very light green. There’s a nutty flavor & aroma to this tea that isn’t present in Western Style Brewing.
2nd infusion: 15 seconds — The aroma is sweet & nutty. The nutty flavor is more present with a mineral aftertaste and peppercorns.

I’m very surprised at the very different taste this tea has between gongfu and Western Style Brewing. It’s not even the same tea. I need to test this out more and will update this review as I go forward.

I brewed this Western Style. Surprisingly, this tea is not as good as the Lupicia Darjeeling Second Flush.

First attempt: 1st infusion: 208F @ 2.5 minutes — Bitter! I’m unsure if it’s because it’s the last of the bag from a friend or the water is too hot.

Second attempt: First infusion: 2 minutes @ 195F. The aroma is slightly sweet, smokey, with a touch of astringency to it. In tasting, it has a bitterness & astringency without any real flavor.

Second infusion; 2.5 minutes @ 195F. The 2nd infusion was much better than the first one. The astringency is not as noticeable in taste, and more of the traditional Darjeeling flavors are coming into play.

3rd infusion: 4 minutes @ 195F: Okay, NOW I am tasting a traditional Darjeeling flavor. The astringency has declined.

Overall, this tea is much better the more you infuse it. Or if you just want something hot and tea-like to drink as you run out the door.

I’d been hoping for a crisp apple tea, but it’s more like apple pulp.
I think next time I’ll need to steep it for a shorter time, and see if it brightens it up.

This one is from Cameron B! Thanks so much and now it’s a sipdown. I really like the couple barley teas I’ve tried from Lupicia…. I’ll have to be on the look out for more barley teas! I don’t think I’ve ever had any other barley teas? They seem so healthy for so many reasons and barley teas are a unique flavored no caffeine option. The flavor is like a roasty tasting coffee, with slight bitterness but it’s a delicious bitter, if that makes sense. This is a bit like the Teavivre Buckwheat that I love, but that is much sweeter and less bitter. I’m really trying to notice the plum flavor, but I really don’t. The second steep has just as much barley flavor and nutritional goodness. Anyone know of any tasty, cheaper barley teas that they like?
Steep #1 // 15 minutes after boiling // 3 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 8+ minute steep
2019 sipdowns: 36

This is oldie. I really don´t know – but I remember we made a group buy because of tea bags. And I remember that I fell in love with Lupicia, but the price :O It was still in foil wrapping so it should be good.

I was looking for it on French website, but in vain. Weird. We ordered it there. So Japan website. Found it; but just in Japanese. I can´t read this “loose leaf”. Google translate!
Ahh, I see – apparently discontinued tea, blend of Indian and Ceylon teas. Sounds great. The tea itself in sachet was quite puny with few golden pieces. I did not added any milk though it would be probably even better.

What a colour after 3 minutes steep! Wonderful copper and completely clear. Shiny!
It is not aromatic, I wonder it is because of age or my flu. Sorry if you are looking for this characteristic.

Taste – full bodied, malty tea. But also some sweetness. Rich taste, like English breakfast blends. But this has got some mint aftertaste? I mean like something fresh after the sip. It is really great. As I said, probably like English breakfast. It really reminds me that.

I wonder how it pairs with milk. But I guess I won´t find out :/

I don´t want to be sick :(

Sipdown (247)

Another tea from Cameron B. Thank you so much for sharing!

I was worried this would have the same issue was the Tochiotome Black that I drank yesterday. Namely the very distracting brassiness of the base tea. While there is a slight brassiness here, either I started drinking this while it was hotter and it hasn’t come through yet or this tea doesn’t have as much of an issue with that metallic quality. Either way, yay!

No overwhelming brassiness means I can try the actual flavors of this tea and they are quite nice. The apple jumped out at me immediately. It is not a dried apple flavor though. More like a slightly tart concentrated apple flavor…like a fresh pressed granny apple juice. I get slight apricot in the aftertaste, a lingering flavor that just sort of sits on the tip of your tongue. Also a little bit of a leafy vibe which makes sense given the autumn inspirations for this blend.

All in all, it is a nice tea. I don’t think it is a favorite b/c while the flavors are lovely, they are not ones I reach for often. Plus, the more I drink, the more of that brassiness comes through. I think I just don’t get along with Lupicia’s fruity black teas. I got the book of teas from them a couple years back and I don’t recall really loving any of their fruity blacks b/c of the base. Nevertheless, I am grateful to Cameron B for the opportunity to try something new!

Sipdown (248)

Thank you Cameron B for sharing this with me, especially now that Lupicia is not as available as it once was. I love strawberry flavoring so I was super interested in this tea. Unfortunately I don’t love the black tea bases Lupicia uses. This is less offensive as some of their other bases since it is quite malty but that maltiness is also combined with a slightly drying brassiness. That brassiness interferes with the jammy strawberry notes that could be quite good if not for the base. It was still fun to try and made for a nice enough cup of tea, though I think the one cup is enough for me.

In other news, I got the KFC and it was terrible. So much build up for such a shit meal. Now I am debating if I want to go visit my sister this weekend or if I should stay in my apartment. The issue is I need to study, in theory, and it is a matter whether I would get work done there or not. With that said, I should probably get back to work.