Sakurambo/Lupicia – ashmanra –

Photo Credit: Lupicia

A good friend surprised me with a box containing a Lupicia green rooibos blend and two sample sachets. I couldn’t wait to try them all! This was first pick.

A quick peek at google to find out whether it was a black or green tea so I could set the kettle to the proper temp told me it was cherry scented and I did not look any further. But it was a conundrum. Go ahead and make a fruity tea even though I was having waffles and maple syrup for breakfast, or rummage through my stash to find a plain black? My experience with Lupicia was that their fruity teas are SUPER fruity and it might all be too sweet together, but I decided I really wanted to try these sooner rather than later!

Then rats rats rats! I tasted the waffle before sipping the tea! I like to try a new tea unadulterated to get the full flavor. Nevermind, a few sips would clear the palate to give me the true taste.

And that’s where it got confusing.

Nice black tea base…yes, a hint of cherry but not super fruity, rather…..smokey? What is that? What is happening? Not smokey….SAVORY. And then…..warmth from a little spice starts to glow. Is that pepper? I don’t like peppery chai and this wasn’t offending me so what was it? Was the syrup messing with the true taste of the tea too much?

Here is where I had to stop everything and look up the tea to find out what was going on. The savory was coming from rosemary! And the spice was pink peppercorns, which I couldn’t see in the sachet at all but when I tore it open it was there. If there is going to pepper in my tea, I highly prefer pink peppercorn to any other kind.

This tea was a great pairing with the sweet syrup and waffles. The rosemary gave deep herbal notes and enhanced the black base while the pink peppercorns gave warmth and spice and a nice, lingering aftertaste that cut the sweetness of the food without the raw heat of black peppercorns. The cherry wasn’t cough syrup cherry or candy cough drop cherry, but a nice, realistic Japanese cherry that was not too sour.

This gets a thumbs up from me! In future I would buy it loose leaf so I could see those adorable bright pink/red peppercorns looking like tiny cherries!


Want to Know More About This Tea?

Leaf Type:  Black

Where to Buy:  Lupicia

Description

SAKURAMBO is A fresh, intriguing blend of black tea scented with juicy Japanese cherries, one of our best-selling flavored teas of all time. The tea is topped with crisp rosemary and pink peppercorns imitating the ripe fruit. Visually appealing, this tea will make a great gift. Try its delicious sister product, SAKURAMBO VERT, which is a green tea blend.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

(photo credit:  Lupicia)

Thoughts on Masculin / Lupicia. . .

If tea were a man this would be him.

Mix him with Lapsang Souchong and you’d get a real outdoors gentleman.

For once the rooibos isn’t the star of the show. Generally, rooibos takes over whatever is put in the tea bag with it. Even the ginseng is somewhat undertoned by this woody flavor.

I’m assuming it must be the maca.

With a name like MASCULIN I’m sure no one knew quite what to expect with this one. To be honest I really thought it was going to be a Lapsang Souchong.

Either way I don’t think this one is my cup of tea nor is the later mentioned tea. But I’m going to drink it all because we could all use a bit more vitality in our lives.


Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy:  Lupicia
Description:

Four vital herbs (Maca, ginseng root, cinnamon, and ginger) blended with rooibos. Great for boosting your energy.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Darjeeling The First Flush from Lupicia. . . . .

The First Flush.

For those of you who are curious Darjeeling (and Assam) teas, when harvested, are done so in flushes. The first flush is considered to be the finest of the flushes. Usually this is done in March – April.

The one I am drinking currently is in a bag and so I am not tasting it at it’s optimal flavor (leaves that float uninhibited will present more flavor). Regardless, I am still impressed. It is a triangle tea bag and so there is a bit more room then your usual square tea bag.

The dry and wet leaf have a wonderful, sweet, earthy aroma. Maybe somewhat on the woodsy side. Darjeeling does not seem to be ther type of tea you can steep twice and get better or equal flavor from. The first time the mouth feel was of a gentle woodsy breeze; which is still present now but less pronounced.

If I close my eyes while I sip it I can imagine the misty tea gardens.


Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: Black/Darjeeling
Where to Buy:  Lupicia
Description

DARJEELING THE FIRST FLUSH is an exclusive blend of spring-picked Darjeeling leaves. This tea has a green, fresh aroma and crisp astringency. The tea is so delicate in flavor and light in color, if you drink it thinking it’s just another cup of ordinary black tea, you’re in for a pleasant surprise. Enjoy its gentle mouthfeel like a spring breeze.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Tokio from Lupicia. . . . .

With all of the tea I have consumed over the years I have had very little from Lupicia believe it or not. I’m happy to say that we have some new Lupicia reviews coming up VERY SOON starting with this one…Tokio from Lupicia!

I think this was one of the first Lupicia teas I actually tried years and years ago. I thought I had already reviewed it here at Sororitea Sisters but I was mistaken. So NOW is as good as time as any, I suppose!

Tokio from Lupicia is a green tea with sweet berries. And guess what it DOESN’T have? Hibiscus! YAY! A berry flavored tea with NO Hibiscus! I could not be more excited! This tea also has marigold petals. Together they pose a very crisp tasting flavored green tea. The green tea is on the sweeter side all by itself but the berry and floral notes are a secondary flavor. They aren’t overpowering the green tea base and I LOVE that!

It’s sweet, it’s juicy, it’s berry, it’s floral, it’s refreshing, and it’s SUPER tasty! YUM! Totally terrific hot or cold! Tokio from Lupicia is a real winner!

**Edit: Lupicia’s Happy Bag Promotion is currently underway!For more details and to reserve yours today-click  here!


Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: Green Flavored Tea
Where to Buy: Lupicia
Description

TOKIO is a green tea delicately flavored with sweet berries. This beautiful tea with marigold petals has a very crisp taste which appeals to everyone, and is one of our best selling items. It’s delicious chilled as well. Try with a little honey when you want to perk up.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company !

Cookie from Lupicia

cookieTea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black

Where to Buy: Lupicia

Tea Description:

Black tea scented with an image of freshly baked caramel cookies. Best served with milk.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

Yes.  You are reading the name of this tea correctly.  Cookie.  This tea smells just like a fresh baked sugar cookie with hints of caramel.  I was sticking my nose in the pouch for about a minute straight because I couldn’t believe how much this really did smell like a cookie.

Lupicia is known for their delicious flavored teas especially their green ones.  I had heard a lot of hype about this particular blend so I was excited to try it.

Brewed this up-212F-4 minutes.  Let it cool for just a moment and took a sip.  Yes, this does taste just like a fresh baked cookie.  I would love to have tried this tea with just a splash of almond milk to see what other flavors will pop out.  It is quite good on its own as well.  The black tea is solid and is quite nice in the background and their are notes of maybe cinnamon and even almond thru each sip.  Nicely done for a dessert tea. If you are in the market for a dessert tea to curb that 3pm sugar monster that you can’t avoid, try this one.

Saying all of this tho, I’m not a big cookie fan. I like them on occasion but I couldn’t see drinking this tea all the time just because I’d rather have a fruity flavor in my tea than the cookie flavor.  What I would love to see is this tea made up into a latte which I might just do tonight when I get home.  Now that could give me the wow factor I’ve been looking for.