Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Lupicia Tea
Tea Description:
Vibrant autumn leaves are blended into black tea. A sophisticated flavor of apple and apricot is limited to the autumn. Limited Quantity & Period Only
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
As I sit here, smelling the wonderful aroma that wafts from my teacup, I am reminded of autumn. This Momijigari Black Tea Blend from Lupicia Tea smells … like autumn! Like the smell of the air and the leaves and the apples. There is a distinct wine-like character to the fragrance as well, with the faintest hints of smoke.
This is one of the more unique flavored teas that I’ve tasted … and it truly tastes like autumn to me. It has notes of apple and apricot in the flavor – two fruits I think of when I think of harvest. I like that while these are distinct flavor profiles here, they do not overpower the cup.
I’m also tasting a wine-like flavor – it is rustic and warm – like mulled wine without the spices. I taste the faintest hints of smoke … reminiscent of the air that I would experience in the autumn as the air begins to cool and smoke is wafting from the chimneys.
And the black tea is not absent here either. There is a warm, earthy tone to the background … not an aggressive or strong black tea flavor … but just enough to support the other flavors.
This is a very enjoyable cuppa from Lupicia Tea!
Moonlight White Tea from Life in Teacup
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Life in Teacup
Tea Description:
Production Season: Autumn
Production Region: Yunnan, Jing Mai
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Oh wow! I’m amazed at just how flavorful this Moonlight White Tea from Life in Teacup is. More often than not, when I brew a white tea, I find the taste to be delicate. I don’t mind the flavor to be delicate, mind you, but, Life in Teacup recommends to use boiling water on white tea rather than a lower temperature which is what I always use when it comes to white tea – and this will result in a stronger (that is, not delicate!) flavor.
I did not follow the recommendations of Life in Teacup, mostly because I am a creature of habit and when I get a white tea, I think automatically 160°F. So, that’s the temperature that I used. But I’m still getting a WHOLE LOT of flavor from this white tea!
It is sweet, earthy and possesses hints of vegetative notes. I find that the vegetative notes for white teas tend to be a bit more like “hay” than grass or steamed vegetables, and that is true in the case of this tea as well. But I’m finding this tea to be just a bit more on the earthy side than on the vegetative side. I’m also noticing a slight “spiced” quality to the tea as I continue to sip. Not “spicy” … but more like a hint of warmth to the cup that keeps the palate intrigued!
There is also a nice nutty flavor to this, and the nutty flavor accentuates the sweetness in a pleasing way. It’s a soft “textured” tea – it doesn’t feel or taste harsh. It has no bitterness to it. There is some astringency that I notice toward the tail … it sort of has that “tangy” pucker at the tail that is slightly acidic, and it is a really nice contrast to the sweet, soft feel and taste of the tea at the start.
A really enjoyable cuppa!
Pumpkin Spice Tea from Adagio Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to buy: Adagio Teas
Tea Description:
Premium black tea from Sri Lanka flavored with pumpkin and exotic spices. Autumn festivities just wouldn’t be the same without the comforting, smooth sweetness of spiced pumpkin – and neither would your tea time. Warm and rich flavor, with lingering cozy aromatics.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I love handmade soap, and my favorite soap artisan is Rebecca, from Rebecca’s Soap Delicatessen. With my most recent order, she was nice enough to send me a sachet of this tea! Because I had not yet tried this particular flavor from Adagio Teas, I was happy to receive it, and especially thrilled because Rebecca was once one of my best tea customers (back when I sold my own blends), and it’s kind of cool that she’s now sending me tea!
Adagio Teas has a very … weird … black tea base. The first time I tried it, I wrote to them to find out what type of tea they use, and they told me a Ceylon. Well, their Ceylon is quite unlike any Ceylon I can ever remember tasting … except for in Adagio Teas’ flavored teas. It is rather harsh, to put it mildly. However, after having had some experience with Adagio Teas’ black tea base, I’ve learned a thing or two about brewing their flavored black teas so that it does not taste so abrasive.
First, don’t use boiling water. Just under boiling – between 195° and 200° F – will do the trick. Then, do not steep the tea for the five minutes that Adagio suggests. I find that a brewing time of 2 1/2 minutes – 3 minutes produces a much more favorable cup. Finally, allow the tea to cool slightly after it’s brewed. I find that letting it sit for three to four minutes before I take a sip and the cup is far less astringent than if I take a sip immediately. In this case, patience is definitely rewarded.
And this really isn’t such a bad tea after brewing it in the way I just described. The spices are nice and warm, and the black tea is rich tasting and only mildly astringent. My only real complaint about this tea would be with it’s pumpkin flavor – it tastes artificial. I’ve had quite a few pumpkin teas where the pumpkin tastes more natural than this. It just tastes kind of … off. However, it’s not so horrible that I cannot finish the cup and enjoy it!
Certainly not my favorite Adagio offering but I didn’t hate it either … and I loved that my dear friend sent it to me. That she thought of me … it meant a lot! Thank you, Rebecca!
Autumn Leaves from Della Terra Teas
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos & Honeybush
Where to Buy: Della Terra Teas
Tea Description:
It’s that time of year again! Even if it’s not, and you want it to be, just have a cup of this perfectly aromatic rooibos! It has the flavor and aroma of maple and the roasted goodness of honeybush paired with rooibos and green rooibos. It creates the perfect blend of all the flavors to give you all the best of Autumn in your cup!
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
Warning: This tisane is for true maple lovers ONLY!
If you swipe the lip of the bottle clean with your finger after you’ve poured maple syrup over the pancakes, and then licked your finger, or if you’re tempted to lick your plate clean after you’ve finished the pancakes… read on. This tisane is something you MUST try!
I love maple. I am sure I’ve proclaimed that on this blog before. I’m sure I’ll probably say so again. It’s one of my favorite sweet flavors, probably #3 after chocolate and caramel.
And this tisane from Della Terra Teas is about the closest thing to real maple syrup that any tea or tisane will ever get. It tastes as though I filled the cup up half of the way full with maple syrup, and then stirred in some brewed rooibos to thin it out a bit.
I don’t even taste the rooibos much here… I do taste a slight nuttiness to the cup, but it melds together with the maple notes so well that it’s not really distinguishable as rooibos to me. It just tastes like hints of toasty, nutty flavor that add to the warm taste that I get from this maple-y delicious tisane.
I love that the base used here is not just oxidized rooibos, but also green rooibos and honeybush which gives the overall cup a more pleasing dimension. I taste notes that are not definitively maple notes in this, but it’s difficult to describe the overall taste, because really, what I taste more than anything is MAPLE! It is warm, luscious and very sweet. Just like real maple syrup.
So, if you do not like sweet drinks … don’t try this. If you do not like maple … don’t try this. But if you have a sweet tooth and you love MAPLE like I do, you MUST try this.
And don’t forget about our Della Terra Teas’ 12 Day of Christmas Tea Sampler Giveaway that is going on right now! Enter for your chance to win!
Momijigari from Lupicia
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Lupicia
Tea Description:
Vibrant autumn leaves are blended into black tea. A sophisticated flavor of apple and apricot is limited to the autumn. Limited Quantity & Period Only
Learn more about this tea here. 
Taster’s Review:
When I saw that there were autumn leaves in this tea I HAD to have it! My favorite season is autumn. I also am a confessed tree hugger. I adore the changing colors of the leaves falling to the ground, and I am known, even at my age, to go out and play in the leaves, just like a child.
This tea smells in dry form like an apple cider and when steeped it taste like apple cider wine! This I was not expecting! This I welcome! I no longer imbibe but as autumn rolls around I do miss mead, and making wassail so having this tea to add to my “wine tea” selection makes me do a happy dance!
I am already spinning thoughts around in my head as to what to do with this tea in addition to drinking a LOT of it. In fact, this evening I was planning on making a squash soup and I just may find a way to incorporate this tea into that recipe! It is seasonal and I am already thinking I should order more.
Yes apricots, and apples, are the central flavors in this tea, and wine, and I swear I even had just a small lady like “wine belch” – sorry to be crude but it is so much like wine that I noticed it in that moment! I realize there are many teas that tout wine infusion, and some of them are quite lovely, yet this tea, one that does not tout that at all is more wine like than any tea I have had. I have had to correct myself several times when typing wine, when I meant to type tea!
Now in all factuality, I really can’t say if the autumn leaves do much of anything for this tea, but perhaps that is what gives this tea the wine-like flavor although I am sure the fruits had something to do with it. I mean I suppose there is a backdrop here of a nice earthy note, but it is slight and could come from the black base as well, which other than being in the background is not all that intense, bold, or present. Lupicia does not indicate what type of black tea is used but based on the blend it makes me think darjeeling. Which is never a bad thing.
So off I am to contemplate another order with my beloved Lupicia, and I highly recommend this tea to you!
