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)
Scottish Legacy/teakruthi -skysamurai-
It is difficult to smell tea through the tea bag. No dry aroma really but a slight rose aroma when wet.
The woodsy and earthy tones are subdued by wonderful rose flavors. Literally like walking into a rose garden and being immersed in many different rose aromas. But it’s not an overwhelming sensation; instead, it is relaxing and uplifting. A great way to start the morning.
Heck, this is a great cuppa for midday or perfect for a tea party.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: teakruthi
Description
Grown in an artisanal style, this special black tea is grown in a medium region that is of special note. Sri Lanka’s Kandy region, from which this tea hails, is where Ceylon tea was first founded. In 1867 a Scotsman named James Taylor started Sri Lanka’s first tea plantation estate. With a short brewing time, you’ll be able to enjoy this rich light copper coloured liquid in a matter of moments. Sweet overtones blend with the slight touch of bitters in this unique tea making it taste like an Earl Grey. Featuring both an aroma and flavour of a strawberry vanilla mix you’ll enjoy this tea best in the morning or afternoon.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
(photo credit: teakruthi)
Litchi Chinesis Black Tea (featuring an Umi Tea Set teapot)
The wonderful people at Umi Tea Sets reached out to us on Instagram and were kind enough to send us a beautiful teapot and a bag of this tea, Litchi Chinesis Black Tea.
I steeped 1 perfect teaspoon of the tea (approximately 1.5 teaspoons) in the teapot, which holds about 7 ounces of water. I steeped the tea for approximately 2 minutes in 200F water.
The teapot, which is currently sold out, is dainty in looks but sturdy in make. It has lovely detailing on it and a unique shape that really adds a touch of beauty and intrigue to each steeping session. On the practical side, I really like the built-in filter on the inside of the spout, the large handle that makes pouring so easy, and the beautiful string used to keep the lid attached to the pot. While I might wish that the filter was a touch finer to filter more leaves, or that the pot itself didn’t get quite so hot when steeping (easy fix…just grab the handle), I really do love this teapot and am glad to have it as part of my collection.
As for the tea, it is so smooth. I was actually shocked when I took my first sip. Litchi teas can often have a touch of bitterness to it or an overwhelming floral note. This is floral and sweet but with a solid smooth black base. It’s the slightest bit malty and overall just a really easy drinking tea that is true to the fruit! My only cause for pause is the price of this tea. While I can tell it is excellent quality and it comes with a gift caddy package, it is almost $30 for 100 grams. If litchi black tea is your thing though, this is a great option!
Thank you Umi Tea Sets for your generosity! I would definitely recommend both the teapot and tea! Make sure to check out the Umi Tea Set website to explore all their other great options!
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type:Black Tea
Where to Buy: Umi Tea Sets
Description
Lizhi Black tea is a black tea scented with the juices from litchis, one of Chinas most popular fruits, which give a sharp, almost citric, flavor: It may be enjoyed alone at any time of the day or evening. The Litchi Chinensis Black Tea, is from Guangodong Province in China, also know as Lychee Black Tea. It is treated with the juice from the lichee fruit, which yields a wonderful and sweet fragrance. Lichee black tea can also be enjoyed chilled.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Island Heritage/teakruthi -skysamurai-
The dry aroma and the visual aspect of this tea scream Darjeeling.
The way Darjeeling smells, the slightly mineral, fresh, like a clean rainfall. It is a unique smell that I can only attribute to Darjeeling. Kinda like saying something tastes like chicken.
But what is the taste of chicken? I Don’t Know it just is! Oh, fudge… Now I’m tasting chicken. That’s a weird mix with tea.
Speaking of taste considering how it smells I don’t quite get those muscatel notes I’m looking for. And the aroma Darjeeling aroma disappears completely. This one is utterly perplexing.
I have tried both infuser in cup style and gong fu style but I feel both lack the Darjeeling punch I was looking for. If steeped too little there is no flavor. Steeped too long and it’s astringent with a bitter woods flavor.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: teakruthi
Description
Grown in the hub of the largest Dimbulla tea-growing area in Sri Lanka, our Island Heritage tea offers a flowery, mild taste and boasts an orange appearance. This tea was plucked from tea bushes that were planted during the coffee era, around 1884-1885, so you can taste true Dimbulla tea-growing history in your cup. The blend features two distinctive leaves and a bud subjected to natural withering and then gently rolled in a well-type miniature roller. Afterwards, the tea is sun-dried and passed through a conventional dryer to eliminate moisture. The last step, of course, is finding its way to your cup.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Veritaserum/Adagio -ashmanra-
This tea blend designed by Robert Pirlot came in a sampler. There are six different teas in the box, housed in slide-top tins with each tin holding 1/2 ounce of tea. There are more than six Harry Potter fandom blends available, though, and you can choose your own sampler set. I love that!
Veritaserum is a black tea with raspberry, chocolate, and hazelnut flavors. The black tea base is fairly strong with a light briskness, but it is not astringent or unpleasant at all.
Raspberry is the prominent flavor to me, and the chocolate aspect is of the unsweetened variety, not milky and sweet. It lends an additional bottom note to the tea, emphasizing the briskness, making it great for breakfast – I had it today with an Everything Bagel – or to pair with sweets and “cut through the sugar.”
I don’t add milk or sugar to this, but it could definitely handle it and would be delicious that way. Then it would be very dessert-like on its own!
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Adagio Teas
Description
Veritaserum is clear, colourless, and odourless and is almost indistinguishable from water. The potion must mature for a full lunar phase, and is quite difficult to produce. It can be mixed with any drink, and three drops are a sufficient dose to make the drinker ‘spill out his innermost secrets’. Thus, the potion forces the drinker to tell the complete truth to any question asked to him/her.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
