Joyeux Noel from Lupicia

by liberteas

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black

Where to Buy:  Lupicia

Product Description:

A bold black tea blend with the sweetness of chestnuts roasted on an open fire.

Taster’s Review:

I really love chestnuts but I am not able to capture that “roasted chestnut” flavor when I buy chestnuts and attempt to roast them myself … which leaves me feeling … well, a little cheated, actually.  I mean, chestnuts aren’t exactly cheap.  And try as I might, I cannot seem to roast chestnuts just right, like the way I would get them at a holiday festival.

But, Lupicia has managed to capture that delicious essence of roasted chestnuts with this tea!  There is a bitter nutty flavor that approaches the palate first.  That pleasant bitter nut taste doesn’t sit there for very long though, and is followed by a creamy, smooth, buttery sweetness that reminds me of the flavor of a freshly roasted chestnut.

The black tea base is bold and has a slightly smoked note that lingers in the aftertaste.  There is a strong astringency with a gentle dryness to it that lends a certain starchy kind of essence to the cup.  It is a very flavorful black tea, and one that is strong enough to work as a morning tea.

This is absolutely delicious!

This tea makes for an absolutely delightful cup for those of us who love the flavor of roasted chestnuts but can’t seem to get it right when we try to roast them ourselves!  Why bother, when all we need to is brew a cup of this fabulous tea!

liberteas

Anne (aka the Mad Tea Artist) has celebrated her 29th birthday for many years now. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her hubby and her youngest daughter. Her oldest daughter is married and has bestowed Anne with the proud title of "Gramma" and her grandson is about the cutest boy you ever did see. Anne started her journey with tea as a casual drinker and became more serious about her tea drinking when she realized that she couldn't drink coffee. Shortly thereafter, she started becoming obsessed with the beverage and she started creating small-batch, artisan blends of tea that she sold online as LiberTEAS. After a few years, she realized she wasn't cut out to be the sole proprietor of a business so she closed LiberTEAS and started reviewing teas online. She met Jennifer through another blog that they both reviewed for and they decided to start their own review blog. This review blog! Throughout her journey as a tea reviewer, she discovered 52Teas and became enamored with the idea of creating a new tea every week. When the founder of 52Teas decided he wanted to move on, he offered the business to Anne but knowing that she wasn't cut out to be a sole proprietor, she instead offered the company to her oldest daughter who employs her as the Mad Tea Artist for 52Teas!

This post was posted in Black Tea

Jingle Bells from Lupicia

by liberteas

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black

Where to Buy:  Lupicia

Product Description:

A winter holiday black tea blend with yogurt and citrus fruit flavors.

Taster’s Review:

Lupicia is one of my favorite tea companies.  Why?  Well, put simply, they have great teas at reasonable prices, the packages arrive astonishingly fast, and I receive a free monthly “Fresh Tea Magazine” which includes a sample of their tea of the month.  (For the record, you too can receive a 1-year subscription to their Fresh Tea Magazine when you place an order of $30. or more)

Another thing that I like about Lupicia – they march to the beat of their own drummer.  When other tea companies are rolling out their holiday teas comprised of spices, cranberries and pumpkin, Lupicia has their own idea of what holiday teas should be.  The “Carol” tea is strawberry, vanilla and coconut.  The “Joyeux Noel” is chocolate and apricot.  You get the idea, right?

And this… their “Jingle Bells” tea, which is also part of their holiday collection, is black tea blended with the flavors of citrus and yogurt, giving me a creamy, delicious dessert in my teacup!

The black tea base is fairly mellow and very delicious.  It has a rich, smooth character but it doesn’t attempt to protrude onto the flavors of the citrus and yogurt.

The citrus tastes mostly like orange to me.  It is sweet with just enough tartness to keep it interesting without making me pucker.  The yogurt gives it a creamy flavor and texture.  What this tastes like to me is a creamsicle that’s been melted in a cup of Ceylon tea!  Not a bad taste at all!

I like this hot, and perhaps that’s just the cold weather talking (because this time of year, I prefer just about every tea hot), but I find it to be very comforting and relaxing – which is somewhat remarkable to me since this is a black tea.  A really nice tea to sip inside (roaring fire in the fireplace is optional) while it’s cold and wet (or snowy!) outside.

 

liberteas

Anne (aka the Mad Tea Artist) has celebrated her 29th birthday for many years now. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her hubby and her youngest daughter. Her oldest daughter is married and has bestowed Anne with the proud title of "Gramma" and her grandson is about the cutest boy you ever did see. Anne started her journey with tea as a casual drinker and became more serious about her tea drinking when she realized that she couldn't drink coffee. Shortly thereafter, she started becoming obsessed with the beverage and she started creating small-batch, artisan blends of tea that she sold online as LiberTEAS. After a few years, she realized she wasn't cut out to be the sole proprietor of a business so she closed LiberTEAS and started reviewing teas online. She met Jennifer through another blog that they both reviewed for and they decided to start their own review blog. This review blog! Throughout her journey as a tea reviewer, she discovered 52Teas and became enamored with the idea of creating a new tea every week. When the founder of 52Teas decided he wanted to move on, he offered the business to Anne but knowing that she wasn't cut out to be a sole proprietor, she instead offered the company to her oldest daughter who employs her as the Mad Tea Artist for 52Teas!

This post was posted in Black Tea

Sweet Potato Pie from Lupicia

by liberteas

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black

Where to Buy:  Lupicia

Company Description:

A black tea blend with a generous portion of creamy Japanese sweet potatoes. The buttery sweet aroma will remind you of a cozy holiday gathering.

Taster’s Review:

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Along with Lupicia’s October Newsletter came a sample of this tea.  I was originally going to publish this review right around Halloween, however, after tasting it, I decided it must be published on Thanksgiving!  It tastes like it should be on the holiday dinner table, right next to the cranberry sauce and turkey!

I can’t get over how much this tastes like sweet potatoes.  Lupicia has captured that flavor very well and combined it with a black tea base that melds with the flavor perfectly.  The result is a flavored black tea that nails the flavor “spot on” without losing the flavor of the black tea.

Now… I must backtrack a little here, because I can’t say with 100% confidence that the flavor is “nailed” “spot on” because I’ve never tasted sweet potato pie.  But I have eaten my share (perhaps more than my share) of sweet potatoes – one of my favorite vegetables.  And this DOES tastes “spot on” like sweet potatoes.

I can also taste a baked-pastry kind of taste in the backdrop.  It is not as strong as the dominant sweet potato flavor, but it’s there.  There is also a very pleasing buttery taste to it.

The black tea has some astringency to it, but it is not bitter.  It is smooth and rich, and in perfect harmony with the flavoring.

And while I have never tasted sweet potato pie, I can honestly say that this IS the best sweet potato pie flavored tea that I’ve ever tasted (and I have tasted at least one other!)

Happy Thanksgiving!  May your home be warmed with the presence of family and good friends, a bounty of nourishing food and delicious TEA!

liberteas

Anne (aka the Mad Tea Artist) has celebrated her 29th birthday for many years now. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her hubby and her youngest daughter. Her oldest daughter is married and has bestowed Anne with the proud title of "Gramma" and her grandson is about the cutest boy you ever did see. Anne started her journey with tea as a casual drinker and became more serious about her tea drinking when she realized that she couldn't drink coffee. Shortly thereafter, she started becoming obsessed with the beverage and she started creating small-batch, artisan blends of tea that she sold online as LiberTEAS. After a few years, she realized she wasn't cut out to be the sole proprietor of a business so she closed LiberTEAS and started reviewing teas online. She met Jennifer through another blog that they both reviewed for and they decided to start their own review blog. This review blog! Throughout her journey as a tea reviewer, she discovered 52Teas and became enamored with the idea of creating a new tea every week. When the founder of 52Teas decided he wanted to move on, he offered the business to Anne but knowing that she wasn't cut out to be a sole proprietor, she instead offered the company to her oldest daughter who employs her as the Mad Tea Artist for 52Teas!

This post was posted in Black Tea

Breakfast Earl Grey from Lupicia

by liberteas

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black

Where to Buy:  Lupicia

Company Description:

Earl Grey made with broken leaves brews up a robust taste. Perfect to enjoy with milk.

Taster’s Review:

Lupicia sells my favorite Earl Grey tea – it is the “Earl Grey” variety with Keemun tea.  I love it.  In fact, you can read my review of it here.

So I had really high expectations when it came to trying another Earl Grey variety from Lupicia.  They didn’t let me down!

This is a very flavorful Earl Grey.  Medium-bodied with a strong, even flavor, this tea would make a very nice breakfast tea, and because of its smooth demeanor, it would take the addition of milk very well, although I must admit that I prefer my Earl Grey teas without milk most of the time, because I feel that the milk tends to mute some of the flavors that I love when it comes to Earl Grey.

I’m finding that I want to compare the two Earl Grey varieties… but I don’t feel that it would be fair to this particular tea, which deserves to be enjoyed in its own right, because it is very rich and flavorful and delicious.  And while it isn’t my favorite Earl Grey, it is certainly a fine Earl Grey… and for those who find the Keemun variety to be a bit too different an Earl Grey for their taste, this one may prove to be just right.

The bergamot here is a bit lighter and is in harmonious balance with the black tea base here.  The result is a crisp, juicy tasting bergamot that is very refreshing, and there is a light astringency that leaves the palate feeling quite invigorated.  This variety of Earl Grey offers a very clean, distinguished flavor that I think any Earl Grey enthusiast can not only appreciate but will adore.

liberteas

Anne (aka the Mad Tea Artist) has celebrated her 29th birthday for many years now. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her hubby and her youngest daughter. Her oldest daughter is married and has bestowed Anne with the proud title of "Gramma" and her grandson is about the cutest boy you ever did see. Anne started her journey with tea as a casual drinker and became more serious about her tea drinking when she realized that she couldn't drink coffee. Shortly thereafter, she started becoming obsessed with the beverage and she started creating small-batch, artisan blends of tea that she sold online as LiberTEAS. After a few years, she realized she wasn't cut out to be the sole proprietor of a business so she closed LiberTEAS and started reviewing teas online. She met Jennifer through another blog that they both reviewed for and they decided to start their own review blog. This review blog! Throughout her journey as a tea reviewer, she discovered 52Teas and became enamored with the idea of creating a new tea every week. When the founder of 52Teas decided he wanted to move on, he offered the business to Anne but knowing that she wasn't cut out to be a sole proprietor, she instead offered the company to her oldest daughter who employs her as the Mad Tea Artist for 52Teas!

This post was posted in Black Tea, Earl Grey

King of Fruits from Lupicia

by liberteas

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Green

Where to Buy:  Lupicia

Company Description:

A distinctively fresh and tropical Thai green tea blended with pieces of freeze-dried durian fruit. Tart notes of exotic fruit balance out the rich and powerfully fragrant durian. THE KING OF FRUITS definitely prevails in this one-of-a kind tea experience.

Taster’s Review:

Wow!  This is REALLY good.  It truly deserves the name “King of Fruits” because it is really that good!

I have never tasted a Durian fruit before.  From what I understand (thanks to the newest issue of the Lupicia newsletter), the durian comes from Thailand, and it is a large (melon size) fruit with a thorny husk.  To be completely truthful, the photos of this fruit give it a very intimidating appearance, and I found myself wondering who it was that first looked at this prickly thing and thought “hey… that might be good to eat.”

Also, according to the newsletter, the durian puts off a rather strong odor that some find quite repellent.  However, when I opened the pouch of tea, I found the aroma to be intriguing and even mouth-watering.  While the fragrance of the brewed tea is a little softer than that of the dry leaf, it still smells quite delicious.

The flavor is remarkable!  Exotic, sweet-yet-tart, fruity… it has an exquisite taste that I’m finding difficult to describe.  It is definitely tropical in taste but unlike any other tropical fruit I’ve ever tasted.  It tastes a little like mango… maybe… and maybe a little bit like papaya and even a little bit like passion fruit.  Maybe a little melon in there too.  But, even if you somehow created a hybrid fruit with all of these fruits, it wouldn’t nail this flavor precisely.

The green tea offers a fresh, rich flavor and buttery texture that lingers on the tongue long after you finish the sip. There is a tiny bit of astringency, but mostly what I’m getting is a juicy delicious fruit taste that I don’t want to stop drinking!  I’m going to be sad when I’m finished with this cup.

This tea is delicious hot and remains delicious as it cools.

I highly recommend this new tea from Lupicia.  It really is the KING of Fruits!

liberteas

Anne (aka the Mad Tea Artist) has celebrated her 29th birthday for many years now. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her hubby and her youngest daughter. Her oldest daughter is married and has bestowed Anne with the proud title of "Gramma" and her grandson is about the cutest boy you ever did see. Anne started her journey with tea as a casual drinker and became more serious about her tea drinking when she realized that she couldn't drink coffee. Shortly thereafter, she started becoming obsessed with the beverage and she started creating small-batch, artisan blends of tea that she sold online as LiberTEAS. After a few years, she realized she wasn't cut out to be the sole proprietor of a business so she closed LiberTEAS and started reviewing teas online. She met Jennifer through another blog that they both reviewed for and they decided to start their own review blog. This review blog! Throughout her journey as a tea reviewer, she discovered 52Teas and became enamored with the idea of creating a new tea every week. When the founder of 52Teas decided he wanted to move on, he offered the business to Anne but knowing that she wasn't cut out to be a sole proprietor, she instead offered the company to her oldest daughter who employs her as the Mad Tea Artist for 52Teas!

This post was posted in Green Tea