10 Tasting Notes
The fragrance of this tea is unbelievable. It smells of sweetness, honey, and a tantalizing hint of spice.
Unfortunately, I found when we brewed it, that it tasted much like generic black tea. There was a hint of honey flavor, but none of the super fragrance of the tea came through in the liquor. Even the fragrance of the tea only smelled slightly sweet.
We tried it plain and with sugar, and thought it made little difference.
Preparation
Sample bag from Lupicia newsletter!
Smells almost exactly like Lupicia’s Cookie. The particles are the same small bits as Cookie too, making me wonder if they added the hint of nutty sweetness to make it more complex.
Brews a dark-colored but not especially strong liquor which tastes pretty much like Cookie to me. I don’t pick up the added white chocolate flavor a lot in this blend.
Preparation
Ingredients: cut ginger, chamomile, dried apple, fennel, blue mallow
This was my first chamomile tisane, so this opinion will not be expert!
I did not care for the taste of chamomile when I first got this, because the sort of floral/soapy smell put me off. However, I kept trying it for a warm drink in the evenings and started really liking it.
Ginger and fennel seed are traditionally used for warming and blood circulation, while the mallow and chamomile are for relaxing. It’s overall nice for digestion and seems to attack insomnia from both the being too-keyed-up and my-feet-are-cold causes. The apple is a subtle and comforting touch.
I recommend steeping this in a clear vessel- the mallow flowers in it initially turn the water an almost glowing blue! Over the course of a few minutes, that color changes slowly to green, then yellow as the chamomile releases its color into the infusion.
One downside – the flowers in it are very fine, so if you use a tea strainer or an in-pot guard rather than a disposable bag, they plaster all over the place and it’s difficult to clean.
I’m sorry that Lupicia doesn’t seem to stock this any longer- I liked it enough that I may try to blend the ingredients myself to make more once it’s gone.
Preparation
The oolong is buttery and smooth, with no astringency at all. There’s a hint of rose and the plum taste is likewise smooth without any sour or “bright” flavor that things like hibiscus and citrus impart. I give this to my friends who have had bad experiences and are afraid of tea being ‘bitter.’
The fragrance of the tea is very strong and perfume-y. I have tried it plain, with milk+sugar, and made into ice cream (I steeped it in the hot milk/cream.) The dairy suits the buttery finish of the oolong, and I find that with sugar and dairy, the plum and rose tastes are complimented and come out much stronger, while tea’s floral notes and oolong flavor fade into the background.
Preparation
I have been boiling this on low heat for 5-7 minutes, then using the spiced water to brew organic English Breakfast from the Imperial Tea Court. I love the smooth blend of spices and the way my kitchen smells of warmth and spice afterward.
Preparation
It tastes like wood pulp and sand. Literally undrinkable. I had to return it and ask the cafe to please give me anything else.
I don’t know what they’re putting in there, but this thing tastes like neither tea nor spice. I’m used to brewing chai at home with black tea, ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, black pepper, fennel and nutmeg if it helps to know where I am coming from.
If I were trapped in a cave-in and my choices were down to this and brackish rusty mine-water, I might go for a 50/50 split of the two.
