Cameron B. select Send Message

My second Lupicia Hawaiian tea from Dexter! I was worried when I saw that this one contains hibiscus… It has the same small black leaves mixed with rose petals and small pieces of fruit. Dry, it smells fruity and somewhat tart, which is a nice change from Hua Ki.

Once steeped, it smells fruity but I can also catch hints of tart hibiscus and floral rose. Wow, this one is way milder than Hua Ki, which is odd considering I steeped both the exact same way. I can taste very light fruit notes (papaya?) and a slight touch of hibiscus tartness. There’s also a weird powdered sugar note that I don’t enjoy. Overall, finding this one rather weak in flavor, which is disappointing.

And Lupicia day #2 commences! This one is from Dexter. The black tea leaves are quite small and dark and somewhat broken, and there are crushed dried green leaves and a couple fruit pieces mixed in. Dry scent is extremely sweet and fruity, like sniffing a bowl of tropical fruit hard candies.

The steeped tea also smells sweet and fruity, but more specifically like mango with a touch of pineapple. This tea is definitely full of fruit flavor, and there’s something about it that make it taste like hard candies or gummies (is there cherry…?). I dunno, it’s nice but overall it’s a little too artificial tasting for me. I can see it making a very nice fruity iced tea though.

Good morning Steepster! This sample came to me from Dexter. I’m excited to try this one, it’s been a while since I had a golden snail tea. These curls are about half to two-thirds golden, and they have a gentle bread and honey scent.

Wow, I was surprised by the aroma. I was expecting sweetness and bread, what I smell is decidedly savory with smoked food. And the taste is savory as well! Definitely different from other golden snails I’ve tried, or at least how I remember them tasting. It’s definitely a savory flavor, though there is some breadiness there. The main flavor for me is smoked meats along with a hint of pepper. I do pick up on some sweet honey notes also, especially in the aftertaste. Overall, it’s lovely, though not what I expected.

This one was a sample from albertocanfly. I was looking through my caffeine-free samples and this sounded so amazing, I had to try it! I love lemon, especially when paired with something sweet, as in lemon cake or sweet lemon candies. Honestly, the dry bags don’t smell much like lemon to me, more like a buttery pound cake with some lemon glaze as an afterthought. I used two sachets for about 10 ounces of water.

Ahh, the steeped tea smells much more lemony, hooray! I added a small amount of raw sugar to this one, because cakes are sweet of course! Hmm, the flavor is actually weaker than I thought it would be, especially since you’re supposed to use 6 ounces of water per bag. However, this is an extremely delicious and convenient lemon dessert tea! It tastes like a lemon cake with vanilla buttercream on top! And since it’s green rooibos, there’s no base tea flavor to interfere. Maybe next time I’ll just steep it longer or use even less water per bag. Yum!

Taking a break from Lupicia teas, and saving the other 4 or 5 I have left to try tomorrow! This tea is yet another sample from Dexter’s big box of tea love. This blend is very…chunky. There are whole mulberries and big chunks of coconut and other “food” things. I do see a few scant silver needles mixed in with all of the additions. Dry, it smells very sweet and almost vanilla-y with some tart fruitiness.

The steeped tea smells quite mild, but I can definitely identify coconut in there, along with something that reminds me of vanilla. Hmm, this one is a bit too much for me I think. It’s very strong on the coconut, which is fine, but the flavor combined with the mouthfeel gives me the impression of drinking straight coconut milk mixed with butter. There’s definitely too much richness here for me! It’s like eating a coconut candle… :P

I’m trying this one cold-brewed this evening! I put a sachet into 12 ounces of filtered water and left it in the refrigerator for an hour, then removed the bag and let it chill until I was ready to try it.

The verdict? This one is lovely cold as well! Obviously it’s a bit milder than it is hot, but it still has a lovely roasty flavor with a pop of juicy lychee. My only complaint…it’s a pain to stir raw sugar into cold beverages! :P

Lupicia, Lupicia, Lupicia! Another Dexter sample here. This is Lupicia’s version of a peach black tea. The leaves are small to medium in size, and almost black in color. There appear to be pieces of some sort of dried green leaf mixed in, not sure what that is. Dry scent is sweet peach nectar, yum!

Once steeped, it smells more like other peach teas than peach nectar – the tart element isn’t there anymore. On a side note, I used my infuser insert that came with my new mug (it’s a ceramic one, not mesh), so now there are little pieces of tea floating around in the bottom of my mug. Harumph. I think I accidentally used too much water this time around, as the flavor is somewhat weak. The flavor that is there tastes remarkably similar to all of the other generic peach black teas I’ve tried. I guess peach is a flavor profile that I would prefer more as a fruit tisane or perhaps a green tea.

More Lupicia, more! This one also came from Dexter. I was unsure what to expect or how this would compare to the flavored barley teas I’ve tried. The kernels are quite small and dark, and there’s a lot of powder. Dry scent is yummy caramel and butter!

It smells almost exactly like coffee, and it’s super dark too! I added some raw sugar to mine. It’s quite strong but not as strong as black coffee. I thought I would need to add soy milk to it, but I’m actually enjoying it with just the sugar. It’s very strong and roasty, and similar in flavor to coffee. I can taste a little bit of caramel, but I wish there was more in there. Overall, very strong and satisfying, and caffeine free!

This is my third and final Lupicia sample from TeaBrat. You really sent me some of the ones I wanted to try most, thank you! The green tea leaves are steamed flat and a medium green/brown in color, and there are some pieces of nut mixed in. It smells very creamy and sweet.

Once steeped, the tea smells of caramel and roasted nuts, yum! The flavor is quite light and subtle, not in-your-face. And I like it a lot! The mild green tea is a nice base on which the creamy and sweet nuttiness dances about. There’s something that reminds me of caramel, and it makes the whole thing rather decadent. While I don’t feel it’s necessary for me to buy some of this one while I have Minnesota Blend around, I can see myself picking some up in the future.

Lupicia day continues! This sample was sent to me by Dexter, and honestly, I find it a bit intimidating. I have liked some ripe puerhs that I’ve tried, but then there are those that taste like dirt and fish poo. So I’m hoping this won’t be one of those, lol. The dry tea smells like sweet strawberries and a bit of milk chocolate. I steeped this up in my new infuser mug! (http://instagram.com/p/uOfokGGgAh/)

The steeped tea doesn’t smell intimidating – no fishies here. It does smell somewhat earthy, but with lovely sweet strawberry and chocolate notes. I added about half a teaspoon of raw sugar to mine. Honestly, this one is much more mild in flavor than I expected (maybe I should have steeped it at boiling…). I do taste the chocolate and the strawberry, along with the earthy puerh base. Pretty good, though not something I would drink often or want in my cupboard.