303 Tasting Notes
Unsurprisingly, this reminds me of another ginger-lemon green tea – the one by Kusmi. Maybe I’m just more used to that one, but this packs less punch and seems flatter and less complex in terms of taste. The dry tea is beautiful to look at, though, and smells very good – two areas in which Kusmi fail to deliver. This is a very fair ginger-lemon tea, and I have a feeling it’ll grow on me.
I usually stick to 1.5 minutes steeping time for greens, but I went with the 3-minute suggestion on the bag for this one, and there was no hint of bitterness.
Flavour wise, not significantly weaker re-steeped.
[Sample from Le Palais des Thés in Tel Aviv, June 2013.]
Preparation
This is not a typical Lupicia tea to me – generally, I find them (I only buy their fruity teas) simple, but yet perfectly balanced in terms of flavouring. Bravissimo!, however, strikes me as fairly complex. I really love everything about it, from the appearance (lush with flower buds) and scent (floral, berryful) of the dry tea, to the initial flavour, and then finally to the aftertaste, which adds yet another note that lingers beautifully. It’s not really similar to any other tea I have tried, and it’s my absolute favourite at the moment.
The only negative aspect, really, is the significant loss of flavour when I re-steep.
I should try this cold, but I fear I’ll be all out by the time I get around to it.
[Purchased at Lupicia in Kyoto, July 2013.]
Preparation
This tea smells absolutely gorgeous dry, but this doesn’t really translate to the cup. However, I do prefer the very natural, albeit subtle, vanilla flavour to something artificial that’s more present. For me, this can be summed up as a very basic and plain green tea with hints of vanilla that almost completely disappear after a re-steep.
So I find myself still looking for a green tea with a flavour that better matches the scent of Les Palais des Thés’ Thé vert à la vanille – rich and warm, with a hint of caramel.
[Purchased at Le Palais des Thés in Tel Aviv, June 2013.]
