338 Tasting Notes
I was so careless that I used boiling water to brew this tea! Perhaps it’s not really wrong (boiling water is actually recommended by Lupicia), but I always find the taste of oolong is at its best when it is hot instead of scalding hot. I could barely taste the flavour and sweetness of this tea when it’s freshly brewed. I waited for my tea to cool a bit and that’s when the flavour came out. Very subtle sweetness and a tiny bit of milkiness. Overall a very gentle tea, and I think it’s the kind of tea made for cold brew. It’s ok but nothing too memorable. I have tasted better oolong from Alishan.
Preparation
This was not bad – a delicate tea with fragrant jasmine which had just the taste of spring!! But I want to point out that the jasmine flavour was mostly gone after the first brew, and by the third brew it was totally gone… which suggests that the the scenting process might not be long enough.
Preparation
I am more a fan of light and floral Taiwanese oolong, but I’ve got to admit that this is not bad. A warm, roasted flavour that reminds me of houjicha, with an unexpectedly sweet finish characteristic of Taiwanese oolong. Would really love to have some traditional Taiwanese pastries to go with it…
Preparation
This tea surprised me!
I was expecting a decent cup of bergamot-flavoured tea, so imagine the shock when I opened the sachet and was greeted by a strong peachy note instead. I adjusted my expectation according, looking forward to a cup of peachy tea as I brewed the tea bag. But there came another wave of shock when I drank the brewed tea – it’s SMOKY!! Very fruity too, but definitely it’s neither bergamot nor peach. I looked up Lupicia’s website and learnt that it’s LONGAN! I have longan every summer but this was the first time I consumed it in black tea. No wonder the taste was so unfamiliar!
I have to disagree with some previous comments that the fruit tasted citrusy. Longan is not at all a citrus fruit! It’s very sweet and similar to lychee. It also shares some similarities with muscat/grapes given its juiciness and succulence. Anyway, this is a unique, almost exotic, tea that is not for everyone. But if you appreciate something different and special, you are going to enjoy it :)
Preparation
It’s been ages since my last update! This tea struck me with its fruity acidity. Compared to other flavoured or herbal teas it’s not really acidic, but by the standard of a plain black tea it definitely is. It’s a bit odd to me but it’s not all that unpleasant. The tea itself was not very strong and so the acidity easily stood out.
Flavors: Fruity
Lupicia recommends boiling water for all their tea which totally baffles me! I almost never follow their suggestions.
Yes it really puzzles me! They only recommend water of lower temperature for a few green teas. I tend not to follow their suggestions either :)