Strawberry & Vanilla

Mmm, this smells like some kind of delicious strawberry candy! Lupicia says to steep it at boiling, so I did…and I’m very relieved that I didn’t end up with a cup of bitter, over-steeped green tea. The flavor is mild compared to the scent, but still quite delicious: sweet vanilla, delicate strawberry, and a nice smooth grassy base. This isn’t quite as amazing as some of the other Lupicia teas I’ve tried, but I will definitely have no trouble finishing the 10 servings Lupcia sent me in my Happy Bag!

Got a package of ten tea bags of this with my happy bag last month. This is a very sweet tasting tea. Its got strong notes of strawberry and vanilla and contains matcha. I’m not sure if I taste the matcha. There is virtually no bitterness or astringency to this tea. It is good.

I brewed two teabags in one approx 14oz cup with 175 degree water for 3 min.

I was kind of doubting this would make a good cup, because the leaves had gotten a little crushed. Amazingly it holds up just fine despite being nearly dust. The vanilla is slightly artificial but sweet and candylike, and the strawberry is more subtle. There’s a hint of vegetal green before a sweet aftertaste and more of that vanilla rounding out the cup—this isn’t my favorite, but I’d definitely drink it again.

The scent: unparalleled. The flavor: slightly artificial, but so juicy and creamy and perfect. A great iced flavor.

Reminds me of sweet strawberries and cream found in strawberry shortcake. This is one of my favorite Lupicia teas and I would like to get it again next summer. I don’t see it as one I would drink in the cooler months because I like it iced.

Thank you keychange for splitting this with me on our order we did months ago. I don’t think I would have tried it if you did not suggest it.

This tea is delicious! I loved their strawberry so I assumed that the strawberry vanilla would be just as god. Upon opening the bag, it was extremely aromatic and pretty much stayed that way through the brew. It’s a very sweet tea, good for dessert and great iced. All of the flavor is balanced evenly while still boasting a crisp green base.

Another sipdown! (175)
I don’t think I’ll hit 150 this month. I ended up doing more swaps than I had planned, but it’s cool. I’m cool with that. :D

This is a nice green. I can definitely taste the strawberry and vanilla. I don’t think I’d purchase it – I don’t drink many greens to begin with – but it IS nice.

I have come to the conclusion that Lupicia knows what they are doing when it comes to strawberry flavor. This is an amazing green tea that tastes exactly like what it’s name implies: strawberry & vanilla. Plain and simple and really great. Plus, no grassiness from the base. Oh, and it can be brewed at boiling, which is always nice. Thank you Kat_Maria for sharing a couple of teabags with me :).

Okay, apparently Lupicia’s greens can be steeped in boiling water. I am kind of reluctant to try it! So I steeped a bag of this at 185 F for 2 minutes.

When I poured water over the bag, the liquid instantly turned dark gold and I was like “Hey, tea! You’re not supposed to do this”. I was afraid it would be bitter and dark as hell by the time it finished brewing. Well, it stayed the same color and it definitely did not come out bitter.

This is so good! Let me tell you, the strawberry I get out of this is so much better than any of these mutant strawberries they sell at grocery stores when out of season. At first there’s no vanilla… but then it hits you and it’s beautiful! It might seem like a stupid word choice but IT IS BEAUTIFUL. The aroma is gorgeous, too.

The best thing about it is that it tastes so natural. Almost more natural than just having a strawberry with some vanilla cream on it. I am not sure what base they used for this… Somehow I think it is sencha but I know senchas can be pretty damn vegetal (perhaps there’s different kinds?? I’m still such a tea n00b!). The base is just a binder here for the AMAZING flavoring, but I don’t think I mind that – cause it’s a pretty damn good binder. Even though I cannot detect its notes too well.

Perhaps with a second infusion I would get the green tea more but since I am doing this Lupicia flight today, I don’t want to waste too much of my today’s tea cups allotment for re-steeps.

Teabag smells sweet, but not much from the tea itself.