Paradise Green

So over football, the bandwagon is SO STRONG WITH THIS ONE. I hate football anyway but even if I didn’t I’d be against this on principle because we lost our hockey team and meanwhile the mayor is all on board for the football team to get a billion dollar stadium. N. O. P. E.

So anyway it’s too warm right now still for hot tea. When I opened the bag of these sachets from my slightly-happy bag, they definitely smelled like they’d be perfect for iced tea.

It’s definitely sencha, and good sencha at that. I really wish Lupicia would disclose the flavors in this. I honestly can’t tell a single fruit it might be. Mango maybe? Definitely some kind of stone fruit too. Pineapple, citrus too? Fruit Stripes gum is pretty accurate.

It’s really sweet too, I was kind of surprised by it when I first took a sip.

I’m kind of surprised by Lupicia’s parameters for brewing…does anyone actually only use only 5 oz for a cup? I put two bags in a mug that’s about 9 oz and then poured it over ice and I can say it’s definitely not watered down or anything…it’s perfect iced tea. I’m curious for when I’m making the loose leaf too, they all seem like that, 5-6 oz cups.

It is a bit weak in the flavor dept. (as others have mentioned), but at least I knew to expect that. Basically a smooth, light green tea with a hint of tropical flavor. I prefer the stronger flavor of their strawberry & vanilla, but this isn’t terrible, and would probably be good iced.

note: I opened the sachet and dumped it into my mesh basket style steeper. Also used about 6 oz water because I couldn’t stand to use only 4oz …

This smelled amazing as it sat in my mug with cold water, while I talked to my coworker on my way to the microwave. Once heated, not so amazing. I have a feeling this is an awesome cold brew, but alas, I had it hot.

Thank you Sil for this sample! (And it’s a sipdown!)

When I saw the two tea bags I wondered why I got two. Not complaining, just wondering. It all became clear once I read all the Steepster notes — people complaining one bag lead to weak tea —so I hot steeped both of them in just over 8 oz of water, added a slice of lemon and stuck it in the fridge to have for later. Now Sil instructed me to steep with boiling water, which I disregarded, and went with water just shy of boiling. I was afraid of wrecking it.

It’s a citrus tea. For me, with the ice and the slice of lemon it’s pretty much lemonade. It is a good green, it didn’t go bitter on me and you can’t really taste much of the base — hence my calling it lemonade. Patio umbrella is up, ice cubes and vodka in, let the weekend begin!

Afternoon study break tea.

This is one of the bagged teas I scored from their Lucky bag. Initially I was worried about getting so many fruity green teas because generally I find I like my green teas plain, and the smell of the dry leaf didn’t do much to help my apprehension – it smells a lot like fruit juice, orange or pineapple mostly.

But once steeped that super fruity aroma turns into a green sencha-esque smell – the fabulous smell of steamed greens that I know and love. I was surprised at how much the scent changed in only two minutes.

Tastewise I get sencha with slight notes of pineapple. It’s really the only fruit that I pick up on and you know what? It really, really works. I’m pairing this with some strawberries and the two are PERFECT together. The flavoring doesn’t taste artificial at all, which is a huge plus. And it is perfect without additives, another bonus!

I could also see this as being really refreshing iced, so I will be sure to save some for just that purpose. Definitely one of the best I’ve had from the Lucky bag so far!

This tea smells so yummy! At first the scent reminded me of bubble gum, but then I realized that it smells like those sugary fruit instant oatmeal packets. I can’t really detect the individual fruits… it’s more like a big blob of mixed fruits: strawberry, mango, orange, peach?

Sipping… wow, the fruits really come to the front of the cup! It’s a little bit tart and sweet with beautiful tropical flavors. With all of these fruits flying around, it’s very easy to forget about the green tea itself. It’s there, though, and adds a faint grassy note. I like how this tea prickles the tongue in the same way citrus fruits do. I almost think that all of the flavor fades quickly, but it actually lingers in the mouth for a good while.

This is a very delicious, very fruity tea. It borders on being a little bit like fruity bubble gum, but it’s still something fun to drink when you’re in the mood for an interesting tea!

This is one of two free samples that I received in my order from Lupicia a couple of weeks ago… while rummaging through my samplings this afternoon, this one seemed to jump into my hand and beg me to brew it.

The aroma of the tea when I first opened the pouch was overwhelming – a vibrant smell of tropical fruit.

The sample came in a tea pyramid, and after seeing how much the leaf expanded, I wish I would have cut open the pyramid and infused the tea as a loose leaf. The infused leaves completely filled the pyramid to the point of looking overstuffed!

The flavor of this tea pales in comparison to the aroma of it. When I smelled how beautifully fragrant it was, I was expecting a very pronounced flavor, but, it really isn’t. The flavors are very soft. I can taste a subtle, melon-y kind of flavor to it, as well as a touch of citrus and maybe even a little coconut? Because the flavors are so soft it’s difficult to discern just what I’m tasting beyond the flavor of the bancha tea.

It’s not a bad tasting tea, it’s just a bit soft in flavor so it becomes difficult to know what I’m tasting beyond green tea. There is something there but I really wish it were stronger. It’s one that I would actually be interested in trying again, simply so that I could try to discern some of the flavor… kind of like a mystery that needs to be solved.

I’m doing a sample tea drink, right now, and also going though and, gulp, weeding out tea’s that I do not like and removing them from the cupboard. Life is too short, eh?
Its going to feel very cathartic, I think.
I’ve tried this before, and I stand by my first sip of this. Its a bit bitter for me. I wish I got more of the fruit!

1 tbsp for 248 ml

Smooth taste and mouthfeel. No astringency. Floral tone in background near after aftertaste. Fruity note most like a creamy papaya but it is a lot fainter than what I’d like. Presence of green tea with a slight vegetal hint.

Thanks to Sil for sharing!

Green tea is not my favorite generally, but I’m trying really hard to find ways to like it. I was attracted to this tea initially because it is very pretty with the blue cornflowers and rose petals (?). The added “tropical fruit flavors” is what sold me. The dry leaves are very broken in my tin, hence messy to clean out of my brewer.

I’m trying to use this up because its using a precious tin that could be used to house a tea that I like more. I used A LOT of leaf for a bolder taste iced tea, yet there’s still some in the tin. sigh Paradise Green has been in my cupboard for more than a year – ridiculous because of the copious amount of tea I have in any given day.

This isn’t a tea that I like hot, so that already limits how often I drink it. Now that I live in an area that actually gets four distinct seasons, I’m really hoping that I’ll drink this more – in the summer.