Lupicia
Edit CompanyPopular Teas from Lupicia
See All 480 TeasRecent Tasting Notes
Grabbed this one because I didn’t need more caffeine but did want more tea. I like this. It still strikes me similar to a soft Chinese black with earthy flavors and tonight I’m picking up a strong end taste of honey. Not a dark honey, but a lighter honey which is good since that’s the type I prefer. It actually reminds me a lot of the Fujian Baroque from earlier today though honey-y instead of fruity. For me, this is an herbal that can fulfill my need for a lighter black tea so I imagine this will be a good pantry staple.
Preparation
I can’t stand red rooibos, but I like green rooibos so definitely give it a go – the taste is less dusty/piney/offensive than red.
It doesn’t appear to be. I went on their website and the description here is the same one on the website. I’m sure the description would state if it did because the absence of it implies that it’s caffeine free.
Nope not a blend, this is just unfermented rooibos. It’s very different (to me) than regular rooibos (which I tend to hate and think tastes like sour wood) and I’m really enjoying having a good tea around I can have right before bed!
Unoxidized Rooibos eh? Sounds interesting, I’ll have to give it a try sometime. Our rooibos has sweet earthy notes, with a hint of cashews, but I also feel that notes and flavors is entirely susceptible to brewing times, temperatures, amount of tea used, the provider, and of course our own use of retro-nasal tasting.
Rooibos always strikes me as sour, wet wood. I did love Samovar’s Scarlet Sable, which had rooibos in it (normally any rooibos kills a tea for me) so I do hold out hope that one day I will find a rooibos I like… well, besides this one which isn’t a normal one. The second steep of this tastes more woody, like rooibos normally tastes, but with a hint of chamomile. I find it a pretty interesting little beastie and would definitely recommend you give it a shot, for the experience at the very least! :)
A while back, Lupicia sent out Jardin Sauvage, a flavored green rooibos, and I enjoyed it so I became… intrigued by the thought of green rooibos. So when I was placing my Lupicia order, I put in a bag of this to try it out.
Dry it smells a bit like lemongrass. Not sure why or if it is actually supposed to, but that’s what I get from it. Brewed up, there is a malty, bright smell to it. I’m not getting any of the sour woodsy bit that I associate with rooibos normally and that makes me happy.
Tasting it, it tastes a bit malty/starchy/thick. It actually reminds me of some of the black teas I got from the London Tea Room. A little Assam, a little Darleeling. It’s soft though. Flavorful but not aggressive. Solid, strong, quiet. There’s also a little bit of sweetness at the end. A faint hint of a chamomile- or perhaps stevia-like sweetness. No dryness at the end, just a faint hint of sweet. The similarity to Assam, the malty taste and feel, goes away as it cools making it taste faintly of Darjeeling.
This tastes like a good afternoon black tea. But it’s herbal. That sort of messes with my head but I kind of love it. I think if this were a black tea, it’d be a little too mild for me. I prefer my black teas to be good morning teas. But for this being caffeine-free, that makes it a nighttime tea for me and the milder black tea taste fits that.
I have a feeling this is a rooibos I am going to enjoy. The husband, on the other hand, isn’t as much of a fan. He felt it was too light but he picked up on the Darjeeling similarity, asking if this was the muscat tea I’d ordered. He said it was drinkable but not something he’d ask for by name. On the other hand, I think this will work nicely to fill my tea craving at night when I really don’t need additional caffeine.
Preparation
oh cool! i’ve been curious about the differences between the green and red rooibos. one more tea to try. :)
No notes yet. Add one?
Preparation
But at least their compensating for the low weight that’s common for a lot of bagged teas. What is the weight of this one, anyway?
Have you forgotten I don’t own a scale =]
It’s a pyramid bag and it seems pretty full. I’d say one teaspoon.
The 3.7oz is converted from the 110mL Lupicia (being a Japanese (and metric-based) company) uses as their cup size. They put the weight of their tea bags (on the box label) at 3g per bag and they suggest 2.5 – 3 grams per 110mL cup for loose. They are definitely a leaf-heavy company.
I’ve been drinking their tea loose, and it’s wonderful. Maybe try less water. It might make a difference.
I don’t have the paradise green (yet). So I can’t speak about this tea directly, but their yuzu is good!
I’m going to try Breakfast Earl Grey in a bit with 4oz of water. I’m scared! I think I rather have a diluted EG!
This is by far the most pleasant smelling fruit tea I’ve come across to date. The taste, while not living up to the aroma, is very enjoyable. I use more of this tea than my standard oolong to get the same richness of flavour, which is a problem when you are using tea this expensive and difficult to come by here in Europe (I picked up my last batch in Kobe last year and I’m running out!).
Preparation
No notes yet. Add one?
Preparation
Apparently even more health benefits =]
Ahh, it also gives a tangier taste, which makes sense.
The taste of red and green are completely different, just as black tea and green tea are. It’s time to place a Lupicia order?
I’m not a huge fan of rooibos, I can’t drink it without some kind of flavoring, but this is one that I like. It has a nice peachy aroma and taste. The vanilla is nice as well, and is easily enhanced with my favorite liquid vanilla stevia from the local health food store.
PMS! Ricky, you’re a genius! :D
OMG! I’m not seeing the PMS thingie!!!! Which browser do you use!? I use Firefox
oh wait…you have to go to that persons page and there is a send message by their name…I will send you one and send me one back – if ya can!? Pretty please!?
@Angrboda you have a PM, via the PMS!
@TeaEqualsBliss sooo going to send you a PM and it should arrive on your PMS. I’m using Firefox as well.
Thx!
Log out and log back in and you’ll see an Inbox in the top menu.
Strange, I didn’t have to log in and out.
@Ricky Perhaps you are not using Firefox on a Mac? Different browsers and different operating systems deal with things differently.
But that I am =] Shrugs, oh well, at least TeaEqualsBliss ended up finding the PM system =]
Hmmm. Odd then. I had to log out and log back in.
Wow, you really had me there for a second… PMS… but wait, Ricky is a guy, isn’t he???
Ricky, I know! It’s fantastic. Takes a bit of the bite out of the unpleasant sort of PMS.
How funny our conversations will look to an outsider from here on out. “Hey did you get anything on your PMS yet?” or “TeaEqualsBliss had trouble locating her PMS.” :p
Nods nods, I’m a guy, but I just couldn’t resist the PMS.
I mean it’s about time that we had our PMS. Don’t you think ;)