I’ve wanted to try this one for a while, and thanks to Whiteantlers, I finally can. I know there are two separate Muscat teas from Lupicia: the Queen’s Muscat, which blends green oolong and white tea, and this one, which is the darker version. I am so glad it’s the darker version.
I see people divided on this one: Either it’s too artificial, or it plays into the muscatel elements very well. For me, I was actually surprised how natural this one felt to me in terms of the mouthfeel. Muscadine wine, and Muscato, popped in my head instantly drinking it, having the same sticky sweetness that can glue my lips with its syrupy thickness. Better yet, it’s what I imagine “Muscatel” tasting like before I taste a Darjeeling, only to be disappointed by dryness and malt. I know Muscadine is named after Moscato, but still, very muscatel. This one delivers “muscatel” in the juiciest sense of the word. The flavor is intense and obnoxious, but I was able to cut it very easily with Gong Fu Cha style short steeps in increments of 5-10 seconds.
I gave some to my mom, and she instantly liked it with an “Oooo, this is tasty,” but then, she didn’t finish it. She let it get cold as she played World of Warcraft in our subterranean cooled basement. I come back about two hours later, and she’s finishing it.
With a raised brown and an open face, she remarked “I actually like this better cold.”
Again, it was like chilled Muscadine wine. There was more to the tea, and the roast comes out as the flavoring bleeds out into the earlier brews, dissipating in the late ones.
Other reviews have already described it in detail, but this is an oddball tea. It’s great if you know what a muscat is, and love it. It’s overpowering if you hesitate with the word “Grape.”, because this is grape soda in tea form.
Flavors: Burnt Sugar, Grapes, Muscatel, Roasted, Sweet, Thick
Yay!
Thumbs up to your mom playing World of Warcraft. :D