The last bit of this tea. *is sad * Damn you Lupicia for not shipping your teas to Canada! *shakes fist * I would totally buy this tea if I was given the opportunity – some of these American companies are really limiting themselves by refusing to accomodate international customers.
On an unrelated note, those things that I thought looked like peppercorn actually are red peppercorns (I went and ate one – ewww). And yet I’m not getting a peppery taste from this tea at all. Strange. ;)
Lupicia’s flavored tea rarely disappoints. It’s always very natural tasting. This was a bit stronger than the flavored teabags I’ve been having. It was probably due to the fact that I was able to use more loose leaves. I’ve never had Japanese cherries before, but I was certainly getting the sour sweet taste the description speaks of. I think others may have been associating that taste with the bitterness. Great smell, smooth and tasty. If I enjoyed Japanese cherries I would certainly have rated this tea higher.
You know, I don’t really buy any bagged tea for myself but every so often (usually when I get Lupicia’s freebie teabag in the mail), I’m reminded of how handy teabags can be, especially when the tea in the bags is the proper stuff.
I was a little shy to try this tea, as I’ve only ever thought of green teas and cherries. But alas, Ricky sent a sample of this my way, so try it I did.
The tea has a great strong aroma of freshly bitten cherries and strong tea. I think I may have steeped a little long at 3 minutes, or used a bit too much leaf, as it was one potent cherry chestnut colored brew.
The taste is very fresh, these cherries are definitely different than any I have had before. I don’t really enjoy the flavor as much as I enjoyed the scent. Very fresh almost floral/grassy notes overtook the cup.
I tried adding honey to see if it brought out any additional flavor, or toned down the floral note, but nothing improved. I’m sorry to say I threw out this cup. I may try the last few teaspoons as an iced brew, to see how that goes. Cold brewing may bring out a better taste.
This was another of the teas I got in my lucky bag – there will probably be quite a few Lupicia tasting notes from me over the next few days!
I received this in bagged form and was really excited about it because it was one of the teas I most wanted to try. The scent of the leaf once I tore open the package reminded me very much of how grenadine tastes, if that makes any sense. It was syrupy sweet smelling cherry, with some hints at tartness. I had to kind of hold the bag away from me otherwise the scent was overwhelming and hurt my head. The same thing happens when I get a strong scent of bergamot. I guess I’m just really sensitive to smells?
Anyway (thankfully!), like with the Earl Grey last night, the taste of the tea was not as strong as it’s fragrance. I’m drinking this with no additives, and am getting a sort of authentic, but mostly candied cherry taste quickly followed by black tea, before a sweet cherry note swoops in again in the aftertaste. The cherry flavoring also seems to have a vaguely spiced undertone – cinnamony/peppery or something. Interesting, for sure.
I am not as in love with this as I wanted to be, but I am glad I got to try it. Plus the tea bags are quite handy, so I will likely be taking them whenever portability is a must. :)
The Final Sipdown: Day 6.4
Soldiering on, I come to a tea sent by Auggy that has intrigued me ever since I got it. Catching a whiff of the leaves, this smells strongly of a combination of fruit gum, apple cider, and cherry [specifically sour cherry]. The liquid combines these same scents, and the more I think about it, the more I begin the realize the similarities between the three. I’m not sure what about it makes me think apple cider, but it does indeed remind me of sweet apple cider.
All these elements are in the taste as well, making it one of the most consistent leaf to aroma to drink teas I’ve ever tried. But the drink is far more complex.
Before I get into taste, the coloring warrants a note. It’s a deep, brown color that’s not quite coppery like most black teas are. Instead it has a red that falls somewhere between auburn and burgundy tint to it. It’s really very pretty and I find myself staring the highlights thrown into it by the light.
The black tea is there, but it’s super faint for me and comes out mainly right at the start of the sip. The astringency I get at the end, as well, is due to [I think] the black tea. What I find interesting is that it’s not difficult for me to find the black tea because the taste is so loud; it’s difficult to find because the taste has so much going on. If that makes sense.
For one, I get a cinnamon flavor that I think is part of what’s making me think of apple cider. Also, just a hint of juicy cherry more noticeable after aeration and in the finish. Juicy sweet cherry, akin to Luden’s cough drops, but also sour cherry like pie filling. I can’t taste the peppercorn that’s in it, really, though I think it might be lending itself to some of the fruity flavors in coming out of this tea. Oh wait, no. There it is when I swish it around. [At first glance, I thought those peppercorns were goji berries, but they’re not oblong enough. After scanning the logs, as the description is no help, thanks to Jillian I discovered that they are peppercorns. Funnily enough, though, I do get a hint of goji berry in the taste.] What else? Not enough for me to be able to dissect at the moment. There seriously is a lot going on.
The curious thing is that there’s not much of an aftertaste for me. Simply a whisper of sweetness that rides the breath. On occasion, I curiously [or perhaps not] get black cherry.
This is a flavor unlike any tea I’ve ever tried, and while I’m really not in love with it I could see it being something that grows on me. For the time being, however, it is unique and not crazy loud enough to be what I consider a flavored mess.
If I find myself placing a Lupicia order, I may pick up a small amount of this to play around with because it’s really making my palate feel challenged. Right now, it’s not enough to justify starting an order up on its own.
Teas Downed: 16
Second tea of the morning……
And tea #3 from my Fukubukuro bag from Lupicia. This one is in sachets in a pack of 10. Overall, I am pleased with my bag. I am not completely sure I will buy one again as I am not a huge fan of certain kinds of tea, but it has been a great introduction to Lupicia! I guess I would rather spend a little more and be sure to get things I know I will love.
Finally, a cherry flavored tea that is not reminiscent of cherry cough drops! I did have my reservations upon smelling it, but it is rather good. I will thoroughly enjoy this while I have it on hand, and it may even make it onto a shopping list. I think I need at least a few more cups of it before I can totally decide. Light cherry flavor, a decently well matched tea base. Enjoyable.
One sachet, roughly 12 oz freshly boiled water, 3minutes. Lightly sweetened.
sipdown! yeah I’m finally done with this one and am not too sad to see it go. I would love to find a good cherry tea if there is one out there that is not tart and smelly like this one. Hit me up with your recommendations if you have any.
I’m not a particular fan of strong, almost-chemically induced, fruit blends. But there are exceptions that are done well. I gave Lupicia’s Sakurambo a try because it’s a black tea blend versus the green tea blend I had tried in past chez Teavana (my mouth puckers just thinking of the overly sugary-sour-bitter.)
The aroma out of the box is VERY strong. Sour cherry. I thought “oh no, here we go again.” But the cherries being used aren’t the dried, sugared type, they’re an actual type of cherry bean, so there wasn’t the “marzipan” character to it. It’s very pretty in the teapot – the black tea, the green needles, and the small cherry beans (I can see this being a nice treat at the holidays).
Brewed according to directions, steeped for 2.5 minutes. The sip isn’t bad. Definite cherry. I can still taste the qualities of the black tea. Not as disappointing as it foreshadowed. There was a stronger astringency than I’m used to, about medium if I had to put it on a scale.
I’m curious to try this again blended with milk and see if my opinion changes, being a black tea it just might be the ticket!
I’m satisfied, but I’m still on the hunt for my “best” cherry tea. Something that leans more toward creamy and slightly floral or spicy, like some of the good-smelling lotions at Bath and Body works.
Definitely a notch above a green cherry blend.
(this is the bagged version)
I’m craving more Adagio sour apple, but I don’t have any at work. pouts
Lupicia doesn’t let me down though, I love their teas. This is a lightly flavored cherry black with a hint of sweetness.
Just not quite what I’m in the mood for.
My 6th tea from The Book of Tea, which is quite nice! I was worrying that it would turn out to be a tart cup but it didn’t. It was very fruity and tasted like real cherries (though the taste reminded me more of nectarines I must say!). It’s mostly sweet but also had a light note of sourness. Tea companies tend to throw in a lot of fruits and flowers to create fruit-flavoured black tea, often with disastrous results. I was glad that Lupicia didn’t do the same to this tea… after all there’s no need for them to do so given their wonderful range of flavourings! :P
Not bad but not overly flavorful either…but pleasant
Lupicia is probably one of my favorite tea bag companies because they do not sacrifice the quality of the leaf because of the packaging. I wanted something strong but fruity. The first thing that I noticed was the red cherries. I enjoyed the smell but I must agree with the other posts that the competing flavors was a bit too much for me. The first few sips were enjoyable but after that I think that my tastebuds were a bit confused.
The tea overall was okay but I feel like it could have been a more simple blend.
This is an interesting flavored tea. It’s not really fruity, but it is fruit flavored. (I hope that makes some kind of sense!) I’m interested in trying this one iced. I think that the green version would be worth a try as well. The tea has a kind of sour tang. I didn’t taste any bitterness, but I thought this one definitely needed a little bit of sweetener.
This is a wonderful tea all around. I am about to brew a nice big pot to go with my breakfast. Anything I do not finish will be tucked into the fridge to enjoy as iced tea later.
The color is wonderful, the smell is wonderful, even the raw tea is just glorious to look at. This is a favorite of mine and always, always gets a very approving response out of my guests.
