Chocolate & Strawberry Puer

James has been drinking this one a lot this week, so it’s been tempting me. Decided to have a cup today and it is strawberry candy deliciousness. Mmm.

This was a sample in my last Lupicia order. I got a pretty good handful of them, actually. It’s sad in a way. I get to try all these once, then never again.

From the moment I opened the foil, I got the feeling this was one of the teas I’d miss. The strawberry aroma was mouthwatering. Like strawberry shortcake. The chocolate smell was more subtle, but there. Sort of like milk chocolate. Now, I’m not really a fan of puerh these days. It was interesting to explore, but I never found myself thinking “oh, a cup of puerh sounds good” when browsing my tea collection. Something about the mustiness. I should note that I don’t smell any of the more off-putting puerh notes.

At three and a half minutes, it is very dark. And bitter. Should have looked at the directions. I tried to just deal with it for a few sips, then gave up and added a splash of 2% milk. That improved the bitterness a lot, and sort of played up the chocolate flavor, which is still mild. I’m also tasting a good amount of vanilla, which I hadn’t expected, but I love. But strawberry is still the star of this tea. Realistic, happy strawberry. It’s a real shame I won’t be able to order it.

I think this has awakened something in me. I want to find a good replacement for this now.

Sipdown no. 14 of February 2019 (no. 32 of 2019 total, no. 520 grand total). A sample teabag.

If I was going to drink flavored pu erh, I think this would be a top contender. I didn’t order it with my last Lupicia order, though, and I don’t really need more tea anyway.

But Lupicia’s flavoring magic extends to pu erh in a very wonderful way.

Some of the Numi bagged pu erhs were also enjoyable, but I like this better. There’s nothing at all fishy about the pu erh in the bag — or at least if there is, it doesn’t come out in the smell or taste because mostly what I smell and taste is chocolate dipped strawberries. Maybe just the slightest earthiness to give it some substance, maybe just the tiniest tobacco-like note.

But mostly chocolate dipped strawberries. Which is a good thing.

Medium-dark liquor with chocolate, caramel, strawberry aroma with a hint of leather, hay aroma similar to other Pu-erh but when it came to the taste, the leather taste wasn’t present and if it was, I didn’t notice it. :P

Like the Kotobuki, it was very mild, but yet a very pleasant taste. I liked this one much better (no rose at all that I can tell) and had hints of chocolate, caramel, strawberries, maybe even Kahlua-like with a little bit of rum-like and vanilla bean in there. When I was drinking it, I thought of chocolate covered strawberries, and if you blended it up, added a lot of water, this is what the juice would taste like. It was sweet but not sugary. I liked it very much. Hard to believe it’s Pu-erh though.

Boo, totally over-steeped the 2nd infusion. It was much stronger though lol. o.O Cats began fighting…

additional notes:  My original note for this was for a really old teabag — so I think it’s time to update for the loose leaf.  It’s Lupicia’s extra special strawberry flavoring — the rare tea shop that can get strawberry right, with a nice balance of chocolate on rich puerh. Usually if I crave a strawberry tea I know to go for Lupicia.  If I wasn’t trying to make this small amount of this last a while, I’d probably use two teaspoons but a teaspoon and a half is fine.  Raising the rating from 80.
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoons for full mug //  19 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 4-5 min

This is a standard for me, one I will usually have on hand. Ridiculously over the top, luscious, fruity with lots of chocolate flavor. Like drinking chocolate-covered strawberries. Seriously. If you love puerh, you may be disappointed, as there is only a subtle earthiness coming through from the tea, almost obliterated by the chocolate and strawberry flavors. Works for me, though! One of my favorite dessert teas, wonderful with milk.

It’s hard to get either chocolate or strawberry flavor down right, and this tea does both in one lovely, creamy, natural-tasting combination. And, accounting for the minor difference of a puerh vs. black tea base, it’s an almost perfect rendition of a long lost favorite, Butiki’s Red Queen Cupcake. I never thought I’d encounter another blend with all the things I loved about it again! That was a tea I enjoyed over the holiday season too, a couple of years back. The cold weather makes these richer, flavored teas more enjoyable. And, although both might have the same base, this one knocks Sunny Fruits way out of the park.

Trying this tea was enough to remind me to return and start logging my teas again. It’s been a busy few months (as usual) but life is pretty good. I’m glad to see many familiar names still active around here, and hope everyone is doing well!

This was a sample from the February mailer. I really liked the strawberry and chocolate notes in this tea, but the puer base still reminds me of drinking rubber. The reviews seemed to say that for the most part it was hidden and I would agree, but every once in a while I got a hint of it. I enjoyed the cup but not something I need to visit very often.

[Backlog] – I’ll admit that I’m not the biggest fan of puerh. It’s one of those teas that my tastebuds can’t seem to enjoy. Most of the puerh teas I’ve tried seemed too dusty, earthy and the very worst, fishy! I’ve personally found that there are so many teas out there that I enjoy more so I haven’t gone out of my way to find puerh. I have high hopes for this blend, though, as it’s supposed to have notes of chocolate and strawberry. Lupicia does fruit flavoring quite well, in my experience, so I bet this will be a tasty cup.

Ooh, this is lovely! The beginning of the sip offers a strong chocolate flavor and a bright strawberry. It reminds me a little bit of a melted chocolate bar with strawberry jam. How delicious! The puerh is actually so far in the background that I can’t truly taste it. I suppose it does come out at the end of the sip as something a bit dry and dark. If I gulp the tea, the puerh does become more present. This is where the blend falls flat.. but only because I don’t like puerh. Hah! The tea base does work with the flavorings, though.

I recommend this tea for anyone who loves the combination of strawberry and chocolate. Lupicia could not have made a more perfect blend of the two. Those who enjoy puerh might be a little disappointed as it’s not terribly strong, but really.. it’s all about the chocolate and strawberry!

Ooooo quite good! Very fitting with my egg on toast. Woodsy, slight twiggy, chocolate, strawberry. Goes down smoothly. Good earthy undertones that flow so well with the rest of the flavors. I gave it a 4 minute steep time but it tasted just fine at 3.