Sakurambo

Sipdown (618)!

This was a free sample from my Lupicia order – in sachet format.

I swear I’ve had this tea before or, at least, I thought that I had – but I’ve not reviewed it here on Steepster so I’m probably confusing it for one of their other blends. I wonder which one though…!?

I thought this was ok; like a lot of Lupicia teas the fruit notes are very strong, present and sweet – I definitely get a candy red cherry flavour. There’s some other stuff going on though; it’s a little peppery and I’m getting some briskness from the black tea and a hint of astringency in the finish. It’s ok overall; definitely more interesting than just a plain cherry flavour. I don’t think I’m personally in love with the profile though – even if I have no major complaints on the flavours themselves.

Just not my thing.

Sampler Saturday! I noticed this would be my 500th tasting note, and decided I at least wanted to make it something new, and (hopefully) something enjoyable. I noticed I had a sampler teabag of this Lupicia tea, which I apparently got a year ago as a freebie with a Lupicia order. Now that Lupicia is closed down (aside from wonky orders from Hawaii), and the cherry flavor reminds me a bit of the cherry blossom season (though I do have proper sakura teas I need to revisit this month!) I figured this would be a good choice for a black tea to go with my breakfast this morning. Plus, I’ve heard good things about it!

The teabag had a pleasantly sweet cherry aroma, and the steeped cup is a pretty coppery color and still has a rich cherry scent, with a sort of fresh, evergreen quality. The tea is malty and I thankfully keep my steep time rather short as I know Lupicia’s black can turn astringent easily, and I think three minutes was just right as this is pretty smooth; I’m getting very faint hints of cocoa in the malty base which accompany the cherry nicely. The cherry itself is not the syrupy, sweet, medicinal flavor that I usually find in teas which makes me typically avoid cherry teas; it has almost a juicy quality, and finds a happy medium between being too sweet or too tart. But what is making me really love this tea, is there is this refreshing evergreen taste right at the end of the sip; it would seem an odd accompaniment, but it keeps the cherry from feeling cloying or candylike, and just adds this mellowing balance. It’s a crisp and clean sort of taste. Sometimes a touch of pine makes the whole thing taste like cleaning agent, but here it just works into something wonderful.

I would absolutely drink more of this!

What a strange tea. Tastes like dried fruit should be a predominate ingredient but there isn’t any. The fruity flavors overpower the black tea which I basically don’t taste at all. It’s unique but I think this is a one time tea for me.

Sipdown no. 10 of February 2019 (no. 28 of 2019 total, no. 516 grand total). A sample teabag.

I just had one of these not long ago, but EVERY CONTAINER COUNTS!

I don’t have more to say about it. It’s really lovely this morning. I was in Houston over the weekend for the memorial service of a friend’s father. It was a whirlwind trip — in Friday, out Sunday. But I’m glad I went.

And today I get to announce I’ve met my February sipdown goal!

Another tasty gift from Cameron B. :D

Lots of reviews on this and I see there are mixed reviews. I like it because it’s slightly tart, has a good base and doesn’t taste like cherry cough syrup or cough drops. Speaking of cold medicine, I’m almost 100%. Colds suck… As usual, my medicine was in pill/tablet form because I can’t stand the artificial cherry flavor in the liquid meds.

The cherry in this is very good. If it wasn’t slightly tart, I wouldn’t have liked it so much. The sweet peppery taste of the pink peppercorns really adds to it. I wouldn’t have guessed the pine though. Good call. ^^

Oh I like this one.

It’s not in my favorites of Lupicia but they have hundreds of tea flavors- what can I say. It hits the spot of strong, flavorful and refreshing without being overpowering and it’s far from their most sour teas. For a black it packs the right amount of punch with the Japanese cherry (which is rly subdued, not what many Western drinkers would think of with cherry) and complexity with the peppercorns and herbs.

To each their own, despite the popularity of the Sakurambo vert- I just much prefer this version. The cherry flavor works well in both but as an overall strong tea combo I personally just feel this one works better-at least for my tastes.

365 Days of Tea Challenge – Day 3/365

Continuing my Lupicia marathon, and double-dipping with my tea of the day for this one!

This is a Japanese cherry-flavored black tea. The base tea has that flaky look about it, similar to the Cassis & Blueberry that I just drank. However, I’m not getting as much earthy flavor from this, so perhaps it’s a slightly different blend. It’s an extremely smooth and mellow black tea base, not contributing a ton in the way of flavor but being enough to make a good base for the added flavoring.

Oh my… I’d forgotten how much I love this one…

The cherry flavor is a tad candylike, but it’s also quite tart and refreshing, reminding me a bit of dried cherries and even verging on cranberry. There’s an interesting pine note as well, I’m not sure if it’s from the rosemary in the blend or if it’s just part of the flavoring. There doesn’t seem to be that much rosemary, so I’m assuming it’s ornamental and this is an added flavor.

This is such a lovely, weird, delicious blend from Lupicia… I think I’ll need to order a couple packets of this, and perhaps a couple of the green version as well. I can imagine the pine flavor going extremely well with a sencha base, similar to their Yuzu green tea.

Bumping the rating just a little… ;)

https://www.instagram.com/p/BsL6WQHF9xj/

Sipdown (101)

One of the few remaining teabags from the book of tea. This definitely is subtle and takes a bit of paying attention to register cherry but it actually does taste like that. However, as I have said time and time again, the base just kills it for me. It is quite strong next to such a mellow flavor that I find I just want MOAR!!! I shouldn’t have to focus to taste the flavor of a flavored tea. I think it is fair to say I am just not a huge fan of Lupicia black teas and this is no exception. Still, it was fun to try.

I’ve been a longtime fan of Lupicia teas, so of course I had to try this one eventually. The scent of this blend is a very fresh, authentic whiff of cherry, maybe a little on the underripe side and all the more appealing for it! The same flavor is present in the tea, along with just a little bit of heat from the peppercorns and herbal, almost savory coolness from the rosemary. I definitely wasn’t expecting those two ingredients, but they make the blend a bit more interesting than if it was just fruity and sweet. The tea base is unassuming but a good backdrop for these flavors to play on. Overall, a fun blend and one that makes it feel like springtime.

Sipdown. 212F 2min
Solid mid-cherry flavor (not tart, not sweet) when I remember not to overleaf it. Short brew times make for a better cup. Overleafed it becomes too much overall for me. The base is only so-so, sometimes it gets a little astringent.
I must just have hit the sweet spot today. Comforting cup today at work.