13 Tasting Notes
I don’t know how because this is not the greatest Earl Grey but this is my daily drinker. I have purchased a few pounds over the last year since Teavana opened in Honolulu.
As EG’s go it’s pretty above average but not the cream of the crop (no pun intended).
The bergamot is just at that right amount and for a Teavana blend surprisingly no-frills. No weird fillers or chunks of mystery, just good quality tea. I equate this to your favorite comfort food at a major chain, so good you’ll eat it every time but it is not quite as good as MeMa’s
Preparation
This tea is freaking awesome, It made my friends and I wanna sing Outkast “Sorry Miss Jackson” (Thanks Pandora) I digress. It’s mild and sweetish but not too sweet. It is so easy to drink i can totally see overdoing with this lovely lady. I love the orange hints and how they do not overpower the Jasmine as citrus notes sometimes can.
I highly recommend this blend to lovers of Green and Fuijan Oolongs. Please meet my new girlfrield “Miss Jasmine”
Preparation
This one was a no brainer for me. I love green tea and I love peaches, this tea has wonderful flavors of both. The floral flavors of the Rose petals and Cornflow is present but not overly powerful and seems to pull the sweetness to the front. The sweetness is amazing because it’s there but not really there. A total mind f***!
I have a full tin of this and I totally purchased it based on the fragrance. I walked in to the Honolulu Lupicia store just for the hell of it and the smell punched me in the face and buy some now. Damn you Lupicia.
I highly recommend you at least try this tea it is surely one of my favorites.
http://flic.kr/p/bkctWC
http://flic.kr/p/bkcvu9
http://flic.kr/p/by7u7V
Preparation
This company should be flogged for equating this dime-store powder to the Father of Chado (Tea Ceremonies) Sen No Rikyu. I have met the 15th descendant of Sen on Rikyu, Urasenke Grandmaster Hounsai Hanso Genshitsu and he would choke on this stuff if you could get the old guy to drink this.
The taste itself will not kill you but it is no better tasting than the residual Matcha Powder that Costco a.k.a. Kirkland places on it’s Ryohucha generic green tea bags. In Fact I would say the Kirkland one is better. It is very chalky even after well mixed with a 120 Prong Chasen. When you get to the bottom of your raku you will find a goo 1/4tsp of unmixed solids.
It’s drinkable in a pinch as futsucha (regular daily tea) but nothing that will pop your sox. As a food ingredient it will serve you well. I’ll save it for smoothies or Frappuccinos to impress my non tea-freak friends who just love all my Japanophile stuff.
Preparation
One of my favorite compliments to great Japanese food is a really good Genmaicha (玄米茶). Trying to fight off the end of a really bad cold and needing my strength back I made a pot of Japanese Spicy Beef Curry tonight for dinner. Looking for a decent tea to pair with my grub I found a brand new tin of Lupicia Kirara Genmaicha my good friend gave me for Christmas.
Just opening the bag you can tell the aromas are so wonderful. The sweet roasted smell of gemnai (brown rice) and the calming straw or hay fragrance of a middle grade sencha (煎茶).
The taste was pretty good so I did enjoy my three steeps starting out with a 30 sec steep and progressing adding 15 sec each time. It was satisfactory but not mind melting.
Having tasted some of the best genmaicha in Japan I expected a little bit more fullness and roasted flavors especially knowing Lupicia is a major chain in Japan. While not a total disappointment it’s not a superlative worthy genmaicha. It looks as if Lupicia has lowered it’s standards a touch on this one thinking we may not notice the difference. I’ll stick to me omiyage (gifts) from Japan or try some suggestions from my fellow Steepsters.
Preparation
I made this Chai as instructed in the box with minor exceptions. I used 8th Continent Soy Milk(1cup) instead of whole milk. As for the Black Tea I used Lupicia Palekaiko (1.5tbsp )only because I have a lot of it. For sweetener I used Williams-Sonoma Granulated Honey (2tbsp)
It came out absolutely perfect. What a treat for today and there was enough left over to refrigerate and serve as iced Chai tomorrow. Like many people have said the flavor is so well balanced, not one flavor overpowers another. It has the correct amount of spice and drinks so smooth. It was almost as perfect as the cup I tasted two weeks ago in Samovar Tea Lounge in SF during Macworld. Granted this takes a little time to prepare but it is so worth it. It almost makes me wish I had some snow to go with it.
(According to Samovar)
How to Brew Our Chai
Bring 1-2 cups of water with 1 or more tablespoons of raw sugar to a rolling boil.
Then add 2 tablespoon of chai blend and 1 tablespoon of your favorite full-bodied black tea. Boil for an additional 3 minutes. Add 1 cup of whole milk, bring to boil again, and then remove from heat and let mixture sit 5 minutes. Pour through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth and enjoy!
http://flic.kr/p/btXSV2
http://flic.kr/p/btXHCT
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/granulated-honey/
http://steepster.com/teas/lupicia/7185-palekaiko
#Aloha
Preparation
This tea is very flavorful and has powerful aromas of Vanilla and Strawberry. This was a Christmas present and I have nearly completed the bag of loose leaf already. It’s very easy to drink and although it’s a black tea blend it is very relaxing and calming. It’s mildly sweet and very hearty so it stand up well to multiple steeps. I prepared this with my inginuiTEA from Adagio tea as well as in a Manmarukyuusu. Also taste great as an iced tea.
