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Tea of the afternoon…..

And tea #4 from my 2012 $30 Lupicia Happy Bag.

I am very pleased with this one. While the grapefruit is kind of strong, and adds a slight edge to the green tea (just like a real grapefruit would!), I really like this barely sweetened to take the edge off. Very refreshing. Going on my Lupicia list!

Tea of the morning……

Hello, Old Friend. This is one of my ‘savor it’ teas. It seems like it was only available for a short time, and the tins were only two ounces. I am not even sure the last time I had this one! I think I made a mistake by trying to go a little lighter on the leaf. It is not quite as dark and mysterious as the last few pots that I remember. Oh, well. It will still be loved.

Tea of the afternoon……

I decided to have this today while Lupicia’s Earl Grey was fresh in my mind. This one is bright, too, but more because the base is a Darjeeling blend rather than the bergamot notes being bright. I think I favor Lupicia’s Earl Grey a little over this one. This one is certainly priced a little better……

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.

Tea of the afternoon……

I have been wanting to try this tea for quite some time. It kind of reminded me of the Golden Snail from Harney & Son’s that I love and is currently out of stock. I picked this up when thepuriTea was having a great sale around Black Friday…I kind of went nuts and ordered a sample just about everything I have been wanting to try.

I have to agree with others that the sample packaging is kind of annoying. There is not much else to do with an open pouch but to find something else to put it in as the pouches are too small to even fold them over. My other issue is that there is nowhere near enough tea for the number of cups they say you will get out of a sample. They say 10-12 cups, I say 4 or maybe 5 if you are lucky. It is enough to get a good idea of the tea, but just barely. If I had paid full price for the sample, I would have been disappointed.

This one is very similar to Golden Snail for those of you out there waiting for its return. Malty, cocoa-noted, slightly roasty. If I were out of Golden Snail, I would certainly consider picking some of this up! Very satisfying!

After workout tea……

It is time to get back to my healthier ways. I always feel so much better when I am making an effort to exercise, but it is usually the getting started that is the problem. I think I am going to set up a jar with tokens….one token for a workout (I might even include a rigorous round of shoveling snow if we get any more, LOL!). One token for a dollar, and work up to buying a tetsubin. I know I can get by without one, but I am kind of wanting one for my oolongs. Anyway this is my post-workout cuppa today.

One more thing about Lupicia that I like…..by placing an online order for $30 or more, I have now been subscribed to their “Fresh Tea” Magazine for a year which supposedly comes every month and includes a free tea sample. I can always get behind a free sample. For December, which they included in my order, it was Earl Grey. The one I have is a wrapped sachet, but I think this will be a fun thing for the upcoming year.

This is a really good Earl! (Dinosara, I am talking to you!) It is maybe a little brighter and less musty than the ones I usually drink (even though I still love me a slightly mustyish Earl!) If I ever pare down my cache of Earl Grey varieties, this will be on my list….but since I can get it in 50 g, I might go for it anyway the next time I order at Lupicia. Also, I have not had Earl Grey in a while, and I think my taste for it is cycling back around, but I am thinking it was jut one particular Earl variety, recently rehomed, that squashed my cravings for it. I am so glad to be on friendly terms with the Earl again!

My afternoon 5 minute resteep was good, too!

Tea of the afternoon…..

I am trying to switch out some of the black tea I drink for green and oolong these days. I have yet to try a roasted green, but I figure it is probably best to stick with the greener greens for the added health benefits. Is greener really better?

(O-kay…..I have to share a little first world funny here…..every time I type oolong, it gets flagged for misspelling. It list my choices as oblong, Woolongong (what is THIS, LOL…oh, it is a town in Australia! To those not in the know, like me 5 seconds ago, it sounds kind of humorous when you let your own mind decide what it might mean), overlong, longer, and long’s…time to add this one to my dictionary. Done!)

I really like this one. I think the pineapple flavor really complements green tea. I can drink it without adding anything, but I added the slightest bit of sweet just to see what it would do, and it did bring out the pineapple even more. Yum.

24oz. teapot, just over 4 tsp tea, about 180 water, 3 minutes.

Tea of the morning…..

This was not part of my 2012 Lucky bag, but I have been eyeing this tea ever since I heard of Lupicia. It is a rich black tea base with cookie flavor that is lightly almond and lightly caramel. What I do like about it, is that the flavor is subtle without being too overly sweet. It just makes the rich tea base more fun. In comparison with the flavored teas from Harney that I usually drink, this one actually has something bready flavored going on. I am sure it is a completely different tea base for a flavored tea than what I have previously tried. I am very pleased with this! It is strong enough for a morning tea.

Usual mug method….

Tea of the eveing…….

And tea #2 from my $30 Lupicia Fukubukuro bag. (There are five loose teas, two bags of 10 teabags, one bag of extra long tea clips, a good sized tea ball, and a small but nice canvas bag.) This one came as a loose tea. One thing I am really liking about Lupicia is the amounts they sell. I love teas in 50g amounts. It is just enough to try and be sure about a repurchase…..and the repurchase is still small so that you don’t feel badly if your tastes wander to a different type of tea. I think one of my big mistakes in my tea journey has been stocking up on something I might not like so much in 6 months….. Also, since I have quite a bit of tea on the premises, it makes sense to buy small amounts for freshness optimization before using it up.

While rooibos is not my favorite kind of tea, this one is pretty good. I do require this one to be sweetened. It brings out the berry and honey flavors even more…..kind of like Tower of London in rooibos form.

Mug method for 5 minutes.

Tea of the afternoon……

I have been waiting almost a year to order one of Lupicia’s famous Fukubukuro bags that they offer annually at 12:01 on New Year’s Day. It is a Japanese tradition, a lucky bag, or mystery bag that offers items usually at a 50% discount. I missed out on the $50 bags, but was able to snag the $30 version. I was definitely pleased overall with my January tea purchase, and I got a few things that will be interesting to try. This was one of the teas in that bag….. I got a bag of 10 teabags.

I am not usually a fan of genmaichas, but I do appreciate them from time to time. This one has a grassy, bready, roasty flavor that you would expect from this type of tea. I am sure I can drink it 9 more times! I do like that it is such a unique flavor profile from the teas I usually drink. This one is certainly fresh and tasty. I do not require additions on this one.

I followed the steeping parameters on the bag…..1 minute with about 12 oz. boiling water (which I thought the water temp recommendation seemed a little high for a green…might try lower next time.)