90
drank Kotobuki by Lupicia
303 tasting notes

Oh, bad, bad, bad. I hate the sound of traffic accidents in the street outside. It’s beyond a stretch of park and out of sight, but somehow not being able to see the extent of it makes it worse – there’s just the shock of the impact and then the perplexingly slow motion screech of metal and the honking and yelling far away in the distance, sometimes not even carried all the way here, and then finally the sirens. I’ve seen so many accidents there – it’s a badly planned stretch of road, with trams stopping in the middle, pedestrians meandering all over in a fairly heavy flow of traffic… and to top that off, trams crossing the road to turn around. Now I’m just waiting for the sirens – the crash occurred just as I clicked this note open, so this has been a live report from Rome, reminding you to be careful.

I was just going to say – and mostly for the benefit of those of you with whom I’ve been discussing cold-steeping methods lately – that this has been in the fridge for about three additional days now, leafs removed, of course, and that it tastes just as fresh and clean as it did when I wrote my first review. I’ll keep experimenting with various tea types, but these oolongs are very forgiving.

Preparation
Iced 8 min or more
keychange

I understan the concept of hearing car crashes being worse than hearing and seeing them simultaneously. Since a lot of cars these days are built to withstand a lot of impact, they can often sound worse than they are, but absent getting that confirmation yourself, all you can imagine is a wreck of epic proportions.

Anna

Yes, you sum it up perfectly.

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

Comments

keychange

I understan the concept of hearing car crashes being worse than hearing and seeing them simultaneously. Since a lot of cars these days are built to withstand a lot of impact, they can often sound worse than they are, but absent getting that confirmation yourself, all you can imagine is a wreck of epic proportions.

Anna

Yes, you sum it up perfectly.

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

Profile

Bio

I’m going to try all the teas.

Then I will choose a lucky few perfect specimens, and we will live happily together in my tea cupboard.

Forever.

* *

2015

This will be a year of in-betweenness and logistics. Where to put the teas. How to arrange the teas. Which teas to replenish – which ones to say goodbye to.

Still doing Project Green.
Still doing Project Jasmine.
Still doing Project Peach.

Dr. Tea is the name, I’m ahead of my game
still, steeping my leafs, still f*ck with the temps
still not loving Assam (uh-huh)
still rock my Bosch kettle with its high-pitched shriek
still got love for the greens, repping Lupicia
still the cup steams, still doing my thang
since I left, ain’t too much changed, still

(With apologies to Mr. Young.)

2014

This year, all bets are off. I am going to drink both peppermint and chamomile and possibly suffer a little. But it’s okay – it’s for science.

I’m doing Project Jasmine, Project Peach and Project Unflavoured Green.

In terms of flavoured teas, Lupicia and Mariage Frères have become my massive favourites, and I have learned that Dammann Frères/Fauchon/Hédiard and Butiki aren’t really for me.

The O Dor, Adagio and Comptoir des thés et des épices are all on this year’s I’d like to get to know you better list.

2013

Getting back into tea drinking last fall, I was all about rooibos. This past spring has been all green tea, all the time, with some white additions over the summer. Currently attempting a slow, autumnal graduation to black teas. Oolongs are always appropriate.

The constant for me, flavour wise, is the strong presence of fruity and floral notes. Vanilla is lush, as long as it’s not artificial. Peach, berries, mango. Cornflower, rose, lavender.

No peppermint.

No chamomile.

No cinnamon.

Ever.

* *

My ratings don’t reflect the ‘What does this tea do for me?’ standard, but rather my own ‘What would I do for this tea?’ scale.

100-90
My absolute favourites. Teas I would travel for – or, in any case, pay exuberant postage for, because they simply have to be in my cupboard. Generally multi-faceted teas with complex scents and flavours. Teas with personality. Tricky teas.

89-80
Teas I wouldn’t hesitate to buy again if and when I came across them. Tea purchases I would surreptitiously weave into a travel itinerary (Oh! A Lupicia store! Here?! My word!).

79-70
Teas I enjoyed, but don’t necessarily need to make any kind of effort to buy again.

69-0
Varying degrees of disinterest and contempt.

Location

Rome, Italy

Following These People

Moderator Tools

Mark as Spammer