Sakura

Tea: Sakura - 5804
Vendor: Lupicia USA
Price: $8.50 / 50g
Vendor Description: Black tea blended with cherry leaves produces a sweet yet refreshing taste. Tea to announce the arrival of spring. The slight saltness goes well with both Japanese and Western sweets.

Leaf: The leaf consists of a typical flavored black leaf. There is a fair amount of stem in the mix though for a flavored black. There are small pieces of chopped green leaves added into the mix, presumably these are sakura leaves. There is also a very bold sakura aroma from the leaf.

1st Infusion Parameters: 3g, 5oz, 208F, 3min

1st Infusion: The tea produces a rich clear brown hue. The black aroma mixes well with the araoma from the sakura leaves. There is a light saltiness that is not overpowering like some of the sakura teas offered by Lupicia. This actually pairs fairly well with a nice rich flavor. There is a light sense of astringnecy, but no bitterness to this tea. The sakura flavor itself pokes out slightly at the end, aside from that the actual flavor of this tea shows through just as a typical black base.

Rating: 5/10

Conclusion: The flavor of the sakura in this tea isn't terribly outstanding. It blends in mostly with the regular black tea base. The aroma is very outstanding and enjoyable though, and the saltiness of the tea isn't as noticeable as say the Sakura Houji. Overall this is a bit unimpressive, but nothing really detracting either.