Benico

Tea: Benico - 5538
Vendor: Lupicia USA
Price: $6.50 / 50g
Vendor Description: An invigorating black tea blend with ruby colored acerola, hibiscus and rosehips. Pakced with vitamin C, enjoy this blend iced to combat the fatigue of hot summer weather.

Leaf: The leaf is a rather typical looking black leaf base. It has a sweet, apple cider like aroma. The aroma is very broad.

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

1st Infusion: The aroma to the tea is very broad and sweet. The tea itself is a clear brown hue. The flavor is very broad and short lived. There is very little to no aftertaste. The center of the tea is a nice solid black tea flavor. The flavor is broad, warm and enveloping. It finishes with a light sense of astringency.

Rating: 6/10

Conclusion: This tea is a pretty nice flavored black tea. The flavor is sweet, but very general. It is almost like sweetening a tea without sweeteners. The price isn't too bad for a flavored black, but isn't particularly inexpensive either.

Pineapple Oolong

Tea: Pineapple Oolong - 8510
Vendor: Lupicia USA
Price: $9.00 / 50g.
Vendor Description: Taiwanese oolong tea flavored with sweet pineapple using the famous Taiwanese pineapple cake as its image.

Leaf: The leaf for this tea is a yellow green Taiwanese style balled oolong tea. There are small dried pieces of pineapple. The leaf has a very matte color to it, it looks like a rather large amount of stem is still attached on the balls. Most are multi-leaf clusters. The aroma to the tea is sweet and somewhat confused. It is a mix of the sweetness of the fruit with the fresh aroma of the Taiwanese oolong. There is a rather wide variety int he size of the leaf balls.

1st Infusion Parameter: 5g, 5oz, 208F, 45s

1st Infusion: The tea has a bright yellow hue to it. The aroma is predominantly that of a green oolong, it is bold and strong, but not very clear. The flavor of the tea has a snappy pineapple flavor sitting atop the green oolong flavor. The flavor reminds me very much of a dried piece of pineapple, but the tea isn't very sweet. It's for the most part light and short lived. The dried pineapple flavor feels as though it's masking the green oolong flavor slightly. The two flavors seem to go well together, but the pineapple is a bit on top.

2nd Infusion Parameters: 1:30, 208F

2nd Infusion: This infusion has a golden brown color it it. There is less aroma, but what is there feels very wide and broad. The flavor is bolder with a stronger pineapple flavor. It feels like a good pairing of the sweetness of the pineapple and the freshness of the oolong. Strangely this pairing brings to mind hints of beer flavoring. There is a light astringency on the back end of the tea. As the flavor progresses it feels as though it deepens.

Rating: 7/10

Conclusion: Interesting flavor pairing. The two seem to go well together, although the pineapple is edging out above the oolong. Although sweet pineapple tends to be more outstanding of a flavor than a fresh Taiwanese oolong. Although it's pretty good, at it's price it is a bit steep. I think for it's price I would like to stick to something a bit more refined and unflavored.

Narcissus

Tea: Narcissus
Vendor: Lupicia USA
Price: $5.00 / 50g
Vendor Description: Oolong tea with a distinctive aroma and refreshing astringency. As it has a refreshing aftertaste, it even goes well with oily dishes.

Leaf: The leaf for this tea is a large black colored oolong tea. It reminds me somewhat of the Glorious Seed (Se Zhong) tea in terms of shape and light rolling. It however is a much darker oolong than Glorious Seed. While Glorious Seed was a green oolong, this is a much darker oolong, with an aroma that reminds me of Wuyi oolongs. (I have a feeling that is what this one is.)

1st Infusion Parameters: 5g, 5oz, 208F, 45s, 5s rinse

1st Infusion: This infusion has a thick and heavy aroma to it. The tea has a hue similar to that of a light cup of coffee. The flavor is thick and rich. Most of the flavor is on the outer sides of my mouth. The central portion of the flavor isn't as strong as the sides. It starts out up front but moves to the sides instead of down the center. There is a very heavy roasted type flavor to this tea.

2nd Infusion Parameters: 1:30, 208F

2nd Infusion: This infusion has the same dark coffee brown hue as the first. The aroma though is much lighter than the first. The flavor is still rich and bodied. It is intense and bold, starting early on in the front and moving into a nice middle flavor. It is much stronger than the first infusion.

3rd Infusion Parameters: 2:00, 208F

3rd Infusion: The hue this time was a bit lighter than the second infusion. There is still a light aroma to the tea. The flavor is significantly lighter than that for the second infusion, but it feels very even from the start to the finish. It finishes with a light sense of astringency.

4th Infusion Parameters: 3:00, 208F

4th Infusion: This infusion has a lighter copper color. The flavor is even lighter than before, although it still has a good degree of body left to the tea. There is no bitterness or astringency though.

Rating: 7/10

Conclusion: This tea is best described as an everyday Wuyi. Although I have no idea if the tea is actually from the Wuyi mountains, it feels like it is. The flavor isn't as refined as some nicer Wuyi oolongs, but it is representative. It's relatively nicely priced and has the strength to continue for a fair number of infusions.

Malama

Tea: Malama EH-6
Vendor: Lupicia USA

About This Tea: Malama is one of the exclusive teas only available from the Hawaii store of Lupicia. I picked this up as part of of the gift set that was available through retail outlets earlier this year.

Leaf: The leaf for this tea is a typical orthodox black leaf mixed in with small CTC pellets. There is a rich cocoa aroma to the leaf and some small pieces of macadamia nut in the mix. There are a few other pieces in the mix that I can't seem to identify.

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

1st Infusion: This tea has a very strong and sweet cocoa aroma, it reminds me of some cocoa powder. The flavor of the tea is overall quite light, which does not match with the rich dark color of the tea. The flavor even though it is light is quite bold from the beginning to the end. The cocoa shines through the flavor and is a nice bit of an addition. It rounds out the flavor quite nicely. The flavor is overall quite rich and ends with a little bit of astringency.

Rating: 7/10

Conclusion: This tea is quite interesting. The cocoa mixed with the black tea provides a nice round flavor for the tea, but the availability of the tea is a bit offputting. It is nice, and it would be worth picking up if it was available easily, but I don't know if it is unique enough to go searching this one out.

Jade Dew Mingjian

Tea: Jade Dew Mingjian - 6286
Vendor: Lupicia USA
Price: $7.50 / 50g
Source: Taiwan
Vendor Description: Fully enjoy the luxurious flavor just like jasmine with the winter-picked Taiwanese oolong tea.

Leaf: The leaf consists typically shaped ball formed oolong tea. The balls are smaller than most that I see, but typically tightly rolled with some stem visitble. The leaf is very matte in color, and it has a very sweet and heavy aroma to it.

1st Infusion Parameters: 5g, 5oz, 208F, 45s

1st Infusion: The tea has a radiant green color. It is green, radiant and quite clear. There is a heavy yet bold and strong aroma to the tea. The flavor is very focused on the front and middle portions of the flavor. It shows a very round flavor overall.

2nd Infusion Parameters: 1:00, 208F
2nd Infusion: This infusion has a much stronger aroma, yet retains the radiant green color of the first. It has a thick and rich aroma to it still. The flavor has moved toward the back end in this infusion instead of the frontal notions from the first. There is a light sense of astringency on the back now.

3rd Infusion Parameters: 2:00, 208F

3rd Infusion: This infusion was much bolder in color. Instead of the radiant green of the first and second infusions it switched toa more yellow green color. The flavor is much bolder than the first two, and shifted back toward the front of the flavor. It feels a bit empty and ends with a light astringency on the back end.

Rating: 7/10
Conclusion: This is a pretty solid Taiwanese oolong. There isn't anything terribly outstanding, detracting, or unusual about it. It's pretty characteristic for the class of oolong. Simple, smooth, green and normal. It is reasonably priced for a solid green oolong. It holds up well for a few infusions and is a very good representation of class.

Strawberry

Tea: Strawberry - 5227
Vendor: Lupicia USA
Price: $5.50 /50g
Vendor Description: Sweet and lively strawberry flavor reminds us of a soft spring atmosphere. Its strong taste is good with a bit of sugar or with milk.

Leaf: The leaf for this tea is a very ordinary looking black orthodox leaf. Very uniform in both size and color. The strawberry aroma reminds me of strawberry gum, not so much the aroma of fresh strawberry, but that with artificially flavored strawberry products. There are a few pieces of small chopped up flat green leaves mixed in.

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

1st Infusion: The aroma of this tea, like the leaf reminded me of strawberry gum, but mixed in with a normal black tea aroma. There is a bit of sharpness in the aroma from the black tea component. The tea itself is a very standard clear brownish hue. The flavor is sweet with a strawberry like aftertaste. There is not much of a strawberry flavor in the core of the taste, but rather more like an afterthought. It is smooth and enjoyable, but the flavoring is very much that; flavoring.

Rating: 3/10

Conclusion: This tea is very much as expected. Nothing spectacular about it, nothing really disappointing. It's your standard flavored black tea that you would find at a variety of vendors. I would have appreciated a flavoring more akin to fresh strawberries rather than strawberry gum.

La Vanille

Tea: La Vanille - 5232
Vendor: Lupicia USA
Price: $7.50 / 50g
Vendor Description: Indulge in the love of vanilla! A luxurious blend of African black tea laced with exotic Madagascar Bourbon vanilla beans.

Leaf: The leaf for this tea is rather peculiar. It is shaped like a very small pellet ctc, but smaller than any other ctc that I have seen. It reminds me very much of freeze dried coffee grounds. There are cross sections of cut up vanilla beans mixed in with this. There is the distinctive aroma of true vanilla from this tea, rather unsurprisingly.

1st Infusion Parameters: 3g, 5oz, 208F, 2min

1st Infusion: The aroma for this tea is very rich and creamy. It is contribued heavily by the vanilla aroma. The flavor is light and clear for a black tea. It is sweetened by the vanilla flavor, and it almost begst o be paired with a bit of milk and sugar because of that. The flavor is overall somewhat light, but the vanilla keeps bringing to mind a combination of vanilla ice cream and a light black tea. The tea portion of the flavor lightly reminds me of an english breakfast tea.

Rating: 7/10

Conclusion: This tea is a bit difficult to rate. As a flavored black tea, the flavoring is quite outstanding. The vanilla is true to it's name and delivers a wonderful flavor. It's on the upper end of what anyone should pay for a flavored black tea, especially a ctc though.

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.

Snowy Leaves

Tea: Snowy Leaves
Vendor: Lupicia USA
Price: $7.00 / 50g
Source: Guandong, China
Vendor Description: Oolong tea which is commonly used in Guangdong Province. The very large tea leaves picked from ladders from self-standing single tea trees characterize this tea. Rich and mellow aroma and solid taste.

Leaf: The leaf for this tea consists of large dark black leaves. There are small hues of brown and grey on the leaves, nothing out of the ordinary for a Phoenix oolong. The leaves are a moderately large size for their type, not overly large or small.

1st Infusion Parameters: 5g, 5oz, 208F, 45s, 5s rinse

1st Infusion: This tea has an amazing aroma to it. It is floral, yet sweet and malty at the same time. It is very distinctively a phoenix oolong aroma, but it is not terribly refined or clear. Instead it is a broad encompassing, yet pleasant aroma. The tea itself is a beautiful brown hue. It has a sharp flavor, yet has a very smooth body to it. There is a long aftertaste and a mouth watering and warming feeling accompanying it.

2nd Infusion Parameters: 45s, 208F

2nd Infusion: This infusion has a lighter aroma, but still the same inviting floral feel to it. The flavor for this infusion is richer and bolder. It has a golden brown hue with hints of red. Again the flavor has an interesting mouth watering feel ot it. Overall it has a very bodied flavor.
3rd Infusion Parameters: 1:30, 208F

3rd Infusion: This time around the hue turned to a more golden color. The aroma has died down a bit, it is not as heavy anymore, but the floral characteristic is still readily found and it is more noticeable. The tea itself has a full body with a lighter flavor to it. The core of the flavor feels a bit empty though. It finishes nicely with a nice light sense of astringency.

4th Infusion Parameters: 2:15, 208F

4th Infusion: This infusion was lighter, but still had a rich color to it. The aroma was just noticeable at this point, with traces of the floral characteristic shining through. The flavor was richer than the 3rd infusion, with a generally intensified feel to it. This infusion felt smooth and welcoming, and left with a light sense of astringency again.

5th Infusion Parameters: 3:00, 208F

5th Infusion: This infusion had a light background aroma, nowhere near as prominent as the first few infusions. The flavor mirrored the waning aroma, in that it was much lighter and nowhere near it's previous bretheren. There was no astringency, but even in it's weakness this tea felt calming.

Rating: 10/10

Conclusion: I have been searching for different Phoenix Oolongs for a while, trying to find one more apt for daily drinking than some of the higher end ones. This seems to fit the bill quite nicely. It has a very solid and lasting flavor, with no major downsides. It is not overly cheap, nor overly expensive. It fits the bill quite nicely for a nice Phoenix oolong. This is one of my preferred Phoenix oolongs now.

Aloalo

Tea: Aloalo - 5904- EH-4
Vendor: Lupicia USA (Hawaii Exclusive)
Vendor Description: A Darjeeling and Assam tea with hibiscus flower. Tea has a beautiful red color.

About This Tea: This tea is one of the Lupicia Hawaii Exclusive teas. There are a handful of teas that are only available at the Hawaii store of Lupicia. A few have started popping up as a limited time item on their website and a few retail locations. This is not one of those.

Leaf: The leaf for this tea has a lovely color mix to it. It is a rainbow mixture of red, black, green, and brown hues. It has a very sweet and floral aroma to it. There is a very prominent factor to the aroma which I'm guessing is the hibiscus component. I'm not particularly familiar with the aroma of hibiscus.

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

1st Infusion: The tea has a very unusual dark purple hue to it, the shade reminds me somewhat of a deep red wine. The Darjeeling component is definitely poking through in the aroma expressing that characteristic floral Darjeeling aroma. The rest of the aroma is very thick and hearty. The flavor of the tea itself has a certain tartness to it. It is very up front and short lived. It reminds me somewhat of cranberry juice, the tartness and snap of the flavor. It just isn't backed by the same sweetness as a glass of cranberry juice. There is a light astringency tailing on the aftertaste after the tartness.

Rating: 9/10

Conclusion: This is a very unusual tea. I believe that a lot of the uniqueness is due to the hibiscus component, but the overall picture of the tea is a light and refreshing beverage. It is unfortunate that this tea is only available at the Hawaii store. The flavor brings back memories of the Island Breeze tea from Mighty Leaf, which also had hibiscus in it. In comparison this is a richer tea experience and bolder and more flavorful. Thank you to Victoria and her SIL at TeaChat for providing me some of this wonderful tea.

Decaf Earl Grey

Tea: Decaf Earl Grey - 5400
Vendor: Lupicia USA
Price: $7.50 / 50g
Vendor Description: Decaffeinated tealeaves scented with rich bergamot oil. This decaffeinated tea will not disturb your sleep even if it is drunk before bedtime.

Leaf: The leaf for this tea is a very uniform solid black tea. It has less of an aroma to it than the Grand Classic, yet it still has that distinctive earl grey aroma.

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

1st Infusion: The tea has it's almost floral citric aroma to it, just like other Earl Grey teas. There is a sharp bitterness from the citric flavor blending with the sharpness of a black tea. The bergamont is well defined and not overpowering. It follows through to a trailing aftertaste with the richness of the base tea. In general this tea feels inferior to the Grand Classic.

Rating: 3/10

Conclusion: This tea overall isn't that fantastic. Partly due to being an Earl Grey and partly just on it's own nature. Compared to the Earl Grey Grand Classic it falls short in flavor. This is a decaf tea though if that's what you're looking for. This tea is basically good if you're a fan of Earl Grey and you're looking for a decaf version to enjoy. Otherwise I would suggest the Grand Classic.

Mt. Ali Taiwan Oolong - 6290

Tea: Mt. Ali Taiwan Oolong -6290
Vendor: Lupicia USA
Price: $26.50 / 50g
Source: Jiayi, Taiwan
Vendor Description: A flowery flavor diffuses throughout your mouth the moment you taste this winter-picked Taiwanese alpine tea.

About This Tea: This is one of the winter harvest oolongs that was sampled at the Lupicia Tasting event.

Leaf: The leaf for this tea comes in the form of large rather uniformly sized balls. They have a clean and clear, yet strong aroma. The aroma exudes a sense of green freshness and floral notes. The balls have a light glossiness to their green hues.

1st Infusion Parameters: 5g, 5 oz, 208F, 45s

1st Infusion: This tea has a brilliant floral aroma to it. It is very clear and singly refined. The tea itself is clear with an almost radiant light green color to it. The flavor matches the aroma with a sense of freshness and alight clean flavor. Tucked in the folds of the crispness of this tea there are light floral notes.

2nd Infusion Parameters: 208F, 1:30

2nd Infusion: The aroma of this tea intensified with this infusion. The hue shifted a bit toward the yellow side of things. The flavor matched the intensification of the aroma and showed itself as a rich, clear and singular flavor. The aroma feels very well tied to the flavor, both feel crisp and clear.

3rd Infusion Parameters: 2:15, 208F

3rd Infusion: This infusion has an even deeper green hue. It has the same rich and intense taste to it, there is a little bit of an astringency on the back end of this infusion though.

4th Infusion Parameters: 3:00, 208F

4th Infusion: The aroma in this infusion is starting to lighten up. The hue is a lighter clear green color. The flavor is still very singular and refined. The astringency is built up a bit more to a medium astringnecy.

5th Infusion Parameters: 4:00, 208F

5th Infusion: This infusion has a noticeably yellower colro to it. The aroma is a bit hard to detect at this point. The flavor feels a bit on the light side, and it's not as deep of a flavor as it was before.

Rating: 10/10

Conclusion: This tea is quite a fantastic Taiwanese oolong. The flavor is clear and refined, it held up without significant change for 5 solid infusions. It is rather pricey though at around 50c/g. All in all quite a remarkable tea.

Teavent - Taiwan Winter Tea Tasting

Over the weekend I had the opportunity to attend one of Lupicia's tasting events to showcase their new winter Taiwanese Oolongs. This was the first of the 6 times this even is being held in the SF Bay Area. There are a few in the Southern California stores as well.

The teas they sampled were their Tikuanyin, Jade Dew Mingjian, Milky Gold Mingjian, Tung Ting Heavy Roast, Mt. Ali, and a special Shan Lin Xi. The TKY was sampled to show the comparative difference between a Chinese green oolong and the Taiwanese green oolongs. The Shan Lin Xi was a special competition winning oolong that unfortunately is not available for sale, but a special treat for the event.

The tasting consisted of a first and second infusion of the teas with the exception of the Shan Lin Xi, which went well into 5. The event was informative if you don't know much about production of Taiwanese oolongs or some of the more complicated brewing styles in general. Both gaiwans and gongfu brewing were used. The tasting also included the use of aroma cups for a few of the teas, which were new to most of the attendees.

All in all the teas were quite enjoyable, and the event was quite fun. I look forward to the next events that they may hold in the coming months. If you can make it to one of these events I would highly suggest attending. You get to try out some fabulous teas for free.

Earl Grey Grand Classic

Tea: Earl Grey Grand Classic - 5204
Vendor: Lupicia USA
Price: $9.00 / 50g
Vendor Description:Reproduction of tea loved by Earl Grey of England and used to produce Earl Grey tea. Smoky flavor, matching delicate fragrance of Chinese fruit dragon's eye. Graceful distinct character like an English gent.

Leaf: The leaf consists of typical black leaf with some green/brown accents to it. There is a very very bold aroma to it. It is almost an overpowering bergamont aroma. This is somewhat to be expected though of an Earl Grey tea.

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

1st Infusion: The infusion shares the same strong bold bergamont aroma that the leaf has. The tea is a moderate brown color. The flavor is strong, but the bergamont is almost overpowering. There is a snappy sharpness early on in the flavor, but that dissipates as the flavor continues further. It leaves with a definite bergamont aftertaste.

Rating: 6/10

Conclusion: This is probably the best Earl Grey that I have had thus far, but that still doesn't make me a big fan of it. I'm just not a big fan of bergamont. But the flavoring in this tea is large and in charge as opposed to some more mildly flavored Earl Grey teas. It is priced somewhat high for flavored black tea. Great for fans of the type, or Star Trek fans.

Jasmin Mandarin Special Grade

Tea: Jasmin Mandarin Super Grade - 8201
Vendor: Lupicia USA
Price: $8.50 / 10 teabags
Source: China
Vendor Description: The highest grade Jasmin tea produced using Chinese green tea as a base. It has a sweet fragrance like a spring wind, which is so refreshing that once tasted you can't forget it.

Teabag: This teabag is a normal Lupicia teabag, trigonal pyramidal w/ nylon style mesh. It contains about 3g of brownish green leaf. There is a very strong and sweet Jasmine aroma to it.

1st Infusion Parameters: 5oz, 185F, 1:30

1st Infusion: The infusion has a pale light brown hue to it. There is a rich strong Jasmine aroma to it. The flavor is sweet and light, it feels very reserved for a flavored tea. There is a medium astringency to finish the overall light flavor. The flavor and is very conservative compared to the aroma.

2nd Infusion Parameter: 3:00, 185F

2nd Infusion: There is a light brown hue to it again. It still smells very nicely of Jasmine. the flavor is smooth with a medium astringency. Everything about this tea feels quite permeated by Jasmine.

Rating: 8/10

Conclusion: This tea was overall fairly nice. The somewhat high amount of astringency is a bit of a downside. The scenting was very pleasant and lasted for more than one infusion which was enjoyable. At almost a dollar a teabag it feels a bit pricey, but for a good Jasmine flavor it's worth it.

Sakura Houji

Tea: Sakura Hoji - 8810
Vendor: Lupicia USA

About This Tea: The Sakura Hoji is a hojicha blended with salted sakura leaves. This year this tea is not offered on it's own, but rather only with the petit tin set.

Leaf: The leaf for this tea is a light brown hojicha with a large mix of the chopped sakura leaf. The sakura aroma is very prominent and pleasant. The tea reminds me of the Persimmion Leaf Hojicha from Lupicia as well.

1st Infusion Parameters: 3g, 5oz, 208F, 2 min

1st Infusion: This te has a bold autumn brown hue to it. There is a warm and sweet aroma to it. There are hints of a bancha edge to it, but it makes for a very round aroma overall. The flavor of the tea is salty. Very salty. VERY salty. There is a little bit of astringency, but aside from that it feels like a brown cup of salt water with a nice sakura aroma on top.

Rating: 2/10

Conclusion: Way to salty. The salt was the dominant portion of the flavor for this tea. This tea was only in the petit tin for quite a good reason this year. It smells wonderful though. But this tea is very difficult to drink due to the extreme saltiness of it. I couldn't really find the hojicha flavor hidden behind the salt. It makes for a nice potpouri though.

Sakura Vert

Tea: Sakura Vert - 8811
Vendor: Lupicia USA
Price: $8.50 / 50g
Vendor Description: Slightly salty cherry leaves are blended into green tea, presenting a fresh clean taste. You will feel as if you are surrounded by young cherry leaves swaying in a balmy breeze.

Leaf: This tea consists of some coarse looking green leaf. There is a little bit of dark leaf mixed in, it looks almost like a little bit of black tea leaf was tossed in the mix. As with the Sakura Premium there is a bit of chopped sakura leaf in the mix. With this tea it's a little difficult to discern against the green tea leaf. The green tea leaf itself looks like a somewhat coarse green tea.

1st Infusion Parameters: 3g, 208F, 5oz, 2 min

1st Infusion: This tea produced a very bold golden yellow hue. It has a strong sweet sakura aroma to it with hints of a bancha like aroma. It is lightly salty like the Sakura Premium. There is a little bit of astrinengcy on it, but yet the salt is more noticeable. The tea portion of the flavor is smooth, but a bit subdued. The salt is a little too prominent.

Rating: 3/10

Conclusion: Like the Sakura Premium, this tea smells fantastic. The taste however not so much so. The green part of it is a little unassuming, while the salt from the sakura is a bit too overpowering. I don't really know what is up with the salt with these teas.

Sakura Premium

Tea: Sakura Premium - 0301
Vendor: Lupicia USA
Price: $18.00 / 50g (w/ special tin)
Vendor Description: A blend of fine Darjeeling black tea with cherry petals and leaves. Sweet and delicate flavor.

Leaf: The leaf for this tea is a colorful Darjeeling mix with quite a wide variety of leaf size. There are a few pink buds in the mix along with some small pieces of sakura leaf. The tea has a very sweet sakura aroma to it.

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

1st Infusion: The tea has a clear golden brown hue to it. There is a very strong and very noticeable sweet sakura aroma to it. The flavor is very crisp with a light saltiness to it. There is a little bit of bitterness possibly from an infusion on the upper end of the infusion range. It is not overpoweringly salty, but it brings a certain crispness to the tea. There is a light astringency on the backend, but overall the sakura flavor balances well with the Darjeeling flavor to produce a very nice tea overall.

Rating: 8/10

Conclusion: This is the premium version of the seasonal sakura offerings from Lupicia. Their offerings are a little unusual because they come out salty. This one thankfully was not overpoweringly salty, but the salt does throw you off a little. It makes it a very crisp flavor, but it is undeniably salty. Overall this is a pretty good tea, but I'm not sure about if the price tag is warranted.

Huang Jin Gui

Tea: Huang Jin Gui - 7005
Vendor: Lupicia USA
Price: $7.00 / 50g
Source: Fujian, China
Vendor Description: Famous oolong tea from Fujian Province. It is very popular with its light refreshing taste. A tea with golden water color and elegant aroma like Osmanthus flowers.

Leaf: The leaf for this tea ranges in color from a light to dark green leaf. It is rolled, but not quite like some tightly rolled Taiwanese oolongs. It's loosely rolled. It has a light dry aroma to it.

1st Infusion Parameters: 5g, 5oz, 208F, 5s rinse, 45s

1st Infusion: This tea has a very flowery aroma to it. It is very crisp and uplifting. The color is a clear pale yellow hue. The flavor is very crisp, pairing well with the aroma. There are floral notes in the aftertaste. There is no bitterness to astringency, simply a smooth light floral flavor.

2nd Infusion Parameters: 208F, 45s

2nd Infusion: This infusion was a darker yellow-green hue. The flowery aroma still remained, but it hinted almost to the sweetness of a dan cong aroma. The flavor was overall stronger with a mouth watering feel to it and left with a light clean aftertaste.
3rd Infusion Parameters: 1:15, 208F

3rd Infusion: This infusion was a yellower hue than before, but retained hints of green. There was effectively no aroma to this infusion. The flavor was bold and up front this time. There was an empty feeling in the central flavor. It then finished off with a light sense of astringency on the back end.

4th Infusion Parameters: 208F, 2:00

4th Infusion: This infusion was a lighter hue than before. There was no astringency this time around, and overall the flavor was very unassuming and conservative.

Rating: 5/10

Conclusion: This was overall a very unassuming and mundane oolong. While there were no significant faults to it there were no major selling points either. It's an average green oolong with a somewhat average price to it. It's a bit high, but within acceptable tolerances. It would be a good tea to introduce someone to a general green oolong.

Serene Forest

Tea: Serene Forest - 8006
Vendor: Lupicia USA
Price: $9.00 / 50g
Source: Yame, Japan
Vendor Description: Blend of tea grown under cover to block sunlight from Yame, Fukuoka Pref. It has slightly less astringency and stronger sweetness, a characteristic of Yame tea.

Leaf: The leaf for this tea is a dark green chumushi. There is a little bit of stem in the mix, but aside from that a very typical looking sencha.

1st Infusion Parameters: 5g, 5 oz, 185F, 45s

1st Infusion: This tea has a rich sweet aroma. Instantly it reminds me of what makes Yame Gyokuro so special to me. The initial color of the tea is a bright green brilliance, which reminds me of the radiance of a shincha. It is lightly murky, nowhere near as much as a fukamushi though. Slightly after pouring the color changed into a yellow green hue. The flavor is rich and bold with a light astringency. It is a very strong and bold sencha flavor, similar to a fukamushi, but with the depth of an asamushi. There is a bold grassy/marine flavor to this tea, which again reminds me of a Yame Gyokuro.

2nd Infusion Parameters: 15s, 185F, 5oz

2nd Infusion: This infusion was a murky green hue. There was a lot of sediment in this cup, it reminded me much more of a fukamushi this time around. The flavor was lighter and clearer with just a hint of bitterness. The bitterness was paired with al ight sense of astringency which left me with a nice clean feeling aftertaste. The flavor was rich and bold.

Rating: 9/10

Conclusion: By the description of this tea it sounds like it is a kabusecha. In retrospect to the taste I can see where this is noticeable, without having said that though I probably would not have noticed at all and just chalked this up as a very interesting sencha. It is unfortunately a bit on the pricey side, but it also is in a very rare class of tea. Yame Senchas are not very commonplace from what I have seen, only a small handful of vendors even offering one. It shares a lot of characteristics with it's much more famous Gyokuro brother and I found myself very much enjoying this tea. As I continue to try more Yame Senchas though I wonder how this one will compare to those. An enjoyable and unique experience though.