Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Lupicia Tea Order


As part of my 2017 Bucket List, exploring the world of tea appeals to me. Ashely sent me some Lupicia Christmas teas last year and this year for Christmas and I have enjoyed them so much that I decided to place an order myself. I ordered a few days after Christmas and most of these items were on a discount. This is a Japanese company so many of the products and emails and such are in Japanese, but not so much so that it is difficult to understand, as usually the English translation accompanies it. Shipping was decent and arrived via FedEx ground at about a week later.


Two Christmases ago Ashely sent me a pack just like this and it was amazing. This is the Holiday Tea Set and contains a sampling of six holiday teas. Normally $8, this set is on sale for $5.60 and still available. These are tea bags and not loose leaf. A few of these I did get in greater quantities. 


The greater quantities being this item. Here are three tins of Carol, White Christmas and Jingle Bells. This item at regular price is $19, but it is on sale for $13.30. And there are still a few left. How lovely is the packaging? 


These are the tins, each hold 5 tea bags. 

Carol- A strawberry and vanilla flavored black tea, elegantly decorated with rose petals. 
First things first. That cat making a strawberry buttercream cake with the squirrel?! So sweet. And this tea is sweet too. Black tea and schmear of homemade strawberry preserves, add in a dash of vanilla cream and a decadent cup of tea is created.

White Christmas- Black tea inspired by baked sweets made with white chocolate and nuts.
Brandied pecans, dripping with syrup. This tea is rich. And with a sugar cube and a glug of cream added, it is like a dreamy latte. This tea has tiny silver spiky nubbins of sugar in it already, but I like this kind of gourmand tea on the sweet side. 

Jingle Bells- Black tea scented with flavors of grapes and fruity sparkling wine.
Another whimsical scene on this tin cover, a fox and a kit blacksmith hammering out stars. <3 
Moscato tea. What an clever blend! If you love grape, you need this. The black tea is sprinkled with the teeniest wee tightly furled flower buds I have ever seen. I believe I cooed. 


The Mari set contains 5 blooming teas. These are floral green teas with flower flavors such as jasmine, chrysanthemum, rose and lily. Blooming teas are more ceremonial and enjoyed for both their beauty and fragrance rather than a regular afternoon tea. I enjoy adding a touch of honey to mellow out and sweeten the white flowers. This set of 5 teas is $19.00. You can buy the teas individually for $4.00 each, as well.



I had a hard time figuring out exactly which scent was in each bag, as my Google translate was a bit sketchy on the whole thing, but if you look online you can read more easily which flavors they are. Below I have some photos of what one of the teas looks like fully bloomed and ready for sipping.



I scanned the clearance section (because that is what I do) and did see this bag of Matcha au Lait mix in caramel for $5.60. Heck yes. I appreciate a nice matcha every now and then, but the good stuff can be spendy. I use a tiny whisk to get mine frothy, but a bamboo whisk is on my wish list. This caramel Matcha au Lait tasted wonderful. Slight toasted sugar sweetness underscored by that rich seaweed tang of matcha.


I was surprised and happy to see a free sample bag of tea included with my order. 


The blooming tea did best when I stuck the hard little ball of tea in the bottom of an empty glass and slowly poured steaming hot water directly on top of it. Eventually it sank and expanded and was quite lovely. It tasted like jasmine green tea.

I will happily return to Lupicia for my tea needs. I love the vast array of scented teas and products. The quality is phenomenal and the attention to detail is on point. 

9 comments:

  1. I recently made my first lupicia order! Their teas look and sound so beautiful! I am drinking more tea this year as well!

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    1. Exciting! What did you get? Drinking more tea is on my 2017 list too. I am ready now!

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    2. I got white Christmas, decaf carol, momoko (excited about this one-It looks and sounds so beautiful), melon oolong, momo oolong super grade, cookie, orzo strawberry, orzo and orzo caramel & honey.
      I've heard amazing things about Lupicia tea. Tomorrow I will be having my first cup of Lupicia, Cookie with some cashew milk and brown sugar in the morning.

      I'm noticing a big difference in my energy level since I've started drinking tea. The energy boost I get from black tea is as good as coffee, lasts longer and I don't crash.

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    3. Oooooo! Cookie and Orzo caramel and honey and the momoko all sounds splendid! I will try these out. I have not switched from my morning coffee to tea yet but drink my tea in the afternoon and sometimes evening. I may eventually switch but I love my coffee so much. LOL!

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    4. Cookie is really nice! It has strong black tea flavor with a hint of vanilla and caramel. So good with milk and sugar.
      I love my coffee too! I've been drinking strong black tea in the morning, usually chai, and haven't been missing coffee surprisingly since I've been drinking it daily for the last 17 years haha!
      The orzo blends intrigued me. I like barley tea but never made it myself. I can't wait to try it!

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  2. Yay tea! These are irresistible, meaning I'm unable to resist window shopping the site at the very least. My husband and I have been on the lookout for an authentic Japanese tea set for years, since he took a tea ceremony course in college many moons ago, let me know if you come across any nice/affordable ones. Some of these teas would be perfect for it.

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    1. You have to window shop! Even if it is to just read about the different teas and the descriptions. I never knew there were so many types. I have seen some really beautiful Japanese tea sets at Teavana, but I have never looked at the price. Isn't there a tradition where the tea cups/pots are doused in tea over and over again to kind of "season" the pottery like you do cast iron? I feel like I watched some documentary on that.I will keep my eye out. <3

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  3. How cool! Those teas look whimsical and sound delicious! I may have to check them out.

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    1. They are!! Some are not my type really, but I love trying all sorts of teas. I find adding some cream and sugar really transforms them. Of course it adds calories, but hey. I need to live a little.

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