An English Pastime

     Okay maybe this is not an English pastime, but an exploration of the world of teas and tisanes. I generally drink water these days and to me it tastes the best of any beverage, crisp and clean. That is unless you drink from a water fountain, in this case it tastes like blood, pennies, and despair. However sometimes a little flavor and caffeine are in order. Instead of drinking lots of soda, juice, milk or smoothies, I decided tea was a great way to go. I have always enjoyed fruit flavored teas bought from the big box stores. But their options are kinda limited and quite pricey for just 20 tea bags.
     I used to mail order teas from a retailer by the name of Special Teas, but alas when it was time to re-order they had been absorbed by a national tea emporium chain. While I was trying to find a comparable source for tea I went on vacation. Chelsea and I visited the state of Hawai'i and we came across a store that sold fresh Japanese style tea. This store was Lupicia. I was in awe by the sheer number of teas you could sample and smell before committing to a purchase. This started my downward spiral of massive bulk tea purchases, but I do not regret it...yet.
     A group of my friends (Chelsea, Joanna, Mikey, and Dan) agreed to have a little tea tasting and rating. We smelled and tasted 8 teas from Lupicia, Teavana, and ArgoTea. I will be presenting comments and wondrous pictures of tea for everyones delight.

The first 4 teas come from Lupicia, an importer of fine Japanese teas.

Sakurambo
       

      According to Lupicia's website, this tea is flavored with Japanese cherries and having a sweet fragrant aroma. The tea also included bits of pink peppercorns and rosemary. This tea was enjoyable yet slightly unusual in that it contains not so traditional sounding flavors. This tea was described as having the aroma of 'being fruity, almost tropical' and 'good, slight cherry scent'. The tea had 'spicy notes, and a light pine flavor' and 'a sweet rose flavor'. This black tea had an average rating of 6.2/10, 1/10 being the lowest.

Cassis & Blueberry

     This tea was also from Lupicia. They described this tea as having a fresh cassis and blueberry flavor to it. There were even large dried blueberries present in tea! The scent of the tea was described as ' blueberry muffin, sweet' and 'a pleasant sweet smell, fruity, and reminds me of childhood'. The overall taste was 'a sweet blueberry, awesome taste!, kind of a floral blueberry and very tasty'. This black tea had an average rating of 8/10, 4/10 being the lowest rating.

Yume

     Another great tea from Lupicia, described as sweet strawberry, vanilla and cute pink rosebuds. Yume also is noted as meaning dream in Japanese. The smell was said to be 'slightly sweet vanilla with something...like bath salts' and 'I have yet to smell anything like this, smells good'. The flavor was 'vanilla, kinda floral' and 'a little disappointing, kind of bland'. This black tea had an average rating of 7.6/10, 5/10 being the lowest.

Loke Lani

     The final entry from Lupicia is called Loke Lani. I unfortunately cannot find it on their website anymore. The packaging simply states that it is a tea flavored with pink rose petals. The aroma was described as 'earl grey + rose potpourri' and 'floral, slightly sweet or nectary'. The tea was described as tasting 'kind of peppery', 'a little harsh' and having 'a light sweetness to it that I love'. This black tea had an overall average rating of 6.2/10, 4/10 being the lowest.

Earl Grey Creme

     This is the only entry today from ArgoTea. This black tea took a traditional flavor and updated it. They describe their tea as being a smooth black tea with bergamot and vanilla. The tea smelled 'citrusy, vanilla and anise' as well as 'a light peppery almost tobacco scent, lemony undertones, a very clean smell'. The taste was described as 'sucking, tastes mildly of trees and not good trees' and smoother and richer than many earl greys'. The average rating was 4.8/10, 1/10 being the lowest.

Fruta Bomba

     Teavana enters our tasting with this delicious green tea. The tea is described as crisp citrus from pineapple, apple, and lemongrass with sweet peach and papaya. The scent was described as 'apricot or peach, very sweet and citrusy' and 'dried apricot'. The taste was 'very sweet, apricot and typical green tea aftertaste' and 'pleasant, light summery taste'. The average rating was 9/10, 8/10 being the lowest.

Sweet Fruit Garden

     The next offering from Teavana was a wonderful tisane. They describe this tisane as being a bold infusion of mixed berries. The scent was described as a 'fruity bubblegum scent' and 'fruit, particularly raspberries, and sweet nectar'. The tea had a 'very harsh lemony bitter sweet taste' and 'bright, citrus undertones with a fruity floral taste, but there are flavors that I cannot quite place'. The average rating was 8/10, 7/10 being the lowest.

Cacao Mint Black

     The final entry is a black tea from Teavana. They call this tea a full bodied nutty and cocoa infusion with minty undertones. The tea smells like 'peppermint patties''Andes mints' and 'OMG! chocolate mint cookies, like thin mints from the Girl Scouts'. The flavor is described as a 'light hot cocoa taste, mint especially comes through with the steam' and 'watered down mint hot cocoa, pleasant minty after taste'. The tea was also noted as a good choice for a hot winter drink. The average rating was 7/10, 4/10 being the lowest.

     Tasting different steeped beverages was an enjoyable experience. Especially the banter over who liked what that came after. I recommend grabbing a tea and brewing a nice giant mug. Whether you like it unsweetened or like southern sweet tea, tea is always a great beverage. They are also full of healthy antioxidants! Try any of the teas mentioned here found at a local specialty tea store, or at one of their websites.

Lupicia: http://www.lupiciausa.com/
ArgoTea: http://www.argotea.com/
Teavana: http://www.teavana.com/