Cameron B. select Send Message

343 Followers / 338 Following

Cameron B. drank Plum Barley Tea by Lupicia

4076 tasting notes

Huzzah, I got my swap from Mikumofu with lovely Lupicia teas! She was stopping by Lupicia at the end of last week so I just told her to choose whichever teas she wanted to try and send me samples. I must say, I was pretty excited for these barley teas! They’re in sachet form, and dry scent is very sweet and strong plum. Lupicia’s website recommends 16.9 ounces of water per sachet, which seems insane to me. I ended up steeping mine in 10 ounces of boiling water for 3 minutes, and the flavor is still quite strong so 16 ounces might actually be okay for a lighter taste.

Whoa, this is a super roasty tea! I did not expect the flavor to be quite so strong. It almost reminds me of coffee with its strong roasty and almost bitter flavor. The plum flavor is very fruity and juicy, and just mildly sweet. The sweetness here is very clear and refreshing, like honeysuckle nectar. Overall, wow this is a powerful tea, and I might have to try my other sachet iced (which seems to be how they recommend it).

Flavors: Coffee, Fruity, Plum, Roasted, Sweet

Preparation

Boiling 3 min, 0 sec 10 OZ / 295 ML

I Like This

21 likes

2 comments

Mikumofu
Delete

Glad you enjoyed it, the barley surprised me the first time I tried it too!

Cameron B.
Delete

Thanks so much for the samples! I’ll be interested to see how different the lychee one is. :)

People who liked this

Comments

Mikumofu
Delete

Glad you enjoyed it, the barley surprised me the first time I tried it too!

Cameron B.
Delete

Thanks so much for the samples! I’ll be interested to see how different the lychee one is. :)

Profile

Bio

Hi, I’m Cameron!

I’m a 30-something software engineer currently living in Austin, Texas with my husband and our two pugs, Gobo and Ume. I tend to cycle between my different hobbies, and they include piano, knitting, video games, board games, miniature painting, planners, bento, KBeauty, and – of course – TEA! But really, what I’m best at is “collecting” hobby-related things… ;)

~ 2024 SIPDOWN CHALLENGE! ~
- July Sipdowns: 3
- Total 2024 Sipdowns: 69

I prefer my tea lukewarm or at room temperature and without milk or sugar. I steep Western style, and fluctuate between using big mugs or small teapots depending on the season.

I am always up for a swap! Just let me know if you’d like to try something in my cupboard.

Tea Preferences:
I enjoy both flavored and unflavored teas in many forms. These days, I drink mostly flavored teas, and I tend to gravitate most toward black, green, oolong, and herbal varieties. I do have a special fondness for straight Japanese green teas, however.

I do not sweeten my teas, and pre-sweetened teas are usually too sweet for me. I also do not enjoy stevia.

I tend to reach for fruitier flavors rather than desserty ones these days, but I do have favorites from both categories. Willing to try anything once! There are a few ingredients/flavors that aren’t generally my jam, such as coconut, rose, lavender, and chocolate flavoring. But I also have teas that I love with some of those things, too! :)

Favorite Companies:
3 Leaf
Bird & Blend
Dammann Frères
Harney & Sons
Kyoto Obubu Tea Farms
Lupicia
Old Barrel Tea Co
Simpson & Vail
Taiwan Tea Crafts
TeaVivre

Tea Rating Scale:
90-100: Outstanding! Permanent cupboard resident
80-89: Great – a possible staple
70-79: Good, but I wouldn’t buy it
60-69: It’s decent
50-59: Meh… I may or may not have finished the cup
40-49: Ick. Couldn’t finish it.
00-39: Repulsive, I spat it out

I will sometimes refrain from rating a tea if I feel I’m too biased due to my personal dislikes, or if I suspect the sample has been compromised by age or scent contamination.

Cupboard Spreadsheet:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZEuKf1-ppR-VXajO4vV39zU1N3zjFJteEPAynqD2yl0/edit?usp=sharing