Master_Quaff Send Message

Purchased this at my local Starbucks. Brewed for about 9 minutes in boiling water without sugar. I am somewhat biased in my review as I am not a fan of licorice. This, however, was not as overpowering as I expected. The main flavors that came through were lemon, orange, mint and ginger. There was also a very mild but noticeable lasting spiciness (similar to what you would expect from hot peppers) that built up as you drank. I found it to somewhat pleasant and interesting. I could not find the ingredient that caused this and assume it was hidden in “natural flavor”. The tea as a whole seemed to be marketed as a “feel good” tea, perhaps to alleviate symptoms of sickness. Less focus seems to be on the taste. I do not think the flavors flow very well together, but are instead disconnected in a hodge podge of loud and various ingredients. It is an interesting combination, but the lemon, mint, licorice and “spicy” flavor are all very different and, in my opinion, do not pair very well. Overall, I would not recommend it for its taste alone.

I purchased the tea in sachet form at my local Starbucks and drank it with nothing else added. My expectations were not especially high for the well known coffeehouse chain. However, I was surprised by the amount of rolled whole leaves within the sachet as opposed to leaf bits and powder. The taste was notably weaker than other green teas I’ve tasted. A lot of the more robust flavors I would expect from sencha or gunpowder green tea are noticeably muted. It had some of the same sweet, grassy and vegetal taste with slight bitterness and astringency I would expect from green teas, but none of the “gentle smokiness” as advertised. It seems to me like it was selected to be a green tea that an average American’s palate would accept, especially if it was mixed with some cream and sugar. Overall it was not unpleasant, but still a below average green tea for someone who appreciates green tea.

My first Lapsang Souchong and I very much enjoyed it. It has a very sweet smokiness that is hard to describe. Very cozy and one of my all time favorites.