drank Sakura Black Tea by Lupicia
16316 tasting notes

So this past week I finally had a chance to go shopping at the new T&T Grocery Store that opened a few months ago. For anyone not familiar, T&T is a very large specialty grocery store that imports a lot of food products directly from across Asia. This is the first location they’ve opened in Montreal, and it’s actually their biggest one too. It’s produce and snack heaven!

I definitely got my fill of different snacks (new to me and favourites), but one thing I didn’t expect is that I’d also have a chance to grab some Lupicia tea! For sakura season they had imported both of Lupicia’s sakura leaf teas – a black and a green. I passed on the green, but clearly I ended up getting this black tea based one. It’s a simple blend; just black tea and salted cherry blossom leaves. I made a cup first thing when I got home and it was really interesting!

I was nervous the salt would be too much, and it’s definitely apparent in the infusion but I was pleasantly surprised by how restrained the salinity was. By the end of the mug, it was verging on a bit much as that taste definitely built up on the palate over time but it never crossed my comfort level. Overall it was a smooth, medium bodied cup with a really soft floral aroma and a light but very consistent note of the cherry blossom leaves. Like, true cherry blossom – not the weird floral cherry flavouring that a lot of Western facing companies (tea and otherwise) use to replicate it. Subtle, delicate sweetness with just a bit of a bitter licorice-like undertone to go alongside the elegant floral taste.

Very cool, very unique!

Roswell Strange

Ah, yes looks like it is! Weirdly it didn’t show up when I checked the database. Oops!

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Roswell Strange

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Hello! My name is Kelly, though many people in the tea community call me Ros or Roswell.

I am a mid-twenties tea addict, blogger, and all around nerd. I grew up in the Prairies, but a few years ago I relocated to Quebec to pursue a career with DAVIDsTEA in the tea industry! I’m still working on getting my French language skills down…

My first introduction to tea, in any form outside of instant and bottled iced tea, was about seven years ago when I happened to stumble upon DAVIDsTEA while looking for a birthday present for a friend! I tried their Birthday Cake rooibos blend, and I’ve been hooked on tea ever since! In those seven years; I was introduced to the online tea community, expanded my interest in flavoured teas to include a deep love and appreciation for straight teas and traditional brewing methods, got a tea themed tattoo, started reviewing teas, amassed a sizable tea and teaware collection, became a TAC certified Tea Sommelier, & even came full circle by beginning a career in the tea industry with DAVIDsTEA!

I consider myself a Jack of all Teas, and strive to have a knowledge and appreciation of all tea types, formats, and styles of drinking. I don’t like to feel boxed in to just being a “flavoured tea” or “straight tea” drinker – my expectations may vary depending on the type of tea or how it’s been processed/prepared but if it’s good tea, it’s good tea no matter how it’s been made!

You name it, I probably drink it- and I’ll absolutely try anything at least once.

My default method of preparation is hot, Western style, and straight – but I’m not opposed to additions if I’m in the right mood. If I ever add something to a tea or use a different method of preparation I will ALWAYS call it out in the tasting note though.

I like to listen to music when drinking tea, especially when I’m brewing a large pot at a time or steeping Gongfu. Often I curate very intentional tea and music pairings, and sometimes I share them here in my tasting reviews. Music is something that I find can deeply affect the experience of having tea.

I’m also one half of the “tea and fandom” podcast GeekSteep where, weekly, we discuss newly explored fandoms over tea as well as try to figure out the perfect tea to pair with each fandom. You can find us on Spotify and Apple & Google podcasts.

Favourite flavour notes/ingredients: Pear, lychee, cranberry, cream, melon, pineapple, malt, roasty, petrichor, sweet potato, heady florals like rose, hazelnut or walnut, sesame, honey (in moderation), and very woody shou.

Least favourite flavour notes/ingredients:
Lemongrass, ginger, strongly spiced profiles (and most Chai in general), mushrooms, seaweed, chamomile, stevia, saltiness or anything that reminds me too much of meat that isn’t supposed to taste like meat…

Currently exploring/obsessed with: Sheng from Yiwu, Yancha (Qilan in particular), anything with a strong sweet potato note. Also, I need to try ALL the root beer teas! Searching for a really good caramel flavoured blend, ideally with a black tea base.

Please contact me at the instagram account listed below if you would like me to review your teas.

Currently I’m employed in the tea department of the DAVIDsTEA head office. While I’m still sharing my own personal thoughts on new & existing DAVIDsTEA blends, I am no longer numerically rating them due to the obvious conflict of interest. Any comments expressed are a reflection of my own thoughts and opinions, and do not reflect the thoughts and opinions of the company. Any DAVIDsTEA blends you currently see with a numeric score were reviewed prior to my being hired there and have not been adjusted since becoming a DAVIDsTEA employee.

Location

Montreal, QC, CA

Website

https://www.instagram.com/ros...

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