Lupicia

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97
drank Earl Grey by Lupicia
4843 tasting notes

Still love this one so much. It fell from my #1 Earl Grey after I tried thepuriTea’s Earl Grey, but this one is still very good, and a very close second.

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97
drank Earl Grey by Lupicia
4843 tasting notes

Well, I’m having an interesting morning. I had planned on heading back to bed after getting my youngest on the school bus, but, then I visited the discussion board and well, I got a little worked up. Anyways…

That has nothing to do with this tea, except that I hadn’t planned on drinking tea yet. But I needed something to calm me and I am turning to Earl Grey to do just that.

It’s been a little while since I’ve had this tea, and as I taste it now, I am more convinced than ever that this is the best Earl Grey ever. Smooth, rich, delicious. Awesome. Amazing. Every other good adjective. Yes, this is my Earl Grey.

You can read my full review of this tea here:
http://sororiteasisters.com/2010/05/31/earl-grey-from-lupicia/

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec

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97
drank Earl Grey by Lupicia
4843 tasting notes

I am running very low on one of my favorite Earl Grey teas… this Earl Grey tea. And, I have so much tea, I don’t know if I can justify ordering more right now (like that will stop me)

So I am enjoying every single sip in my cup this morning.

Lovely.

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec
Doulton

Lupicia does make good teas, I think. So far they have never disappointed me.

LiberTEAS

I have been pretty impressed thus far with them. I just… don’t need to be ordering more tea. LOL I am going to need a second house just to store my tea soon.

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97
drank Earl Grey by Lupicia
4843 tasting notes

Yum! Starting my day with my favorite Earl Grey!

Now that I’m moving away from being a tea vendor into tea customer status, I find myself drinking less and less breakfast blend teas. I think I really prefer to start my day with Earl Grey – it just has a way with it that is so comforting but at the same time invigorating.

And this one is my favorite! I love the blend of bold Keemun and bergamot. A splendid way to start my weekend!

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec

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97
drank Earl Grey by Lupicia
4843 tasting notes

Starting my day with this delightful British gentleman. He is so wonderful to wake up to!

The bergamot flavoring with the Keemun leaves really make this tea a stand out amongst other Earl Grey blends.

For those of you who might not know this, TeaEqualsBliss and I have started our own tea review blog – It debuted yesterday with a welcome message but we will be posting reviews very soon. This tea will be the first that I review for that blog.

http://sororitea.wordpress.com/

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec
Rabs

Oooh! Thanks for posting the link — it looks great! I look forward to seeing what you ladies are up to :D

chana

I’ve added a link to Sororitea on my blog, good luck with it!

AmazonV

thanks for the link!

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97
drank Earl Grey by Lupicia
4843 tasting notes

This is my first cup of tea of the day. Last night was a late night for me, because we spent most of the night watching Lost, and then I spent a good amount of time contemplating it. So when I did wake up this morning, hubby wanted to go run errands. So I haven’t had time to make myself a pot of tea until a little while ago.

I just realized that I’m running a little low on this tea, so I guess I will need to buy more then next time I place an order with Lupicia. This is one that I cannot fathom not having in my cupboard.

I LOVE Earl Grey teas. This is the best of the best, in my humble opinion (although I still have yet to do a side-by-side with the Steven Smith Lord Bergamot, which is either equal to, or only 1 or 2 points behind this one). I love the black tea base, which is Keemun instead of the traditionally used Ceylon, which brings a depth of flavor to the blend that most Ceylon teas are incapable of doing. Rich, almost wine-like, slight smoky notes, even slightly toasty-ish.

The Bergamot is citrus-y with pleasing floral notes – and not too strong so that it comes off as perfume-y. It toes that line very well.

Of all the Earl Grey teas that I’ve tried, this one is just about as perfect as they can get.

Preparation
Boiling 2 min, 30 sec
LiberTEAS

The second infusion of this tea is even better than the first – it is sweeter, smoother, and richer. Excellent!

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97
drank Earl Grey by Lupicia
4843 tasting notes

I opted for an Earl Grey as my first cup of the day (yes, it’s my first cup, I took a rather long snooze after getting my youngest on the school bus this morning!) and decided to go with my favorite.

I am still kind of unsure though – I really love this blend, but I also really love Steven Smith’s… and they are both different enough from each other. One of these days I shall do a side by side comparison and decide which one is best.

I will say though, I really shouldn’t drink this tea while my taste buds are impaired. Yes, it’s still good, but it’s not as good as it is when my taste buds are fully functional. Today I think the bergamot tastes less “distinctive.”

It’s still very good, but, I think I’d rather enjoy it when I am 100% better.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 2 min, 30 sec
LiberTEAS

The second infusion – not unlike other “second infusions” of Earl Grey – is quite a bit smoother than the first. Tea and Bergamot meld together and are unified perfectly. The tea is still robust and definitely not “Ceylon-ish” by any stretch… and that pleases me. But there is a certain smoothness that has come with the second infusion, and the bergamot is much nicer in the second infusion.

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97
drank Earl Grey by Lupicia
4843 tasting notes

Mr. Grey! I do love his artfully suave ways!

As I’ve said before, this is absolutely one of the best Earl Grey teas I’ve had. The bergamot is strong but not perfume-y. The Keemun is such a great base for the bergamot because it is strong enough to withstand the power of it. Interestingly enough I am picking up a slight cocoa note in the finish. I’m not sure why this is. I didn’t pick up on this with my first cup of this tea… I don’t know if I just missed it, or if my taste buds are a bit off this morning… the other two teas I’ve had this morning tasted spot on, though.

I haven’t yet tried this Earl Grey with milk – perhaps the next time I brew it I will add a bit and see how it fairs.

Preparation
Boiling 2 min, 30 sec
LiberTEAS

Now enjoying the second infusion of these leaves. I think the second infusion is even lovelier than the first! Hard to believe because the first is so good! A simply amazing Earl Grey!

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97
drank Earl Grey by Lupicia
4843 tasting notes

I just got my order a few days ago from Lupicia, but this tea has been calling my name ever since receiving it. So I finally caved in and decided to try it.

Aroma – not surprising – it’s Earl Grey! It is a very strong fragrance, but that’s not a bad thing. I love the smell of bergamot in the morning! (Yeah, it’s 12:30 pm, but, for me, it’s still morning!) The dry leaves possess a stronger scent than the brewed liquor. The brewed tea is still pleasantly bergamot, but the Keemun tea can also be detected in the scent which adds a slightly earthy note to the aroma.

Initial sip – awesome! Lovely citrus notes, hint of floral. The Keemun base is pleasantly pungent. I love the way the bergamot and Keemun play together in this blend.

As I continue to drink, I note that this is a skillfully flavored Earl Grey tea. Speaking from the standpoint of one who flavored teas for many years, Earl Grey was one of the most difficult (if not the most difficult) flavors to create. This is because there is a fine line between not strong enough, just right, and too perfume-y when it comes to the bergamot. This one is planted firmly in the just right position! Well done!

I don’t know if it’s my favorite Earl Grey, but if it isn’t, I don’t know which one is better, either. It’s really, really good!

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 30 sec
LiberTEAS

The second steeping is just as flavorful as the first! I love it when that happens!

Meghann M

This is one of my favorite Earls as well…perhaps my favorite, they really blended it well!

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79
drank Cache-Cache by Lupicia
259 tasting notes

The aroma of this tea took me back to childhood. My father used to open up a can of “fruit cocktail” and carefully divide everything into 6 identical servings. He had to use a knife to break down the coveted cherries and the grapes into smaller pieces. After about an hour he would triumphantly serve 6 identical bowls up to 6 little maws.

The aroma of cache-cache reminds me of those canned fruit cocktail treats of the Dwight and Mamie era. Cache-cache is a very fruity black tea. It is the opposite of smoke and the opposite of vegetal. It led me on a petite Madeleine moment for which I am grateful. It manages to be both upscale and bargain basement in its affect. It seems like a confection from Rumplemeyer’s (off Central Park and a paradise for children) and, at the same time, something from one of those bashed-up tins that you see your co-workers donating to “Food for the Homeless”. I may be imposing an identity crisis that the tea does not deserve. I think that the tea is perfect for parents and grandparents to serve children at an exquisite tea-party. I also imagine that it will elicit and draw out memories of childhood. The name means “hide and seek” in French, another evocation of childhood.

Preparation
4 min, 15 sec
gmathis

Love the memory and the description. This one needs to go on my list.

SoccerMom

What a sweet memory.

LENA

Absolutely lovely.

Stephanie

A heartwarming/heartwrenching description of a memory. Just beautiful!

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88
drank Sakurambo Vert by Lupicia
20 tasting notes

Excellent green tea!
The berry taste is not overwhelming and the tea it self needs no added sweetener.
A good spring drink :-)

Preparation
3 min, 0 sec
Jenny

Glad to see you’re enjoying the teas I sent =)

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68
drank Caramel Macchiato by Lupicia
259 tasting notes

Who doesn’t love a macchioto in Italy or elsewhere, even? “Macchioto” means “marked” and a traditional coffee macchioto is a deep espresso “marked” with a touch of milk, a swirl of white, a bit of milky foam.

Lupicia has a knack for naming teas and I found this irresistable. It’s an odd brew, but not an unlovable one. The aroma says coffee and the caramel is evident as well. I added some milk, but was too impatient to foam it. Bringing the cup to my mouth, I could swear I would be drinking coffee. But yet….it’s tea. And here I’m grappling with some cognitive dissonance. I think of Hamlet’s lines about “mighty opposites.” Can the mighty opposites cooperate and meld into one sweet brew? Or are they, like Hamlet and Claudius, in inherent opposition?

The “final Jeopardy” round is over. The buzzer goes towards opposition. This makes a weak coffee. It makes a strange tea. It makes me long for a full-bodied caramel tea.

I am not giving this a low rating, however, because I think it succeeds in fulfilling its intent. And I am looking forward to a second steeping.

SECOND STEEP: Looks, smells, and tastes like very weak coffee. I won’t throw this out, but will probably give the rest of the package away to a true lover of the “coffee tea” blend. In this case, I am a segregationist. PM me if you want this!

Cofftea

This makes me want to run to Starbucks. I don’t have this tea, so an actual caramel macchiato is the closest I could get.

Ricky

Agreed the name sounds amazing and I don’t even like coffee =]

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96
drank La Belle Epoque by Lupicia
259 tasting notes

I had to buy this tea because of the name. I am, after all, a creature formed in the 20th century and my sensibilities, thus, have been trained to respond to various stimuli. I’m not the kind of person who responds to “Blue Light Special” or “Blue Plate Special” or “Savings!”. But anyone who would like to attract my attention can do so by a soupçon of French or un po’ d’Italiano. Adding an evocation of the past (vintage, Edwardian, Victorian, nostalgic) wins bonus points and I’m happily ready to separate myself from the contents of my wallet. I ordered “La Belle Epoque” in one of those Pavlovian moments. Who wouldn’t like a drink from “La Belle Epoque?”

I am so happy to report that this is a wonderfully robust Darjeeling. Darjeelings are quickly becoming my first morning brew of choice. This one steeps rapidly and quickly becomes an almost deep red color. Slightly smoky, woodsy, spicy, the tea tastes as if a dash of salt had been added (could that be the Belle Epoque?) but it really works in this tea as a piquant note.

Having now finished my second cup, I am nostaligic for me. This blend is certainly going on my list of teas that must be re-ordered.

My first experience with Lupicia was good. Although they don’t have the almost instant delivery of Upton’s; they delivered within 8 days of having the order confirmed and included two free samples.

Preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 3 min, 0 sec
Marie

You are so right! Love those tea titles from Lupicia. I’ve yet to try any, but who can resist those romantic names that mysteriously draw you in to experience more? I loved reading Julie & Julia, and have both Julia Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking.” Sometimes modern is not better. :)

__Morgana__

It’s awful, isn’t it? I’m such a total sucker for this sort of marketing. Give it a pretty, evocative name and you’ve pretty much got me on the hook, unless there’s something in there I absolutely detest. And there are so few things I absolutely detest, particularly since we’re talking about tea. I mean, in real life I hate the consistency of anything with custard in it, like creme brulee — but creme brulee tea sounds awesome. And if they named it something like Fleur de Lis, I would be a goner.

Ricky

La Belle Epoque!!! It was such an interesting era. I really wish Lupicia’s website was easier to browse.

Ricky

I just realized… this is a darjeeling! Ahhhh!

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80
drank Momo Oolong Super Grade by Lupicia
248 tasting notes

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80
drank Momo Oolong Super Grade by Lupicia
248 tasting notes

I first tried it at the tea event I organized for my club last year and I loved it. But I’ve been holding off on buying this tea for a while… mostly because of the price.

But last week during spring break I finally gave in and got a tin. This tea is one of the better flavored teas I’ve had in a while but my palate is starting to veer away from flavored teas in general. Not sure if I love this more than my Takibi yet.

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83
drank Grapefruit Green by Lupicia
4843 tasting notes

My order from Lupicia arrived today. I’m thrilled!

Before I begin with my tasting notes, I want to talk a bit about grapefruit green tea. Last year, I went to Tohono Chul Park (in Tucson, AZ), and of course I had to dine in their tea room. I had their high tea, and I selected their grapefruit green tea to accompany my meal. It was absolutely delightful. Since that time, I’ve been looking for a grapefruit green tea that is as delightful. So far, I haven’t yet found one (I did contact the supplier of that tea. They did get back to me to tell me when they would sell locally. However, I live in Washington state, not AZ, so I couldn’t attend their local sale. I asked them if I might procure from them via mail, but they have not replied to that request)

So… that is why I ordered from Lupicia – in the hopes that their Grapefruit Green tea might be as good as I remember the tea being in Tucson…

Alas… it is not. That is not to say it is not a good tea, it is decent. A fresh, grassy taste to the leaves which is the strongest profile of the cup. The grapefruit is a very pleasing flavor, not overwhelmingly sour but pleasantly tart, with a nice citrus-y aftertaste. I like. But still, my search must go on!

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 2 min, 15 sec
LiberTEAS

I must say that as I continue to drink this tea, the flavors develop significantly. I like it much better now than I did when I first took a sip.

LiberTEAS

The second infusion of the leaves is quite a bit softer in flavor – but I am enjoying it, and I don’t know if I could tell you if I prefer the stronger flavor of the first cup or the softer taste of this one. What I can tell you is that I’m liking it the more I drink it and I think that with my next entry into my tealog about this tea, I shall have to up the ranking a bit.

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80
drank Caramel & Rum by Lupicia
20 tasting notes

I was surprised by this tea as I was prepared to not like it. Like other reviewers, I prepared it as a latte. The rum flavor is strong and rounds out the tea. Sadly the tea bag I had worked for just one cup and weakly steeped the second cup I tried. Darn! This was a very enjoyable cup on a cold rainy afternoon and I would definitely buy it again.

Preparation
3 min, 45 sec

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75
drank Strawberry & Vanilla by Lupicia
359 tasting notes

No notes yet. Add one?

Preparation
3 min, 45 sec
Meghann M

How long did you steep? I’m really curious about this tea, but if it is more grassy green, probably not my style, although grassy greens are better than hay flavored whites.

Ricky

I steeped close to four minutes at a random temperature. My zojirushi was set at 208F so I mixed in some room temperature water. I think the final result was 160-175F. It’s not super grassy if you hold off on the steeping. I think recommended steeping was 2 minutes.

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78
drank Afternoon Tea by Lupicia
259 tasting notes

Thank you so much to RICKY for sending me this sample. I have to agree with the other assessments here. I think that this is a really reliable, traditional type of tea that you could offer to anyone without causing dismay.
While there is nothing utterly distinctive about it, the merit comes from a good strong smooth taste with nicely balanced flavors.

I should always have a tea like this around to serve when eating a really strongly flavored food or to serve people who don’t like green tea or flavored tea.

Ricky

Thanks for reminding me to add this to my shopping list =]

Although I don’t like darjeeling this was actually fairly decent.

CHAroma

I completely agree!

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70
drank Happiness by Lupicia
265 tasting notes

Another of my accidental purchases courtesy of the Lupicia discount coupon.

The dry leaves smell of several things: the peach isn’t central but I’m sure I can smell it, and there’s something in there that smells so green that I’m not thinking so much vegetal as vegetable. Fortunately, the eau de broccoli disappears from the brewed tea. The remaining green-ness is of the tea variety. I’m not much of a rooibos fan, but the green rooibos works well in conjunction with the green tea. Meanwhile, the peach note is more obvious than it was in the aroma; there’s a little of that silky ‘full’ sort of texture that I’ve grown to associate with some of the better stone fruit teas.

This is a much better tea than many fruit-herbal blends involving lots of different elements. Yeah, I’ll be having this one again.

Preparation
170 °F / 76 °C 2 min, 30 sec

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73
drank Jardin Sauvage by Lupicia
260 tasting notes

I got a couple of tea bags of this from Auggy that I had forgotten about. Funny how these things work, because yesterday I found myself internally lamenting the fact that I didn’t try this tea when I was at Lupicia in San Francisco [it’s been on my shopping list to try for months] and then I went rooting through my box o’ samples et voilà, there it was!

Upon catching a whiff of the dry leaves, my immediate thought went to that blasted Teavana concoction that I tried years and years ago when I was dipping my toes in the tea pool – rooibos tropicana [blended with something other other]. Near identical. The flavor, however…

If that stupid tea had tasted like this when I tried it, I would have been much more enthusiastic about tea, because this tastes like what I thought the other one should have tasted like upon drinking. Horrific sentence, I apologize, but seriously. [The other one tasted uncannily like…hot water.]

This tea’s character is tropical, and it took me a second to recognize it, but I was definitely getting strong mango notes from it. That’s the main flavor I get from it. There are hints of citrus dancing around, but it doesn’t lend any of that high, sharp acidity to the tea, so it’s more like…essence of citrus? Like the kind of sensation you get from a powdered lemonade mix.

It isn’t a particularly strong tea, but it left me with strong impressions. It was fruity, but that kind of starchy feeling I get from fruits like mango and guava kept it from being really crisp, crystalline, and awakening. It was refreshing, but in a heavy kind of way. Like in the way that a smoothie can be. There was also something else in it, which I’m guessing is the green rooibos, that I can’t really describe. I have some other green rooibos to get to, so now I’m intrigued.

For a first go, this packed a bit of a wallop. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t slightly overwhelmed by the swirling flavors, but luckily I have one more bag of this to try so on the second go round I’ll give it a bit more time. For now, I’m going to lay a bit low on the rating. It’s too early to call whether this is going to be something that draws me in or not.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 2 min, 30 sec

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81

So the other day I made a firm decision not to buy any more tea before I go travelling in just over a month. Mere hours later, Lupicia sent me a 20% discount coupon.

And that’s why I’m in the position to write this review today. Oops. g

Actually, after trying this, I don’t regret taking the plunge with a few more new teas. I’m pretty sure I’ve never tried a grape-flavoured tea before and I wasn’t completely sure what to expect. A little surprisingly, grape – or at least this sort of grape – works very well with sencha. The scent of the dry leaves is clearly, but not overpoweringly, grape-like, and this translates into a very similar aroma from the brewed tea. The liquor is, appropriately, pretty close to the colour of a green grape. The flavour is a little lacking, and I think I’d really love this tea if a little more of the grape from the aroma showed up in the drinking. Even so, I do like this one quite a lot. One caveat: I’ve been drinking this for the first time while also testing a quite heavy jasmine perfume and I’d like to revisit the aroma of this tea sans perfume sometime soon.

Preparation
170 °F / 76 °C 2 min, 30 sec
Cofftea

Cool! I haven’t gotten a coupon from them yet.

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84
drank Rose Hip Green by Lupicia
251 tasting notes

I’ve developed the habit of drinking tea in the afternoon. It doesn’t seem to be keeping me from sleeping, the way drinking coffee in the afternoon did, so I’m thinking this is a good thing. In the afternoon, I tend to gravitate toward green teas. I’m not sure why, it just seems right. Yesterday, I decided to try the rose hip green tea that I ordered a few months back from Lupicia on a whim.

When this tea brews, the color is predictable and yet I was surprised at the pinkish purple brew that developed. There was a definite greenish overtone visible, but color-wise, the rose hips won. To my palate, the taste was not overrun by the hibiscus. (Indeed, even though hibiscus is in the description, I was not able to see any in the tea itself.) The brew had a very tart taste, but it was more of a berry taste, so I’m presuming it was the rose hips. There was a definite grassy undertone from the green tea, and it grounded the experience somehow.

This tea needs to be tried iced, and I have some plans for that up my sleeves. I enjoyed the color and the taste yesterday, it was a very soothing experience. I’m giving it a rating, and it won’t be low, but I think I need to try this one more than once to decide on how I really feel about it. It’s so unlike anything I’ve tried before that the initial taste surprised me.

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57
drank English Caramel by Lupicia
260 tasting notes

Auggy sent me a couple of tea bags of this. I don’t think that I’ve ever had the pyramidal tea bags before, aside from the ones from Tea Forté [and I consider those to be a bit of an anomaly since they’re so structured], so I was intrigued to see how/if it was going to affect the tea. There was definitely enough room for the leaves to expand, but even with the somewhat minimal expansion that black tea leaves tend to undergo, there wasn’t much space left in the bag when the steep was over. I can’t imagine what would happen with a rolled oolong. It was a neat experience, and I think that if I was in a situation where I needed the added convenience I’d be fine with using the pyramidal bags [albeit, size-wise, I’m not sure how other companies stack up to Lupicia’s], but I still like my loose leaf.

I used both of these on consecutive nights, one at 3 minutes and one at 4 minutes, and I liked the 4 minute steep a little better.

The flavor was…eh. I’m a big fan of caramel, and the fact that Lupicia describes caramel as being “bittersweet” made me a bit edgy from the jump because the kind of caramel I like doesn’t really have any bitterness to it.

The caramel flavor I got from this was…not terribly present. It skirted around it, and dropped that it there, but I never really got it full-on. When I found it at its fullest, it was flat and strangely salty. It reminded me of peanut brittle with about half the sweetness. I’m not sure what makes this English, but maybe the English like their caramel salty? Or maybe this tea simply isn’t fantastic.

Everything in consideration, not a bad tea by any means, but not something I want more of either. Thanks for the try, Auggy! If I were putting together a Lupicia order, I could see myself ordering a large-ish size of this and it ending in crestfallen annoyance, so this was quite a save.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 4 min, 0 sec
Auggy

Hey, I never promised to send you only good teas! :P

takgoti

HAHAHA, well given that you even attached a note to this one about this one not being fabulous, I wasn’t expecting a caramel epiphany!

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