Tsugaru Green (Apple Green Tea)

i cold brewed this and the apple scent is delightful. however i don’t taste much of the green tea beneath — but that isn’t really a problem, because i like the apple so much. I will try hot brewing this later and see how it compares.

2023 An Ode to Tea – T

Finished the older amount of this one that I had from a teabox.  But I have more!  Prob my favorite GREEN apple tea.  If I were in a blind taste test, I might say this was matcha.  But it might be because the tea is so crushed at this point.  But I really like the matchaesque flavor with the apple flavor. Raising the rating from 85.
2023 sipdowns: 34 

The 78 review is based on drinking this cold.

I brewed this tea in boiling water. I didn’t think of much of it when hot – thought it was nice but it wasn’t special. It had a apple flavoring that something felt off. With all flavored teas that I feel “meh” about, I stuck in the fridge to get an idea of how it would taste if I cold brewed it the next time….and it was MUCH better! It was quite tasty. The cold temperature gave it the crispness that I felt was lacking. Everything just seemed to make more sense on my palate.

Well, here’s a tea that I’m unsure how to rate: This is a warm cup of apple juice being drank outside during spring. Overall it is an experience that I am hoping to share with others and hear their remarks. Quality looking, wonderful smell, and a bold taste.
I will update my review after I cold brew this… I probably should of started that way but I’m impatient.

This tea almost perfectly captures a fresh, crisp green apple in both smell and taste. It is amazing! I only wish I was more into green tea because this would be a restock for sure. However, as it is, the base does peek through at times adding a bit of vegetalness that detracts from the overall cup. Still, this is one I would consider purchasing if I were placing a Lupicia order and it is one I definitely would recommend to anyone who enjoys flavored greens and apple teas.

This one has a nice apple flavor and a slight vegetal taste to it.

I brewed this once in an 18oz teapot with 3 tsp leaf and 175 degree water for 3 min.

Made a pot of this for my sister and me to share! The apple in this tea is sweet and crisp, and smells very fresh. (Tsugaru apples are a pale red apple, from what I can tell, and that matches the taste here.) The apple blends well with the green base; both are light and clean. I’d say the apple is on the subtle side, overall… My sister doesn’t drink unsweetened tea often, so to her this tasted like a nice straight green. But she definitely noticed the apple in the aroma, and I could taste the sweet softness of it mid-sip. (The flavor became more noticeable as it cooled, too.)

The base tea isn’t as finicky as some greens I’ve tried, but I still have to watch the water temperature, and keep the steep time to 2 minutes max. I also like that this tea is very smooth; it doesn’t have the powdery mouthfeel of some greens, which makes it easier to avoid any bitterness.

This is one of my favorite apple teas in my cupboard. If you like green tea and softer, more aromatic flavors, I’d say give this one a try.

Because I wanted to try some green tea, I got this one too. Apples! It smells so nicely like apples. Not so much Autumn apples, but Japanese apple candies. The flavour is fruity, mildly sweet, apple, and I like the base green.

This would be something I’d like to try iced.

wow, so glad i decided to spring for some of this in my first Lupicia order! it’s effing delicious. it smells beyond divine. like apples so fresh and juicy you just wanna cold-steep this in an ice bath and chug the pitcher when it’s done.

the smell of the dry leaf. i can’t even talk about the smell. so appley luscious and rosy. i wouldn’t normally consider myself an apple fiend, especially when it comes to flavored things but this is by far the exception.

i mean i’m always open to wonderfully scented and flavored teas that are fruity, gourmand/sweet and what have you, but i really like this one. now i wanna give their Apple & Berry green a try as well….and of course their Grapefruit Green. i’m a grapefruit fiend & every now and again, i crave grapefruit like i crave oxygen. anyway, if Tsugaru Green is any indication of the quality of Lupicia’s flavored greens, i should have no trouble exploring their other green offerings! (Not least of all their matcha, hehe.)

i also got their Strawberry & Vanilla green which smelled so amazing i could have passed out. so yea, totally looking forward to fainting.

ETA— my brother’s on vacation right now in Japan & he just climbed Mount Fuji with his friend! he said it was one of the most challenging yet rewarding things he’s ever done in his life. i told him about this tea & the famed San Tsugaru apples from Aomori Prefecture and said he should try and procure some if there are any in Tokyo!

how i wish i had a bowl of them in front of me right now, i would not cease to attack it and eat at least 3!!

Another apple tea that is absolutely delicious!

It seems like Lupicia is kind of a hit or miss for me (although the misses are never truly bad and the hits are usually SUPER hits) but this one I am definitely enjoying. I am not sure if this is better than Nina’s Marie Antoinette or not… I wish I had more of MA in order to compare but the little sample I had I drank ages ago.

So, yeah, I guess Tsugaru is not just any apple but a special Japanese apple, probably slightly tarter than an ol’ granny smith (or maybe not, the google search came up with the information that it is “a cross between a Gold Delicious and Orange Pippin”). But I really don’t know. All I can say is that the tea is damn refreshing, tasty and smells super appley. I mean, really, it is an apple-crazy tea. It might not be an instant re-stock when I am out of it, but I will definitely want to have it on hand from time to time.