Grapefruit Green

(Looks around for Anna.)

I’ve been wanting to try this for a while but every time I think about it I realize it will be a first note and that means more systematic paying attention, and then I realize I don’t have time to really give it that sort of attention. I really don’t have that time today either as I’ve been on calls all morning for work and now have to drive down to the office, but I am REALLY in the mood for a flavored green tea and this one was calling to me.

The leaves appear to be sencha, delicate and flat and on the light green side of the green spectrum rather than the tubular, curly and darker green like typical Chinese green leaves. I suppose this shouldn’t be surprising as I believe Lupicia is a Japanese company? I don’t like to think about what will happen when my Japanese stash is depleted. I’m not convinced I want to buy any tea from Japan post-reactor meltdown.

There’s a wonderful tart-sweet grapefruit smell to the leaves in the packet. Now that I look at the packet again, I realize I may have screwed up the steeping. It says to use boiling (!) water, and I steeped as I usually do with greens, 175 for 1:30. The liquor is a light greenish yellow and has a buttery green tea smell. Really not a lot of grapefruit in the aroma.

But the same isn’t true of the flavor. This is incredibly refreshing, like a splash of cold water over your head, except that it’s hot and in my mouth. I know, sometimes the world doesn’t make sense. I expected tartness, but I don’t really get it, though I get a really interesting aromatic finish and aftersip that’s cooling in the mouth. I taste grapefruit though it isn’t as strong as I would have expected given some other Lupicia flavored teas I’ve had, but perhaps that’s what makes it pleasant. It tastes very much like a green tea with a bit of grapefruit essence. Sort of like those flavored waters with just a hint of fruit flavor in them, only instead of water it’s green tea. There’s a tad of bitterness that floats in and out but not enough to make it unpleasant.

It isn’t as wonderful as the white melon, but it’s quite nice. I’ll try it according to package directions next time and see what that does.

Holy tea gods! I didn’t expect to get so much grapefruit out of this. Not just the “some sort of citrus, might as well be grapefruit” note but a full grapefruit – citrusy sweetness that ends with a typically grapefruity bitter note.

I think the bitter note is mostly the doing of the actual green tea base and it works so well…

I love the aroma and flavor of grapefruit. Having said that, I didn’t expect this tea to taste so good. It seems that Lupicia might be slightly better at their flavored greens rather than blacks. I mean, so far I’ve only had black Sakurambo and black Lychee, so it is probably not fair to say compare it like that… but the green ones I’ve had are definitely winning. Although I did also have a one serving-worth sample of Cookie and I absolutely loved it…

Tea & Cards TTB

I was suckered in by the intense grapefruit smell coming from the bag, but sadly the tea doesn’t hit quite the same note.

Once brewed the tea was still enjoyable – it has a quality green base that has a subtle vegetal note – but the grapefruit is definitely far more polite than I expected…it features more as an aftertaste than a front note.

The more I drink it, though, the more convinced I am that this is actually a good tea; it just wasn’t what I was expecting. Tasty, but not one I would choose to keep in my cabinet.

I’m having this tea for lunch as a cold brew. I haven’t been drinking much cold brewed tea since the weather got cooler, but this is just so delightful when it’s been prepared that way. If Lupicia ever made a decaf grapefruit and it tasted anywhere near this good, I’d definitely buy some.

Getting energized to go join a gym. I was trying to save money by not going to one, but sitting around on my duff isn’t making me feel better about myself and it’s important to feel and look good when you go on job interviews. I think it will be a good thing for me if I can get there 3x a week at least. Wish me luck!

I haven’t tried this hot, actually. But it’s f***ing fantastic as an iced tea. So refreshing, like biting into a fresh citrus fruit. I thought it would be too sour for me, especially since I’m not a fan of grapefruit at all, but it was just right. Probably my favorite green for iced tea, followed closely by Lupicia’s I would recommend using a little less tea than you should use for other iced teas because the grapefruit flavor gets rather concentrated if steeped overnight.

Love the grapefruit aroma that came from the leaves, however it lacked in taste. Maybe it’s suppose to taste that way, but it did remind me of the bitterness of eating a grapefruit. It’s pretty soothing to have it hot, but it tastes great iced as well!

This tea came in my Happy Bag, and as the weather turns warmer, I reach for the fruitier teas. The bright green leaves smell delicious and like refreshing grapefruit. The aroma is spot-on.

The aroma holds up pretty well when it is brewed hot, and is a nice bright green-yellow color. The tea itself tastes like a mild green with an assertive grapefruit aftertaste. It’s not a sweet grapefruit, but the mouth-puckering version. If you like that citrus tang, then you will probably love this tea.

I also tried this cold-brewed, at 1.5 tsp/8oz for about 4 hours. While not a very green color, the flavor had certainly seeped out into the water, as it was really tasty. The fruit flavor really came out this way, and it’s definitely my favorite fruity tea from Lupicia so far. If I bought this again, I would tend to make it iced or cold-brewed. Really refreshing!