Tea type
Black Fruit Blend
Ingredients
Black Tea, Coconut, Flavor, Rose Petals
Flavors
Candy, Strawberry, Vanilla, Cream, Coconut, Rose, Sweet, Smooth, Floral, Pastries, Earth, Wood, Artificial, Mineral, Wet Wood
Sold in
Loose Leaf, Sachet
Caffeine
High
Certification
Not available
Edit tea info Last updated by Cameron B.
Average preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 30 sec 2 g 9 oz / 262 ml

Currently unavailable

We don't know when or if this item will be available.

From Our Community

1 Image

15 Want it Want it

32 Own it Own it

  • +17

95 Tasting Notes View all

  • “I could not resist this tin the last time I was in Lupicia. It was so pretty. Lupicia has the prettiest specialty tins. I dearly love a strawberry and vanilla tea. I dont really associate it with...” Read full tasting note
    82
  • “And it’s another free teabag! This smells like Strawberry Quik. I think I’ve said that about another Lupicia Strawberry thing. A green tea one maybe. Out of curiosity (and to compare to ROT’s sad...” Read full tasting note
    42
  • “Yay! My monthly “magazine” arrived with a sample of this inside. This is yummy. It reminds me a lot of Strawberry and Vanilla from Lupicia – especially the aroma of it. The black tea is very...” Read full tasting note
    81
  • “One of my Christmas present requests was the Lupicia sampler that had all their holiday teas. I love that they don’t go with the traditional holiday flavors like peppermint, orange and clove—they...” Read full tasting note
    78

From Lupicia

CAROL: a strawberry and vanilla flavored black tea accented with coconut flakes, elegantly decorated with rose petals. Reminiscent of a Christmas cake, this gently sweet tea is delicious straight but also goes well with milk.

About Lupicia View company

Company description not available.

95 Tasting Notes

82
2965 tasting notes

I could not resist this tin the last time I was in Lupicia. It was so pretty. Lupicia has the prettiest specialty tins.
I dearly love a strawberry and vanilla tea. I dont really associate it with Christmas, however. But all of Lupicias holiday flavors are diffrent then what I am used to. Less spice, more fruit. Interesting.
This smells lovely,remining me very much of my beloved Yume. It brews up very nice, a soft and dreamy cup of strawberrys and vanilla cream.
Maybe not a traditional western Christmas tea, but very tasty.

Ysaurella

don’t you find the fruit taste a little artificial in this one ? I had this impression with it

Rosehips

I need more testing to really make up my mind. I’ll see what I think of it next time.

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

42
911 tasting notes

And it’s another free teabag!

This smells like Strawberry Quik. I think I’ve said that about another Lupicia Strawberry thing. A green tea one maybe.

Out of curiosity (and to compare to ROT’s sad little 1.8g teabag), I weighted this teabag too. 3.3g! Good job Lupicia! Still making it in a 6oz cup but I’m glad there’s a good amount of tea in there. Thumbs up to you!

In the cup, I’m still getting the Strawberry Quik smell but that’s okay because I like it (and can’t have it anymore) so it’s making my mouth water. I could be very disappointed when this tastes like tea… Actually, I think I smell a little vanilla underneath the strawberry, too.

Hmm. I’m not so much disappointed as I am just… not excited. The flavoring is nice and not overly fake tasting (well, aside from the whole Nestle Quik thing – so maybe ‘chemical’ is a better word). But it is very light and there seems to be a disconnect between the taste of the strawberry and the taste of the tea. Most likely because a lot of the taste of the strawberry is actually coming from the smell. I think I’m going to add a little milk to see if that brings it together.

It helps a little – gives both the strawberry and tea tastes a little creaminess which creates a little taste bridge between the two. But it just doesn’t make the flavoring pop. Ultimately I’m a little disappointed in this because the flavoring is so soft. That’s what I like about Lupicia’s flavorings with their greens and oolongs, but I tend to like those teas flavored more lightly. For blacks, I tend to like them a little more in your face (not mean, I just like to see a little aggression in them). This would be a good afternoon-in-the-garden tea. But I’m not a big afternoon-in-the-garden type girl.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 30 sec
TeaEqualsBliss

I want a free teabag…tell me how! LOL

Auggy

With Lupicia if you order $50 within a year, they subscribe you to their monthly newsletter. So each month I get a little 4 page thing about their teas and a free teabag. Yay free teabags!

Cofftea

ME TOO!:)

teaplz

Oh no Auggy, you evil temptress. I think I have enough tea to last me a YEAR now. NO MORE.

TeaEqualsBliss

I bookmarked it! Thanks!

Cofftea

$4.17/month average is VERY do-able:)

Auggy

@teaplz – Muahahahaha! It is only fair that I can tempt you back. So :P

Ricky

Come on teaplz, spend some more! It’s my turn to tempt you into ordering something!

teaplz

I just blew $60 in 2 days on tea, guys! :P Granted, it’s on 22 different teas… without shipping!

Samovar has free shipping if you buy a gift set! evil grin

Ricky

Yeah, the shipping is enough to get 3 samplers most of the time =/

How I miss free shipping or flat rate shipping.

takgoti

I never could get on board with Strawberry Quik. I think it might have been the unnatural coloring. Made me think of Pepto Bismol. Urgh, I’m totally going to get the Pepto Bismol song stuck in my head now if I think about it too much… Trying not to think about it… It’s not working! ARG!

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

81
4843 tasting notes

Yay! My monthly “magazine” arrived with a sample of this inside.

This is yummy. It reminds me a lot of Strawberry and Vanilla from Lupicia – especially the aroma of it. The black tea is very soothing – not a get-up-and-go kind of tea, but more of a relaxing tea.

I just submitted a review for this tea on the Tea Review Blog – it should publish soon!

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 30 sec
Janefan

I really like the Strawberry and Vanilla – glad to hear this is in fact similar. I just got mine today too and am looking forward to trying it soon :-)

TeaEqualsBliss

I’ve signed up for the magazine a few times but never got it…sigh…

LiberTEAS

I think that you have to place an order of $30 or more for a 1 year subscription.

TeaEqualsBliss

Ahhh! That would be why! LOL

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

78
470 tasting notes

One of my Christmas present requests was the Lupicia sampler that had all their holiday teas. I love that they don’t go with the traditional holiday flavors like peppermint, orange and clove—they seem more original and inspired by the season itself. Sadly they sold out the day after I added them to my wishlist, so it was not meant to be. But thanks to Emily M I am getting to try a few of them!

Carol is very much like one of my favorite Lupicia blends, Strawberry & Vanilla. It’s strawberry, vanilla, and a hint of rose with a black base instead of green. So, Strawberry & Vanilla minus the matcha and with black tea instead of green. And honestly I don’t remember if there are roses in S&V… I think there are? Maybe not.

The strawberry isn’t as candy-tasting here, a lot of people have said S&V reminds them of Nesquik and I definitely agree, that’s one of the reasons I love it! The flavor here is more natural and juicy, with softer vanilla tones. I don’t get any floral from the rose though, maybe a tiiiiiny bit at the end of the sip but it might be wishful thinking.

This is a nice tea, but I keep comparing it in my head to S&V. They’re so different though even with all the similarities—this is a lighter, softer, less sweet blend with a fuller black base that “covers up” the flavors perhaps a bit better than S&V. I think this would be really great as a latte, and I definitely have enough to try it out that way!

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

86
2036 tasting notes

Sipdown no. 20 of 2014. I had a single sachet of this in my work stash.

I know I’ve had flavored black tea with strawberry among the flavors before-Marco Polo comes to mind-and of course I’ve had black tea flavored with vanilla. I’m not sure I’ve had a black tea flavored just with strawberry and vanilla, though.

Strawberry is one of those flavors that I don’t ordinarily seek out because I’ve experienced so many examples of it done badly, starting with Kool Aid when I was a tot. Carol was a pleasant surprise.

The sachet had the same feel and the tea base the same somewhat bakey smell as the Sweet Potato Pie of last week, but with the addition of a very lovely, sweet strawberry note. Once steeped, the bakeyness mellowed and was absent from the taste altogether.

The strawberry flavor is sweet and mild. I thought it was really well done. I can imagine a lot of ways it could have gone wrong. Fakey, medicinal, etc. My impression, though, was of something between fresh and dried strawberry made creamy and mellow by the vanilla.

I’d like to drink it again. It’s going on the shopping list.

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec
Yvonne

Mmmmmm….this sounds amazing.

keychange

Going on my shopping list too!

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

82
6768 tasting notes

I have been wanting to try this one for a LONG TIME and thanks to LiberTEAs I was able to! Thanks so much!!!!

The aroma dry and post-infusion is heavenly! Ahhhh! Like Strawberry Candy or Strawberry/Vanilla Swirl Hard Candy or something! LOVE the aroma!!!!

This has a gentle yet light-to-medium strength black tea taste to it. There is quite a bit of flavoring tho. The Strawberry is more prominent and the rose and vanilla are about neck and neck. At the end of the sip it has a nice creaminess to it. The after taste is more rose and a light-black tea type taste.

I know there are mixed reviews on this one…but I like it quite a bit!

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

43
408 tasting notes

Thank you so much Devilish for sharing a sample of Carol with me.
The dry leaves were so beautiful, a lot of pink flowers mixed with tea.It smelled like candies.

First sip was disapointing for me, I got a very artificial flavour of red fruit candy and behind a vanilla base mixed with a strong black tea.
I left the mug a while and retried it, this is the flavour : strawberry candy, artificial type.

It’s really a pity because the tea base is really nice, smooth, mellow, strong enough. It is correctly blended as well, the balance between the flavours and the tea base are respected.
But I’m sorry : Natural flavourings exist to be used ! I cannot understand why a good tea manufacturer prefers artificial ones EVEN if it is supposed to be dedicated to a candy taste.
Dammann Frères Violette tea is dedicated to Violet Candies and natural flavourings are used, none artificial. It means it’s possible.
Quand on veut on peut…at least for something easy like this !

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 0 sec
Devilish

yes the flavour in this tea is pretty artificial… this sometimes happens to Lupicia teas! It seems to me that French teas tend to use more natural flavourings, don’t they? Perhaps it’s the reason why they are sought after by so many people! ;)

Ysaurella

French tea brands say they ONLY use natural flavourings.
It’s often true but cannot bet it is surely the case. I have no doubt MF and DF and PDT only use natural flavourings. I have a doubt regarding some B&B blends.

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

75
314 tasting notes

Now I know why they call this “Carol”—it’s short for “caroling” (like during Christmas)! How clever! :)

I’m so happy this was Lupicia’s free teabag selection this month. I’m always game to try strawberry-flavored things.

This doesn’t disappoint in its strawberriness. Over the tannic “bite” of black tea, I taste a creamy, candied strawberry—like Creme Lifesavers. Very yummy. I agree with the Strawberry Quik comparison, too.

I’m drinking it plain, but to diffuse the black tea’s astringency, it would be better with milk.

Overall, pretty good. Glad I tried it. But it’s cooling down now and the bitterness is getting a little distracting.

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 30 sec
Suzi

Whoa.
You’re so smart.
I never put “Carol” and “caroling” together.

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

2977 tasting notes

I added about 1 tsp half & half, instead of the several teaspoons warm milk and steamed milk suggested, but ti was still rich and creamy. It is rather like a grown-up, caffeinated version of Nestle Strawberry Quick, because as Auggy pointed out, strawberry + vanilla = strawberry quick (aka “pink milk”) if that is your childhood memory of those flavors.

This is nice, but doesn’t really conjure up the holidays to me. I love Lupicia’s Strawberry Green with matcha and plan to order some early next year, but this one I will let pass.

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

87
1629 tasting notes

I received this free in the mail. Upon looking at the description, I thought I’d be disappointed since fruit in tea are always too tart for me. I was completely wrong. I opened this up and smelled some sweet candy popcorn and warmth. For some reason I thought it would brew pink, just like the photo, but I thought to myself, “well this is a black tea based blend… how can it be?” … lo and be hold… it was a nice brown shade. Still, smells sweet and warm… vanilla and strawberry.

I tried it plain first, like I usually do, then decided to add sweetener and milk. It is just one of those cold, drab mornings. Very sweet and creamy. I love sweet. I feel like a child again :)

EDIT – I saw Auggy’s tasting note, describing it as “Strawberry Quik”… and YES that is exactly what it smells like!!

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec

Login or sign up to leave a comment.