So my co-worker has been missing for the past few days because he's been sick. I do hope that he'll feel better asap because we miss him at work.

However, I have taken this opportunity to steal some of his tea so I can write about it.

Earlier in the Spring our boss went on a vacation trip to Paris and came back with some delicious tea. She had purchased tea from Le Palais des Thés for us as gifts because we both enjoy tea. I was given Fleur de Geisha and my co-worker was given The Des Moines.

The Des Moines is described as:
Inspired by an ancient recipe created in a Tibetan monastery, Thé des Moines is a rare blend with a unique flavour. Legend tells how the monks would prepare this blend of tea, plants and flowers in the greatest of secrecy. After several days of soaking, the leaves were carefully Plucked out and put to one side. By this mysterious alchemy the monks turned the tea into gold and gave Thé des Moines its exceptional scent.

Black and green tea blend.



I personally really don't know how to describe this tea. Smelling the tea before brewing it - it actually smells a little bit spicy, not spicy full of spices, but a different kind of spicy.

When I actually brew the tea, I haven't really been able to taste the green tea so much. But to me it tastes very similar to a variation of Earl Grey. I can definitely taste the light subtlety of the flowers and it adds a very nice sweet element to the back of the tongue. I also enjoy the aftertaste since it doesn't leave a bitter or sour aftertaste in my mouth.

I'm not sure what i'm going to do once we run out of this... perhaps order more from France!

It's been such a long time since i've written here. I actually have had a lot of tea reviews that I want to post up but just haven't had the time (and being lazy). But I wanted to write something up none the less just to perhaps get the ball rolling.

Lupicia is one of my favorite japanese tea brands, and I stumbled onto their website today to discover that they have released original tea blends for the Bay Area stores. I am so jealous! All three of them sound so delicious. I hope maybe if I go home in November that they'll still be there... or maybe i can ask my brother to purchase some for me. I am really curious about the golden honey dew tea... but that's because I love honey dew. 8D

LUPICIA has created three new original teas for sale exclusively at our Bay Area stores. These tea blends capture the flavors unique to northern California and are perfect over ice during the hot summer months.

Available at the following stores for a limited only: San Francisco Stonestown, San Francisco Centre and Santa Clara Valley Fair.

NOT Available Online.


5702 Té de Frutas
A decaffeinated black tea blend scented with the fresh fruits of a California farmer's market.





8524 Napa Blanc
Created in the spirit of California wine country, Japanese green tea scented with muscat grape and jasmine.





9212 Golden Honey Dew
Caffeine free green rooibos paired with the luscious flavor of California golden honey dew.

This review is long overdue and I'm pushing myself to actually write about it. Let me tell you in the heart of Greenwich Village, smack dab on Christopher St. you can find McNulty's Tea and Coffee Co. Actually, for those who have no idea where I'm talking about its in Manhatten... in New York.

I went on a late night with a high school friend who wanted to show me Christopher St. and this gem of a tea place. The place already wins brownie points for being open till 9PM on the weekday.

But what is to die for the the interiors! The floors old and made of wood. All the tea are stored in large glass canisters. At first I was suspicious since storing tea in glass jars exposed to sun isn't the best thing, but considering how popular this place is and how CHEAP the tea is, i can only assume that the stuff goes quickly. The cash register is vintage, the scales are all vintage... I felt like I was travelling back through time.

The tea is organized well, world teas were in the center shelves and flavored blacks were around the permitter. they also carried other bagged teas from mainly UK companies which was rather nice (just in case you crave your PG). They also have coffee... but obviously I was there for the tea. They had some really interesting blended black tea flavors like Apple Pie, Apple Mint, Cinnamon Orange....

What amazes me though is how affordable the tea is! I'm so used to tea being charged by the ounces and this place... charged by the pound! They start with 1/4lbs, 1/2lbs, and 1lbs. I would imagine it would take me a while to go through 1lbs. of tea - considering how much other tea i have.

The guy who was there had no problem with me opening canisters and sniffing my way through. I ended up selecting two teas to purchase (I would have purchased more but I was budgeting myself).

I purchased:
- 1/4 lb. of Kenya tea (for $5.00).
- 1/4 lb. of Berry Creme

The Kenya tea is a really good solid black tea. I bought it because I was interested in trying tea from Africa. I really can't say much about it besides it being a good tea. Though i think i'm not very good at reviewing solid black teas. It would be asking me to try and write about PG Tips. I wouldn't know what to write about beyond it being yummy.

however, I can write about McNulty's own blend of "Berry Creme" flavored black tea. I usually don't like berry and creme sort of flavors because usually one flavor will taste fake or over powered. But let me tell you don't let the scent of this tea fool you. The aroma itself before anything else is what caught me, a very light sweet smell with a mixture of berries. After trying this tea - this is probably a close favorite to drinking it straight compared to Harney and Son's Passion Fruit flavored black tea. When brewed right this tea tastes so delicious. The berry flavour is like your typical 'berry' flavor mix, though my brain tends to think more along the lines of strawberry. the creme flavor part isn't really all there, but there is some sort of flavor in the mixture that has a light touch that lifts the taste of black tea away. it tastes naturally sweet that you really don't need milk or sugar. it's perfectly fine the way it is. i must say I truly enjoy this tea quite a bit and was actually going through it really fast. I only have a little left and have been holding off on it.

HOWEVER! They do phone orders so once i'm out of that I think i'm going to place a phone order and restock and try something new.

For a tea enthusiast I highly reccomend coming to this historical tea place to support them. Not only that but the experience itself was worth it - i was like a kid in a candy store going through all of those teas. Now if only I could go back to New York ASAP.

For those who want more information about McNulty's:

Official webpage:
http://www.mcnultys.com/

Address:
109 Christopher Street, New York, NY 10014

Yelp Review (5 solid stars!):
http://www.yelp.com/biz/mcnultys-tea-and-coffee-co-new-york

In recent years Rooibos (African Red Tea) has become quite the popular tea to drink for not only its taste, but also it's lack of caffeine and health benefits. I just happen to like tea.

A while back I was shopping at Stater Bros and out of natural habit i wandered by the tea section and saw that this particular tea was marked down due to overstock. So I bought myself a box and gave it a try.

The packaging itself is interesting. The box is lined with this wax material and contains packets of tea (they used to be individually sealed, but no longer) and it helps keeps the freshness of the tea. The advantage of this is really its more economically friendly, less wasted materials will still maintaining tea fresh in the box. the only thing is doing it this way makes it difficult in trading the tea with other people. I can't hand someone a packet to try unless I stick it in some sort of sterile sealed bag or container. I do love the photo of the Lion drinking tea though. heh. I also like how the box is red to indicate that it is a red tea.

The way I tend to drink my teas is probably not how most people drink it. I usually throw the tea bag into the mug and leave it in there. I generally enjoy having strong flavor and steeping my tea as long as its in my mug. but I truly enjoy the flavor of this tea. it is naturally sweet flavored by the vanilla.

i think if i were to introduce someone to red tea I'd probably use this because it is already subtly sweet, but not only that i do believe that the vanilla truly compliments the rooibos. the taste of natural rooibos tea is already an interesting flavor and i think its much easier to drink compared to some others. it is slightly nutty and slightly sweet. the flavor is not as strong as normal black teas but much lighter. I think the natural vanilla added to t his blend of rooibos heights and accentuates the natural flavor found in the tea. even the smell is rich, aromatic and some how reminds me of the sweet smell of sweet flowers (osmanthus, orange blossoms, etc). I have also had this tea with milk and a touch of sugar and let me tell you how delicious it is. The flavors are already rich and the milk sort of makes it all the more flavorful.

For a bagged tea that you could buy at your normal local grocery store - I think this tea is a great one to have if you're in the mood for Rooibos. It's simple and sweet. I highly recommend it for those who are curious about it (or are desperate for some tea while doing normal grocery shopping).

Today I went to Lupicia at the Stonestown Mall location in San Francisco. I was greeted by two wonderful employees at the location. This was my first time to the Stonestown location and compared to the Westfield SF Location and the Westfield Century City (LA) location, this place is actually VERY large and can comfortably fit a handful of people in their store. Their display of all their teaware on one side and tea on the other was nicely displayed.

I was greeted by a young lady and she offered the daily sample which was their Lychee flavored black tea. They seem to offer that tea as a sample every where I go. It tastes good - not that it's a bad for some reason I never seem to try their other things or their other unusual blends.

Afterward I started my rounds going through and checking various tea cannisters on display smelling and observing the samples they had on display. I was then approached by a young man with a strong Irish accent who asked if he could help me. I told him that I was looking for a black tea to buy as a gift for a friend but I didn't know what kind of black to to get. I was looking for a tea that could brewed lightly or heavily and nothing too in your face. As a result I picked out La Belle Epoque: A unique blend of Darjeeling and full-bodied black tea. Fragrant classic tea with elegant taste. (as described on their website) While he was helping me pick out a black tea we actually had an interesting conversation.

He said, "I actually made a complaint/recommendation to Lupicia myself. I mean I'm Irish and I really enjoy black tea and it seemed like they didn't have enough black teas. So I suggested that they have some Irish blends and well they came out with a decent black tea blend (Good Morning) and well I hope that they come out with some more in the future..." He also recommended some other black teas from their store:

♥ Darjeeling First Flush
♥ Kenil Worth
♥ Uva Highlands (his favorite)

I then took a look at the green tea selection since I finished off my last loose leaf green tea blend previously bought from Lupicia. I decided that I should buy a new type of natural green tea and settled with Sencha "Hare bare": Blend of aromatic Sayama tea and processed with a strong fire. The refreshing mint-like flavor, a characteristic of this variety called "Sayama Kaori" is very appealing. (as described on their website) I look forward to trying this tea out and writing my own personal review on it.

After I paid for the two tea, I was given two loose leaf samples (the first time i've ever recieved loose leaf samples!) by them. What I enjoy most about Lupicia is that they always give you samples with their purchase. This time I was given samples of Momo Oolong and Marron Chocolat. Actually I'm glad he gave me a sample of the Marron Chocolat because I was debating earlier while in the store if I wanted to purchase it or not. I'm glad I received a sample so I can try it out and decide for future purchases.

I had wonderful service on a lazy weekday at their location and waltz out of their place a happy bunny with a small bag of tea. I can't wait to try the new green tea!

I decided on the car drive home today that I would start an online journal of my personal tea musings. Everything and anything that has to do with tea in my life. I plan on keeping a log and review of tea that I buy, drink, and records of all tea in my possession for the sake of my own record keeping. Sometimes even I forget what tea I buy and from where and then later regret where I got it. So for those who are on my friends list, relax, have a cup and enjoy the ramblings...