I was so sure I’d reviewed this that I’d put it in the cupboard. The shame. It might have been because it’s not a favourite – this is one that leaves me fairly indifferent.
In the bag, the dry leaf smells very boozy, but not a ripe, fruitrotty, autumnal booziness like Marco Polo (vert) from Mariage Frères, but a much flatter, staler scent, like forgotten home-made lemonade going to waste. Yeasty, almost.
The yeastiness carries through into the cup, and unfortunately there’s very little fruit to balance it. Peaches? Grapefruit? No, not really. They decided they’d have more fun somewhere else. What there is, is a lightly perfumed sweetness – it could be either fruity or floral.
This tastes like something I had – I don’t remember if I ate it or drank it – in Japan, which gives it an unfair advantage of familiarity; it’s hard to rate fairly. But, then again, this is a rooibos/green blend. I usually say I’d rather drink a Lupicia tea than most any other because I like their bases so much, but this blend doesn’t really appeal to me as much as their straight greens.
[From my Lupicia spree at Westfield Valley Fair in Santa Clara, October 2013.]
Boiling, 1 min 15