The Art of Tea-Introducing Lupicia Tea
I have always been a coffee drinker. Being half Colombian and half Italian it’s in my genes. However, I have recently been converted to the wonder that is tea. It all started when a friend from Japan suggested we take a trip to Lupicia teashop in the Century City Mall. And since then, I've been enthralled by the flavors, aromas, and the art of brewing tea.
Lupicia started out in 1994 as a black tea specialty shop in Japan called “L’epicier” (French for Grocery Store). They added a second shop called “Lu P Cha En” (Chinese for Jade Green Tea Garden) specializing in green teas from China and Japan. In 2005 the two stores and the two names were combined into Lupicia to correspond to their decision to become a supplier of teas from around the world. Currently they offer over 400 blends of fresh tea, some of which are seasonal. Today they have stores throughout Japan, a few in the USA, as well as Taiwan and Australia.
The shop is small and cozy with a counter full of small tins of tea that you can open and look and sample the aroma. There is also an extensive array of tea making products-everything from Japanese tea ceremony items to pots for brewing the perfect Earl Grey for breakfast. They also offer a couple of pots of brewed samples. The staff is wonderful and extremely knowledgeable about tea helping me select a couple of bags.
So what did I purchase? A bag of Caramel & Rum, a bag of Jasmin Amaranth as well as a couple of tea infusers. The Caramel & Rum has a nice aroma of caramel that is quickly noted upon opening the package and a delicate sweet flavor. I found it goes great with milk, which gave it a richer flavor and enhanced the caramel flavor a bit. It is low in caffeine and very comforting when sick.
Jasmin Amaranth is a green tea scented with a bit of jasmine and bundled in a pink globe amaranth blossom. I recommend brewing this tea in a glass pot to watch the blossom open. And although it is pretty to look at in the pot, the blossom should be removed once the brewing time is done-otherwise you will end up with rather bitter tea. This tea had a pleasant jasmine scent as well as flavor. Although it is a green tea, it is relatively low in caffeine. I also sampled this with milk as was suggested by the Lupicia website, which brought out the flavor of the jasmine.
Lupicia offers loose tea as well as packaged tea bags. Prices are very reasonable for their teas-most teas start at $5 for a small bag of loose tea and go up. A nice touch is that the optimal brewing times for the teas are printed on the bag so getting the optimal flavor of your tea is easier. Although the bags seem small, the tea does go a long way, which is good if you like to experiment with things such as the temperature of the water and how long you allow the tea to steep in the water. Now, time for a cup of sweet Caramel & Rum tea…
Lupicia can be found on the Internet at:
http://www.lupiciausa.com/
Caramel & Rum tea-even in its dried form smells wonderful!
A blossom of Jasmin Amarenth tea
The Jasmin Amarenth blossom starts to open once the hot water is added.
After a minute, the blossom opens up some more and the water starts to darken
Its only halfway open
View from the top
Fully opened blossom and ready to enjoy!