My friend, and fellow tea lover, Eetel from FlyEetelFly recently gave me two taster packets of Lupicia teas! She knows how much I love them and as expected, I was so excited to be able something new.

The two teas I got to try are 雁ヶ音日記 (Karigane Nikki) and からころ (Karakoro).

雁ヶ音日記 (Karigane Nikki)

First up: Karigane Nikki. Here’s a translation of the description [1]

“This tea combines the elegant fragrance of cinnamon, traditionally used in Kyoto sweets, with the calm fragrance of karigane houjicha [2]. It’s also recommended to drink this as a milk tea.”

There was a pretty strong cinnamon fragrance from the dried tea, but once brewed the houjicha fragrance became dominant. I liked that both flavours were distinct but neither overpowered the other.

I was pretty surprised because I had my doubts about this flavour combination but I liked it! The only thing is that I was reminded of the Christmas teas in last year’s advent calendar (although I liked this better).

からころ (Karakoro)

Next up, Karakoro! Here’s a translation of the description [3]:

“Inspired by the image of a Maiko walking around Kyoto, this is a beautiful black tea. We layered the delicate taste of plum over yuzu.”

This tea smelled amazing when it was brewed. Both the yuzu and the plum worked hand-in-hand to elevate this tea. I’ve always had the impression of yuzu and ume being tart (mostly because Japanese plums (ume) in Japan are commonly found picked), but instead of conflicting with the sweet flavours of black tea, it gave it a refreshing twist. I really liked this, even more than the Karigane Nikki.

The first time I had this, I felt that this would be marvellous iced and I was right! I honestly can’t decide which version of the tea I prefer but I am very tempted to get more (if not for the fact that I’ve already got a lot of teas I want to try from Lupicia).

Thanks for the teas, Eetel!

Notes/Links

Karigane Nikki Product Page (Japanese)

[1] Original: 伝統ある京銘菓にも使われるニッキ（肉桂）の高貴な香りが、穏やかで落ち着いた味わいの雁ヶ音ほうじ茶にとけ込みます。ミルクティーにもおすすめ。

[2] According to Wikipedia, Karigane Houjicha refers to houjicha made with good quality stems from first flush green tea.

Karakoro Product Page (Japanese)

[3] Original: からころと音を響かせ、京の花街を歩く舞妓さんをイメージした、見た目も可憐な紅茶です。爽やかな柚子の香りに重なる、かぐわしい梅の上品な香り。