Cassis & Blueberry

Oh, that blueberry smell from the dry leaves is amazing!

The brewed tea still has a strong aroma of blueberry with something else now too. I guess that’s the cassis. I didn’t have any idea what cassis was, so I googled it. Turns out, cassis is blackcurrant, a small perennial shrub with edible berries.

The aroma is definitely berry-laden! But I’m a little let down upon tasting it. That magnificent berry-ness was virtually gone in the first sip.

My second sip had a heavy sweetness to it that the first sip lacked. The third sip was more like the first. Strange. And now I’m getting black tea bitterness.

This review may be little off today since I’m slightly stuffy from allergies. But I agree with LP that the taste is a letdown after the aroma.

What a shame. I really wanted to like this more.

I bought this one because when you open the tin, it punches you in the face with delicious berry-candy aroma, and while that’s not usually my thing, in this case it was just intoxicating.

I find that things flavored with blueberry are generally pretty gross, but I adore blackcurrant/cassis (they’re the same thing, people) – and ultimately, the combination of the two added up to awesome. Once brewed, the cassis thankfully takes the lead in the flavor, with the blueberry remaining subtle and a background note. Unlike the face-slammingly intense smell, the flavor is well tempered. This is a blackcurrant tea with a blueberry tint. Blueberry fans would probably be disappointed, but I’m in it for the cassis.

It has a certain dryness to it, and is definitely not sweet, but the fruity flavor still comes through in spite of that, and it ends up working. I don’t think I am going to be having this too frequently, as it’s pretty distinctive and rich on the added flavor, but I’m definitely glad to have it in my collection.

As always, Lupicia means quality.

I purchased a pack of teabags of this from the store in San Francisco because I really love blueberry teas. Admittedly, I had no idea was cassis was, but the smell was what won me over. After initially brewing for 3 minutes, I found the flavor to not be strong enough and fell a little flat. The second time I gave it 5 minutes and flavors came out much better but still unlike the smell out of the bag (like others have mentioned). I found that adding a bit of sugar helped bring out the berry flavor a bit more. Though a touch disappointed by the smell/taste discrepancy, I still enjoyed this tea.

A sample from one of my online orders. Lovely blueberry smell, nice black tea with a hint of flavor. Can’t decide if this is one I would buy. Nice, just not wowed.

Had this for my morning tea today. It’s good but almost tastes like medicine. I also kind of forgot about it so it’s currently lukewarm. I like the taste. I took it out after 3ish minutes. I think if I left it in longer, it would have definitely tasted like medicine.

It smells amazing, and you can really tell the cassis and blueberry. Unfortunately, it doesn’t hold the taste nearly as well as the smell. Still good, but a bit disappointing against the smell.

I really enjoyed this one, especially since it’s not that easy to find cassis in the USA. Perhaps that will be the final straw to get me out of there. Regardless, this tea has a pleasant and authentic berry flavour that is stronger on the cassis than on the blueberry. The overall effect is slightly astringent and very natural, unlike some other berry blends I’ve tried that have more of a cough syrup note due to the presence of cherry flavouring. This would be delightful with a scone or two.

2024 sipdown no. 53

Lupicia really knocked it out of the park with this tea. The blueberry has never been more real <3. The black currant falls more to the background, but adds complexity and a subtle hint of tartness. I adore this tea, actually. Goodness, now I’ll have to make a list towards a Lupicia cart.

Thank you so much for sharing Cameron :)

Another of my impulse buys in the Lupicia panic order.

What I find interesting about this one is the mix of Indian and Vietnamese black teas in the base. I noticed a commercial on TV the other day with African tea growers in it. I just find it very interesting how many other geographies support tea cultivation.

Anyway, this tea has a very strong and sharp blueberry note in the packet. It makes a clear, very red-russet tea that is clear and smells exactly like it’s name, with a sort of a malty cocoa note underneath.

The flavor has those notes as well. It’s unfortunate there’s not a “cassis” flavor, or even a liqueur flavor — I had to resort to alcohol in the options, and to black currants.

I find this a very nice balance among the flavors and the underlying tea. I’m again puzzled by the relative lack of love for this one as I’m quite enjoying it this morning.

Thanks again Cameron B for the Lupicia samples! They have all been delicious so far. I used one teaspoon for this and a blueberry went into the infuser. The brew doesn’t result too light or dark — a nice medium strength black tea. I think there is a nice balance of blueberry and cassis flavors (I guess cassis is black currant?) and I’m surprised the flavors aren’t used more together with other tea shops. I’ve had plenty of gross black currant flavors in the past and this isn’t gross. There is also an earthy flavor. The flavor just bursts out of the mug even more when the cup is cold. So this one should be even better iced. It’s very tasty! I like it. The second steep is lighter on the flavor, but that is to be expected on a second steep. It reminds me of David’s Tea’s Blueberry Jam but I like that this doesn’t have splenda.
Steep #1 // 1 teaspoon for a not quite full mug // 16 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 3 minute steep