Few days ago I was invited by Shirley to join her for a tea appreciation and food pairing session at LUPICIA. Before I learn more about coffee, I was a tea person, thus I jumped at the opportunity to reunite with my first love.
We kickstarted the tea party with Cerisier Apple Cooler. Cerisier tea is one of the tea from seasonal Sukura tea range. It is a tea blend of cherries, peach and Sukura Tea leaves. The tea itself has a sweet fruity peach fragrance. When the apple juice is added, the sweetness from the apple juice complements with the tea blend and made it with refreshing.
We were very blessed to have some LUPICIA rond point cookies (currently only available in LUPICIA JAPAN) to pair with the Sakura tea (a blend of black tea and sakura leaves). Traditionally, salted sakura tea leaves are used to wrap mochi in the spring as it retains the moisture of the mochi and makes it easy for cherry blossom viewing. This is my first time trying sakura tea. I was both surprised and intrigued by how the saltiness of the tea complements the cookies.
Next we have Sakura Yokan to pair with Darjeeling the first punch. Yokan is a traditional Japanese dessert made from red bean paste, sugar and agar. I am blessed to try this Sakura Yokan that is specially flown in for the Sakura Tea Party. Darjeeling the first punch, is a blend of spring plucked darjeeling with fruity aroma thus when paired with Sakura Yokan, it is both enjoyable and refreshing. It also acts as a palate cleanser for us to enjoy the other delightful desserts.
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| Blinis served with Sakura Berry jam |
We had Sakura with Berry Milk Tea paired with blinis (mini pancakes) served with Sakura Berry Jam.
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| Credit: LUPICIA Japan |
This is so so good but why is it only available in Japan? Made with 3 types of berries and it is best served with scones or toast. I can still remember the taste of it while updating my blog.
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| Sakura Vert Tea with Wasanbon |
Wasanbon is a traditional sweets which is made using very fine cane sugar. The Sakura Vert tea is a blend of japanese green tea and sakura leaves which is slightly saltier as compared to the Sakura Tea. However, when paired with the Wasanbon, it is simply delightful. I was told that this savoury blend is best paired with desserts as the saltiness in the tea serves to elevate the sweetness in the desserts. It is one of my favourites as I like how it tickles my mind and palate.
LUPICIA is actually a Japanese tea brand found in 1994 and has more than 400 tea types curated around the world, specially crafted and packed in Japan. Today, it has more than 120 stores in Japan and has recently opened its second outlet in Singapore at Vivo City (near Poulet and Jamie Oliver). Besides serving sample tea of the day, customers at LUPICIA can also request to sample tea on demand. What I like is that there is an array of tea that I can smell, touch and even sample before I make my purchase. Talking about shopping experience, I think the Japanese way of handling customers win hands down.
While browsing through the teas available, I have also found the blend specially created for Singapore, the calamansi oolong tea. I have yet to try it but inside my mind I am already thinking of the local version of ice lemon tea, what say you? ;P
Tea, much like coffee, has different brewing methods and parameters to take note of. I have learnt a lot from the lovely folks from LUPICIA on tea and food pairing. It was indeed an eye opening experience for me. The kind folks at LUPICIA even extended their kindness by preparing a bag of teas for us to kickstart our tea appreciation journey. Thank you LUPICIA for hosting us.
LUPICIA VivoCity
#01-K19 VivoCity
1 Harbourfront Walk Singapore 098585
Tel: (+65) 6221 4336
Store Hours: Mon-Sun 10am-10pm
Email: contact@lupicia.com.sg
LUPICIA Great World City (1st Outlet)
#B1-12 Great World City
1 Kim Seng Promenade Singapore 237994
Tel: (+65) 6737 0334
Store Hours: Mon-Sun 10am-10pm
