![[image: nine bags of loose tea from Lupicia]](https://i0.wp.com/www.braisinhussy.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/luckybag.jpg?resize=863%2C486&ssl=1)
I went into San Francisco yesterday and stopped at Lupicia, one of my favorite tea retailers. I was there to pick up some loose leaf La Belle Epoque, my go-to for “tea-flavored tea.”
While I was there I noticed that they had a display of lucky bags (well, boxes, but same thing). Fukubukuro are a big thing with Japanese stores. They’re a grab bag sold at a discount. I was surprised to see they had any left (stores sell them for the New Year), but I picked up one for $30.
Here’s what was inside (and their descriptions from Lupicia’s website):
- Momo Oolong Super Grade (retail price $13.00) Savor the succulent flavor and aroma of Japanese white peach in this Taiwanese pouchong blend accented with pink rose petals.
- Sakurambo (retail price $6.50) Black tea flavored with Japanese cherries, which has a sweet and fruity aroma.
- Tikuanyin (retail price $11.00) Oolong tea from Fujian province has a rich taste and sweet aroma.
- Darjeeling Second Flush (retail price $8.50) A blend of summer-plucked Darjeeling tea. Often referred to as “Champagne of teas”.
- Afternoon Tea (retail price $6.00) A blend of light-bodied Darjeeling and full-bodied Assam. Can be served with milk.
- Matcha Black Soybean Rice Tea (retail price $5.00) A genmaicha (rice tea) blended with black beans and matcha, to promote “healthy living”.
- Strawberry & Vanilla (retail price $6.50) Green tea with matcha is flavored with sweet fragrance of strawberry and vanilla.
- Muscat (retail price $6.50) Refreshing taste of muscat offers an interesting impression. Ideal choice for an iced tea.
- Cookie (retail price $7.00) Black tea scented with an image of freshly baked caramel cookies. Best served with milk.
So that’s $70 worth of tea for $30! I have had the Momo Oolong before and loved it, but it’s expensive so I’ve only purchased it once. I have sipped my way through several bags of Sakurambo in the past, I like it a lot. The rest are new to me, and I’m very excited to try them all! The only one I’m a bit leery of is the Muscat, but I think I’ll take their advice and brew it for iced tea.
These look great! I am interested in some teas that I can drink in the evening. Are any of these low in caffeine? We will have to have a tea party when I get home.
Yes, the ones with green labels are lower in caffeine (not zero caffeine, but lower than regular black teas).
A package of 5 teabags of this came with my lucky bag. I really, really like this. It s sweet, and the honey flavor definitely comes through. I don t get so much of the berry flavors, but the honey does a good job of moderating the rooibos, and making it into something delicious. I m thinking about adding this to my shopping list after I use up the teabags I have.