Japan takes their fruit seriously. Unlike elsewhere in the world, there’s a relatively large market for luxury fruits in Japan, with muskmelons often costing over ¥10,000 each. These luxury fruits are impeccable in appearance, taste and uniformity, as well as sold meticulously protected with tissue paper and foam padding.
One of these luxury fruits are grapes with a rich sweetness and aroma called Muscat of Alexandria, also referred to as the ‘Queen of Fruits’. These fruits inspire the Lupicia Queen’s Muscat Oolong.
The tea is a pouchong or light oolong looseleaf scented with the flavour of Muscat of Alexandria and scattered with the dried fruit.
Steeping 3 g of loose leaf in 200 mL of 85°C water for 2 minutes, the infusion was a clear pale straw colour with a sweet muscat aroma. Served hot, the Muscat notes are evident from the head of each sip as a fragrant sweetness that recalled a grape flavoured honey without being actually sweet. The fresh and slightly green notes of the light oolong came through in the body before the Muscat notes return in the finish, leaving a refreshing and lightly sweet aftertaste. While enjoyable hot, this tea is best enjoyed as an iced tea where the rich sweetness of the Muscat shines. It’s perfect for the upcoming summer.
This Lupicia Queen’s Muscat Oolong contained 50 g. The tea was sourced from Taiwan, packaged in Japan, and purchased in Tōkyō, Japan in 2014.