This is the Lupicia Palekaiko, part of a series of five teas available exclusively from Lupicia’s Hawaii store.
The blend featured passionfruit-flavoured black tea with ginger, dried sugar-coated papaya, and colourful flower petals.
To prepare, 3 g of loose leaf was steeped in 200 mL of water at 85ºC for 2.5 minutes. The resulting tea had a clear red-brown hue and a lightly spiced aroma, with the sweet muskiness of papaya standing out. When served hot, the ginger notes were fleeting at the start of each sip, followed by the fruity black tea. Mid-sip, a slight sweet-tart acidity emerged, giving way to tropical passionfruit notes (somewhat reminiscent of passionfruit flavoured jelly) before transitioning into the muskier papaya flavour. The finish introduced a notable bitterness, with bold astringency from the black tea lingering in the aftertaste.
The packaging recommended using this tea as a base for iced tea, suggesting that brewing it hot before icing would enhance the ginger flavour, while cold brewing would result in a fruitier profile with milder ginger. Though initially concerned about the ginger’s presence, we found it surprisingly mild when brewed hot. Cold brewing could help soften the bitterness and astringency, making it a refreshing tropical iced tea.
This Lupicia Palekaiko contained 50 g. The tea was sourced from India and Vietnam, packaged in Japan, and received as a gift from family visiting the United States in 2024.