This is the Lupicia Momijigari, an autumnal flavoured black tea.

The dry leaf presented with black tea scented with apple and apricot, and blended with maple leaves and safflower petals.

Prepared using 5 g of loose leaf infused in 200 mL of water at 85ºC for 3 minutes, the infusion presented with a transparent golden orange hue. Aroma opened with sweet apple and gentle apricot tang, supported by a fruity black tea base.

Initial contact delivered fresh apple skin notes with a soft, natural sweetness and a light-bodied mouthfeel. Through the mid-palate, a gentle apricot sweetness gradually emerged as the liquor was swirled across the palate, developing into a subtle jam-like stone fruit character with restrained tartness. The tea remained smooth and rounded throughout, with the fruit flavours sitting harmoniously atop the tea base rather than appearing artificially sweetened. Towards the finish, the black tea became more prominent, contributing a soft astringency and delicate bitterness that provided structure to the sweeter fruit notes. Aftertaste carried lingering apple sweetness and gentle apricot fragrance alongside clean black tea notes.

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Unlike many of Lupicia’s flavoured teas, which are often adequately prepared at 3 g per 200 mL, Momijigari benefited noticeably from the increased dosage, allowing the stone fruit characteristics to develop more fully across the palate. Overall, a flavoured black tea with a layered fruit-forward flavour progression and a smooth, well-integrated mouthfeel, resulting in a balanced autumn-inspired tea that successfully showcases both apple and apricot.

This Lupicia Momijigari contained 50 g. The tea was sourced from Vietnam and India, packaged in Japan and purchased in Sydney, Australia in 2024.