Nagasaki is the home of castella, so it’s no surprise that this Lupicia Castella is one of the region-limited teas for the prefecture.

The tea is a looseleaf blend of black tea scented with castella and sugar crystals.

Steeping 3 g of loose-leaf in 200 mL of water at 85°C for 3 minutes, the infusion was a transparent brown-red colour with the rich and deeply sweet aroma of castella. Served hot, the sweet and eggy flavour of castella came through at the head of each sip with the natural sweetness of the black tea carrying the flavour through the body ahead of a bolder tea flavour in the finish with minimal bitterness.

Lupicia also recommends serving the tea hot with milk, which adds a creamy and slightly viscous mouthfeel that rounds the boldness of the black tea in the finish, allowing us to more easily appreciate the sweet, eggy flavour of the castella. Whether prepared with or without milk, the castella scent came through with a natural flavour like all the scented or flavoured Lupicia teas we’ve enjoyed.

This Lupicia Castella contained 50 g. The tea was sourced from Sri Lanka, packaged in Japan, and purchased in Nagasaki, Japan in 2019.