Lisa Kunizaki

I am so taken with Chambre de Sucre at the moment that it warrants one more post. Recently, Chambre de Sucre launched a new line of teas to go with their incredibly beautiful line of sugars, and I’ve been lucky enough to try them and report back. Seems quite ironic that I tried all of these teas without any sugar. To do justice to any good quality tea, however, and to discover its purist flavor, I do think that’s where one should start.

Left to Right: Love Spell, Waiahole Valley, Kyushu
Evening Engagement, Chocolate Et Fraise, Summer Child

There are 7 new teas from Chambre de Sucre, each distinctive and full in character:

Love Spell No. 14: This tea brews to a bright pink color, much like fruity punch. It is bright and tangy, with strong berry notes and a zingy, puckering finish. This tisane has an herbal hibiscus base and is caffeine-free.

Waiahole Valley No. 24: Upon brewing, this tea has the smell of the most delicious apple oatmeal. It has a soft fruit taste, meaning that it is not at all acidic or sour. Definite apple and banana flavors. This tisane has a green rooibos base and is caffeine-free.

Kyushu No. 6: A classic green tea, very vegetal in flavor. It’s refreshing and grassy with a slightly fruity finish.

Evening Engagement No. 104: Not only beautiful to look at but lovely on the palette with a Bai Mu Dan white tea base. This tea has a light, herbal floral garden-like finish. Great on its own as a spring or summer tea.

Chocolate Et Fraise No. 20: Ok, if you want to lose weight but are craving chocolate you should have this tea. Lisa is a genius for thinking of blending deep, dark pu-erh tea with chocolate! The two flavors are amazing together here. This is a very special tea– earthy, dark, and sweet. If you haven’t ever tried pu-erh tea, or if you find other pu-erhs to be too musty for you, this is a good place to start.

Summer Child No. 3: This is a great summer iced tea. It’s a black tea with medium body and finishes with notes of tropical fruit and peach pit.

Steeped Mon Frere Oolong tea with large tea leaves and roasted hazelnut pieces

Mon Frere No. 22: My absolute favorite, which in French means, “My Brother.” Mon Frere is an oolong tea with a buttery hazelnut finish. It’s an amazingly well-balanced tea–full-bodied, nutty, rich, and smooth. Mon Frere has vanilla undertones that would be perfect with a sweet dessert like cake. This tea starts with little balls of Ti Quan Yin Oolong that unravel into large leaves. I don’t think this was the prettiest of CdS’s teas but taste-wise…amazing!

I met the lovely Lisa Kunizaki, owner of Chambre de Sucre, at the World Tea Expo this year. A group of sophisticated ladies swarming about the Chambre de Sucre booth alerted me that there would be something very special about this particular tea company, and after seeing their line of gourmet sugars, I must say that I am a true fan.

Sucre Rond atop raw turbinado sugar…I know which one is going in my tea!

Originating in Japan but now available in the U.S. (yay!), Chambre de Sucre specializes in designer sugars and recently even beautiful teas. The tea time embellishments you find from this company are unique, artful, and simply charming–perfect as gifts for any tea lover. Making time to have afternoon tea is a treat in itself, but these little cuties really bring tea time to another level of sophistication and pleasure.

Hana Flower Sugars

These artisanal sugars remind me of wagashi, or Japanese tea cakes. Wagashi are commonly pressed into molds, and these sugars look like the mini version of those elegant Japanese confections. I love that both Japanese and Hawaiian styles inspire the company’s designs and flavors.

A scattering of twinkles and hearts

If attention to detail is what delights you, these little goodies from Chambre de Sucre are just what you are looking for. They have many different styles of sugars to choose from, from whimsical and cute and to modern and classic. In addition to using them for tea drinking, I think these would make beautiful cupcake decorations…more to come on this! Now the tricky part is getting myself to actually be ok with dropping these beauties into my tea…hope they won’t suffer too much!