Shanghai Lichee Jasmine

Yet another that has come to me thanks to Alphakitty! This one was high on my list of wants because lychee and jasmine? Sounds like heaven to me. I meant to drink this one yesterday when I was doing all my lychee teas, but I forgot. But today I remembered! It seems like forever since I’ve had a green tea.

I admit I have become pretty skeptical about blends that appear in among many retailers, acquired from some unknown wholesaler, and this seems to be one of those blends. However, this one is still pretty well done. It is floral but not perfumy, and the lychee is juicy and delicious. It goes well with the green tea and makes me wonder why you don’t see many lychee green teas. It’s a light and refreshing tea, and my only criticism is that the flavors are a tinge artificial. Like, not chemically, but the lychee is a bit candy-ish instead of being all fruit, and I would like more floral notes from it, actually. Still, this is a pretty tasty blend. Thanks for sharing it with me, Alphakitty!

Continuing on my exploration of lychee teas, I picked up an ounce of this from The Tea Table. It seems to be one of those blends that is stocked at a few stores, I suppose it comes from some other source. Sometimes I wonder where all these teas originate—some blends seem to be carried by 5 or 6 different places with the exact same ingredient list & description! But, in any case, it’s pretty cheap anywhere you get it.

I cold brewed this for 12 hours and it’s pretty much exactly what I expected. A soft, sweet green base complimented by floral jasmine and sweet, juicy lychee. It’s a nice departure from the black-based blends I’ve been trying, the lychee matches so well with both the jasmine and green tea. Since lychee is a little floral on its own I was worried that this might come out perfume-y but it’s definitely not! Another lychee blend I love, sigh. Now I have to make decisions on which ones to stock!

I concur with other reviewers on this tea: pretty golden color in the brew, soft/sweet green base, and not-quite-natural but not-perfumey jasmine and lichee smells/tastes. There are actual jasmine flowers in this, so I’m not convinced this has all-artificial jasmine taste, but perhaps it’s boosted artificially? Anyway, this jasmine lover is enjoying it, esp. with the lichee overtones. (We recently got a Steepery tea drink shop on State St. in Madison and I have been dropping in Tuesday nights before choir rehearsal. Once I tried the lichee jelly I dropped the tapioca boba like a hot potato. Why didn’t I ever know what lichee tasted like before? YUM…)

I also concur with the package: “A delightful afternoon tea, and sure to please tea party guests.” Not that I ever have tea parties (especially not in the afternoon), but this tea has that drinkability that you look for in something you’re going to sip all afternoon or serve to guests. As with all green teas, make sure you watch water temperature and steeping time carefully, or this could get bitter (and I don’t think it’d be very drinkable like that). But overall this is a really nice tea! Glad I bought some.

I like the floral taste from the jasmine and the subtle taste of lichee berry.