Lychee isn’t really my thing – except for that lychee martini at Doraku, but even then I can only have one. But when it comes to tea, things can really go either way, so I decided to attempt some lychee oolongs. This one from Lupicia is exactly as expected in the bag – a dirty-ripe, lush oolong boozefest with a surprisingly round lychee note to top it off.
In the cup, the scent mellows significantly, and the flavour is smooth, but with all the complexity of a good Lupicia oolong. Predictably, I want to try this one iced.
I have a strong suspicion lychee tea will grow on me and that I’ll get cravings for this at the weirdest moments – that’s usually the case when I’m this conflicted about a flavour type. I used to think it was a mere-exposure effect thing, but now it seems to land closer to the realm of acquired taste; you know, you try something, and it’s just so weird, and then you get these flashbacks and think, ‘Oh, I should maybe try that really weird thing again.’ (I’m sure that’s what happened to my poor husband when we first started going out.)
Either way, I’m so happy about Lupicia. If I had to choose one tea company to provide all my teas, I’d choose them in an instant. Their quality is so consistent and I feel I can really rely on that – I’m pretty sure I could walk into a Lupicia store, pick any tin blindly, and I’d enjoy my cup.
Oh, and this lychee sip aftertaste is just too good. Too good.
[From my Lupicia spree at Westfield Valley Fair in Santa Clara, October 2013.]
Boiling, 2 min