A friend of mine who has her own tea business wanted to find out which Lichee Congou tea that one of her favorite tea rooms uses … so I did a side by side yesterday with this one and the tea she wants to match. This one does not match the Lichee tea that she wants matched, but it is still pretty good.
I mention this only because before I started doing this taste comparison… I thought that all Lichee (Lychee) Congou’s were the same. But they aren’t. There are very subtle differences. And… something else that I’ve learned (but with a different side-by-side that did not involve lichee tea) is that even the SAME tea from the SAME company can taste different depending upon the batch. There are even subtle differences there.
OK… I digress. Back to the tea in front of me now. Before I move on in my taste comparison, I wanted to review this tea in depth, which I am now doing for the Tea Review Blog.
It’s actually quite nice. I have really gained an appreciation for Lichee, even though I have yet to taste the actual fruit… I guess I should say that I have really gained an appreciation for lichee tea. It seems to me to be a fruit that is perfectly paired with tea, as it has such a unique flavor profile that is sweet, floral and fruity.
And this one possesses all three of those characteristics. The black tea is very pleasant, bold and bright in flavor. There is a nice balance of flavor. A very nice tea with which to start the day.
