Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
My wife and I just celebrated our ninth wedding anniversary. I’m a little surprised she has put up with me for that long. Anyway, she specifically requested this blend and I think it was a great suggestion. It’s something I doubt I would eat, but I don’t really care for grapefruit,however as a flavored tea, this is awesome. It’s tart and sweet and light and refreshing. Very yummy.
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
I was really excited to try this Grapefruit Brown Sugar Shou Mei Blend from 52Teas because I love grapefruit teas, and I’m always looking for a really good one. I’ve found a couple of grapefruit teas that I really love, but, I’m always willing to try another to make sure I’m not missing out on one that’s better!
Since this is a white tea (a Shou Mei base) I used a lower temperature to steep it. I generally go with 165°F when I steep a white tea, but with Shou Mei, I feel comfortable going as high as 175°F. I’ve heard/read several different arguments of whether a higher temperature is better for a white tea, but, for me, I find that when I keep it low and steep it for 4 minutes, this provides a flavor that I enjoy. Everyone’s palate is different, though, so I always recommend playing around with it a little, and finding the setting that works best for you. My steeping parameters for this particular pot of tea were 175°F at 4 minutes. And I have a really lovely cup of tea in front of me.
The aroma is definitely grapefruit-y to me. I allow the tea to cool for about 2 minutes. I am not sure exactly why this is, but, I have found that when I allow a couple of minutes for a tea to “set” – especially a flavored tea like this – the flavors seem to really pop.
This is actually quite tasty. I taste the grapefruit and the brown sugar notes are not quite as distinct, it just tastes sweet. But, I think that these sugar-y sweet notes help to tone down the tartness of the grapefruit. I am still getting some tart notes as well as the bright, citrus-y note of grapefruit.
I like that even though this does have the brown sugar notes in it, it doesn’t taste “candied” or overly sweet. The sweetness just seems to soften the tart notes a little. The aftertaste is very grapefruit-ish, reminiscent of the aftertaste I’d experience if I were eating a half a grapefruit sprinkled with sugar.
The Shou Mei has a sweet, earthy taste and I like the way it melds seamlessly with the grapefruit and brown sugar notes. Everything is very harmonious in this teacup.
The second infusion of these leaves provided more of a straightforward grapefruit note with less brown sugar notes. I could also taste the Shou Mei more this time around. I enjoyed both infusions. This is a tea you should definitely resteep – both infusions taste so good!
A really pleasant grapefruit tea. I don’t know that it’s the next great grapefruit tea in my search for great grapefruit teas, but, it is definitely tasty and one I’m happy to have in my stash. I think I’ll brew some of this for iced tea soon, my daughter will love it!
