Litchi

rasberrylitchi

Tea Information:

Leaf Type: Black

Tea Description:

Sweet, grape-like litchi berries combined with red raspberries, and fruity Keemun (“Chinese famous black tea”) produce a brisk and sweet cup that is thoroughly satisfying. Black tea contains a large amount of antioxidant compounds called polyphenols that aid in fighting harmful diseases while protecting the body. Black tea is also known to strengthen the immune system, lower cholesterol, and protect teeth and bones. Small amounts of calcium, manganese, and potassium have also been found in black tea. This is one to enjoy hot or over ice!

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

I have to admit that if I were shopping on the Utopia Tea website, this is not a tea I would have selected for myself. I like Litchi teas (or Lychee teas … or however one chooses to spell it!) but, I don’t usually get overly excited about them because sometimes they can be just … a bit too much, and because of that, I don’t generally buy them for myself.

Fortunately, this Little Litchi Raspberry Black Tea Blend from Utopia Tea has a nice balance of raspberry and Litchi fruit so the Litchi doesn’t come off as “weird” or off-putting. The raspberry offsets the distinctive flavor of the Litchi … providing a really tasty treat for the taste buds!

There is a distinct tart note to this cup, and if I didn’t read the ingredient list on the package before I tasted it, I would have guessed that there is hibiscus in this one. It doesn’t really taste overtly hibiscus-y, but, it does have that tart note from the hibiscus and that’s what I’m tasting here.

But, the hibiscus works within this blend. The Keemun black tea base is a robust black base, and I like the way it melds with the hibiscus and the other flavors. The Keemun has a slight smoky note to it … it’s faint, but it’s there. There is more of a wine-like character to this Keemun than a smoked note, and I think that the wine-y quality works well with the raspberry and litchi (and the hibiscus!)

Overall, the flavor is sweet and tart and very nicely round. There are nice layers of flavor. It doesn’t come off as too tart, or too sweet. It isn’t bitter or overly astringent. It’s really quite pleasant … and this is one that’s tasty hot or iced!

liberteas

Anne (aka the Mad Tea Artist) has celebrated her 29th birthday for many years now. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her hubby and her youngest daughter. Her oldest daughter is married and has bestowed Anne with the proud title of "Gramma" and her grandson is about the cutest boy you ever did see. Anne started her journey with tea as a casual drinker and became more serious about her tea drinking when she realized that she couldn't drink coffee. Shortly thereafter, she started becoming obsessed with the beverage and she started creating small-batch, artisan blends of tea that she sold online as LiberTEAS. After a few years, she realized she wasn't cut out to be the sole proprietor of a business so she closed LiberTEAS and started reviewing teas online. She met Jennifer through another blog that they both reviewed for and they decided to start their own review blog. This review blog! Throughout her journey as a tea reviewer, she discovered 52Teas and became enamored with the idea of creating a new tea every week. When the founder of 52Teas decided he wanted to move on, he offered the business to Anne but knowing that she wasn't cut out to be a sole proprietor, she instead offered the company to her oldest daughter who employs her as the Mad Tea Artist for 52Teas!

This post was posted in Black Tea