Grapefruit

How is it that I like this tea? I mean, I typically try to avoid any hint of bitterness or tartness in my teas and I don’t even like grapefruit because it is too tart and strongly flavored. And yet I find this tea delightful.

I think perhaps because it tastes like what I wish grapefruit did.

I love the smell of grapefruit – sweet, tart, citrusy – it’s great. But the taste? Yuck. Too much of a mouth-pucker quality. But maybe that’s why I like this. It has the great smell of grapefruit – a rather true-to-life one, I think, specifically if I think of the slightly sweeter smelling pink grapefruit. But the taste is mild and light. Just sweet and citrusy and fresh with a little tiny tingle of tart. (Slurping does bring out a weird, almost grape flavor. I think I’ll pass on that in the future.)

As with most Lupicia flavored teas, this one isn’t for someone hoping to get knocked off of their feet with flavor. It’s soft, almost delicate. Personally, I’m all for it, especially on a potentially overwhelming flavor like grapefruit, but it’s not for everyone. Though I will say the husband did like it saying, “It has the aroma and slight bite of it that blends in perfectly with the normal tea-ish flavor but it isn’t brash like some of the others we have had.” He’s getting so fancy in his tea tasting. :)

Oh dear… I pulled an individual tea bag from the TTB thinking it was a green tea (it was in a green bag!), but it’s a black tea! That I steeped at green tea temperature! Haha, oops. And now I’m drinking caffeinated tea at 3:00 p.m…. another oops.

It’s a delicious oops, though! So light and fruity and tart, with a super juicy scent that reminds me of these grapefruit jelly candy slices I used to enjoy. I actually really love grapefruit, both juice and fruit, but can’t eat it because it interacts with one of the medications I take to prevent my cancer from returning. I’ll have a half grapefruit on Christmas morning as part of my family’s traditional Christmas breakfast (along with cinnamon rolls, ha!), but that’s it! So it’s nice to get the essence of grapefruit without worrying that it’s going to kill me, haha.

I actually do wish I had the version on a green base, because I think that would be quite a complementary pairing.

Another tea from when I visited Sil. Also probably from VariaTEA. :) Thank you!

It’s super citrus. Almost candied peel, I think. Black tea base. I added a tiny bit of sugar – maybe 1/4 tsp – just to brighten it a bit. I don’t want to risk milk, because of the citrus, but if it didn’t curdle that would be really good. Like a grapefruit orange julius tea.

Yum. Super glad I got to try this.

This a great grapefruit tea. Definitely can taste the citrus and it is refreshing. Would make a good iced tea too probably.

From the Book of Tea at my parents’ place (which has become very depleted since the last time I visited!). This one should have everything going for it: a fresh, authentic pink grapefruit scent, a nicely mellow black tea base, and a juicy, natural, but not too tart grapefruit flavor. But my sachet also smelled like…melted wax? In any case, something was a little off and rather distracting. I’m not sure if it’s just my sample or something that’s common to all batches. Lupicia usually has very good fruit black teas so I’m inclined to give it the benefit of the doubt.

I hope those of you who celebrated the lunar New Year had a great time last week, and here’s to a good week ahead!