Shanghai Lychee Jasmine

I mistook this for a lightly roasted oolong so I brewed with very hot water. I now know that this is a green tea, hahah, but it was still amazing. In the package the floral smell almost went pungent and I was wary of this brew. I brewed in my gaiwan and the floral notes calmed out and brightened. The aroma of this was spectacular! I was transported to a sweet and sunny garden. It was a nice escape from my regular “winter wonderland.” The taste was sugared and like nectar. The brew is a brilliant jade and glistening.This is a very good tea and I will be gathering some in the future.

Thank you Roswell Strange for the share but unfortunately I am getting none of the lychee you got when it came to this tea. What am I getting? Peas. Lots and lots of peas. It’s actually not bad but in general, when I reach for a cup of tea, that’s not the flavor I am reaching for.

I… uh…. I’m not tasting Lychee or Jasmine. Just lots of vegetal notes. Maybe hints here and there but I feel like I’m imagining them.

Sipdown (114)!

Supernatural Spoilers

So, tonight’s episode was kinda intense, right? Right. I’m conflicted – I mean it was angsty and there were great moments between the brothers (and I loved all the Crowley stuff) but is that really it for Demon!Dean? Three episodes and we’re done? I know there’s still the whole Mark of Cain thing like Cas pointed out at the end – but surely “curing” Dean cannot be that simple. There HAS to be more to this.

And, if there’s not, I’m going to be so sad and disappointed because the Demon!Dean set up just had so much promise, and he really was set up to be this seasons “Big Bad” – and that would have been just fantastic. But no. I guess not…?

Anyway – this is the tea I chose to drink while watching the episode! Thanks again to Anlina for passing the sample along in my Secret Pumpkin parcel. Despite the fact this is a green blend, I was very excited to try it because of the lychee – which I could clearly smell when I opened the package earlier today to split it so VariaTEA can try it too. It was very juicy, and the floral aspects of the lychee were already exaggerated and complimented by the addition of the jasmine even before steeping.

Once steep, that held true though: the lychee flavour was definitely present and sweet with drawn out floral notes both from the fruit itself and the jasmine. The green base was smooth and light as well, just contributing a faint vegetal “snap pea” kind of quality to the overall flavour. Very much in the background. Jasmine is a very soothing and calming flavour, and it definitely “pacified” me in a way.

Mmm. Fruity and floral. The jasmine and lychee are very distinct. I’m not sure what the green tea base is – it’s a bit woody and not my favourite, but overall, this is a lovely tea.

The lychee flavour is very similar to the one I’ve experienced in lychee congou teas.