This is the Spring Tieguanyin Milk Tea with Lychee ($7.60, +$0.80 for upsize, +$1.70 for mochi, no ice, 100% sugar) from the Tea Republic. It featured a spring tieguanyin oolong tea base flavoured with lychee syrup.
The beverage had an opaque beige hue, with faint specks of tea dust and balls of mochi visible at the base. When consumed chilled, the lightly oxidized oolong asserted itself from the outset of each sip, initially offering a smooth, buttery quality before revealing its vegetal notes more prominently in the middle of the sip with minimal astringency. In contrast, the presence of lychee was rather subdued, serving to enhance the existing floral characteristics of the oolong with a fresh sweetness rather than imparting a distinct lychee flavour of its own. The mochi balls provided a chewy and bouncy texture akin to tapioca pears but with a delightfuflavouror reminiscent of roasted rice, which added to the overall enjoyment.
In summary, this milk tea provided a refreshing experience that highlighted the sprintie guan yinin oolong tea as the star, with the lychee flavour serving as a subtle yet elegant complement in the background.
This Spring Tieguanyin Milk Tea with Lychee was purchased from Tea Republic in February 2024.