The exotic sweet floral notes of lychee is a flavour that excites me everything time. And such is my obsession with this flavour that I visited at least 4 to 5 branches of Lupicia in Japan before finding one that had this Lupicia Lychee Oolong in stock.
The tea is a looseleaf oolong scented with lychee. Being a Chinese oolong from Fujian Province in China, the tea was highly oxidised unlike the pouchong from Taiwan more commonly found in Lupicia teas.
Steeping 3 g of looseleaf in 200 mL of water at 90ºC for 3 minutes, the tea was a clear brown-red colour with a fragrant floral and fruity aroma. Served hot, floral lychee notes came through with a gentle sweetness — sweet without being actually sweet —- ahead of fragrant roasted woody notes developing in the body with a creamy mouthfeel before the floral lychee notes return for a gentle fruity and woody finish. Overall, this lychee scented oolong is elegant, with the natural fruity and floral notes of the oolong pairing well with the fruit. It’s well worth the time spent looking for it.
This Lupicia Lychee Oolong contained 50 g. The tea was sourced from China, packaged in Japan, and purchased in Tōkyō, Japan in 2014.