Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Rivertea, Tea Of Kings

Rivertea Description:
Are you looking for a tea regal enough to be worthy of the delicate embrace of your finest china cups? This Lychee black tea is a delightful, refreshing blend from the distant Congou region of China. Your first, intense sip will fill your senses with the succulent flavour of Lychee - the most revered fruit by many Chinese Emperors. Take another sip and you will unlock an entirely new level of flavours, the sharp, enlivening lichee now being caressed by fruity tones of grape, and the sweet, fragrant essence of roses. This black tea called “The tea of kings” is not a cup that can be hastily consumed - it demands respect and attention, and is an experience worth taking the time to get right. Treat yourself to some well deserved time out and add a touch of regality to your day with this fruity, complex delight.

My Description:
Another sample I won from Rivertea in their pre-launch promotion on Steepster.

The Rivertea website had not launched at the time I tasted this. I got the opportunity to inspect some of their product in advance. Yeah me! Their site is up and running now. A link is at the end of the review.

The sample is once again packaged in a resealable zip bag. The label clearly list ingredients and steeping recommendations. Both the zip lock and the label are much appreciated touches.

The leaf is small pieces of cut black tea. The scent is faint of lychee.  I used about 4g of leaf in my press with boiling water. The steep was 3 minutes. The resulting brew is light orangish brown. The fragrance is still lightly of lychee.

I did a little research and found lychee is a tree that grows naturally in Southeast China. The fresh fruit has a "delicate, whitish pulp" with a floral smell and a fragrant, sweet flavor.

The taste of this tea is similar to a cross between rose and lilac in my opinion. The main difference is I often find lilac teas to be overwhelming. While this cup is lightly flavored, I am finding this is not really my thing. There is absolutely nothing wrong with it. The simple truth is it reminds me of the fragrant soapy bath products my wife enjoys.

I would certainly be happy to sip a cup with friends, but it is just a little too girly for me. I used to say that about rose teas and have only recently come to appreciate them. So maybe in the future I will  find this tasty.

Visit the Rivertea website.

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