Grapefruit Brown Sugar Shou Mei Blend from 52Teas

GrapefruitBrownSugarShouMeiTea Information:

Leaf Type:  White

Where to Buy:  52Teas

Tea Description:

My wife and I just celebrated our ninth wedding anniversary. I’m a little surprised she has put up with me for that long. Anyway, she specifically requested this blend and I think it was a great suggestion. It’s something I doubt I would eat, but I don’t really care for grapefruit,however as a flavored tea, this is awesome. It’s tart and sweet and light and refreshing. Very yummy.

Learn more about this blend here.

Taster’s Review:

I was really excited to try this Grapefruit Brown Sugar Shou Mei Blend from 52Teas because I love grapefruit teas, and I’m always looking for a really good one.  I’ve found a couple of grapefruit teas that I really love, but, I’m always willing to try another to make sure I’m not missing out on one that’s better!

Since this is a white tea (a Shou Mei base) I used a lower temperature to steep it.  I generally go with 165°F when I steep a white tea, but with Shou Mei, I feel comfortable going as high as 175°F.  I’ve heard/read several different arguments of whether a higher temperature is better for a white tea, but, for me, I find that when I keep it low and steep it for 4 minutes, this provides a flavor that I enjoy.  Everyone’s palate is different, though, so I always recommend playing around with it a little, and finding the setting that works best for you.  My steeping parameters for this particular pot of tea were 175°F at 4 minutes.  And I have a really lovely cup of tea in front of me.

The aroma is definitely grapefruit-y to me.  I allow the tea to cool for about 2 minutes.  I am not sure exactly why this is, but, I have found that when I allow a couple of minutes for a tea to “set” – especially a flavored tea like this – the flavors seem to really pop.

This is actually quite tasty.  I taste the grapefruit and the brown sugar notes are not quite as distinct, it just tastes sweet.  But, I think that these sugar-y sweet notes help to tone down the tartness of the grapefruit.  I am still getting some tart notes as well as the bright, citrus-y note of grapefruit.

I like that even though this does have the brown sugar notes in it, it doesn’t taste “candied” or overly sweet.  The sweetness just seems to soften the tart notes a little.  The aftertaste is very grapefruit-ish, reminiscent of the aftertaste I’d experience if I were eating a half a grapefruit sprinkled with sugar.

The Shou Mei has a sweet, earthy taste and I like the way it melds seamlessly with the grapefruit and brown sugar notes.  Everything is very harmonious in this teacup.

The second infusion of these leaves provided more of a straightforward grapefruit note with less brown sugar notes.  I could also taste the Shou Mei more this time around.  I enjoyed both infusions.  This is a tea you should definitely resteep – both infusions taste so good!

A really pleasant grapefruit tea.  I don’t know that it’s the next great grapefruit tea in my search for great grapefruit teas, but, it is definitely tasty and one I’m happy to have in my stash.  I think I’ll brew some of this for iced tea soon, my daughter will love it!

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