An irresistible, everyday tea, the fragrant leaves of Lychee Red, from YingDe in Guandong are reminiscent of sweet, juicy lychee fruit.
YingDe, along the middle reaches of the Beijang river, has been growing tea since Tang dynasty times 1,200 years ago. It is one of the few areas that produces almost every kind of tea, but in terms of black tea it is outstanding. In fact, YingDe black tea is known as one of China’s three top black teas.
The tea growers have coaxed the aroma and flavour of lychee out of the leaves, in order to make a wonderfully thirst-quenching beverage, which you can enjoy hot, ice-cold or in a cocktail.
Lychee Red is what we know in the west as a black tea, but what the Chinese call red, because they reference the colour of the liquor instead of the leaves.