I heart tea!
I drink tea all year round. My morning routine is to have a cup of Earl Grey or Lady Grey (Twinings being one of my favorite brands for these flavors). At other times of the day, I will indulge in a cup or two of tea in the mid-afternoon and in the evening.
I have a drawer full of teas that I go to for tea during this time. I have teas from so many places, sometimes it’s hard to keep track. I try not to buy too many at a time as I want to be able to finish the ones I have while they are still fresh. But it’s really hard to resist buying when I walk into a tea shop. Hence, my stuffed tea drawer:
Annie’s Tea Drawer
My current favorite tea shop is Lupicia (oh, how I wish they had a Mariage Frères near me!). If you are fortunate enough to have a Lupicia store near you, do check them out. They have a vast array of different teas and lots of flavored teas galore!
So many teas…so little time
It is a little overwhelming when you go into the store—just take your time and look around. Don’t be afraid to ask for a sample of the tea to try—they will brew it for you right there. Some flavors that I’ve really enjoyed there include Tsugaru Green (Green Apple), Sakura (cherry leaves), Jardin Sauvage (a non-fermented rooibos, tasting of mangoes and citrus), Oriental Beauty and Lichee.
Now that it is full-on summer and the days get really hot, it’s not so fun to brew a cup of hot tea. It is during this time that I enjoy drinking some of my teas iced. Not all teas do well cold but I do have a few favorites.
My favorite iced teas
One tea that is very popular is the non-caffeinated roasted barley tea (Mugicha) that the Japanese and Koreans enjoy. I really like it too and will often set a whole jug of it in the fridge to drink through the day.
But my very favorite iced tea these days is the Lichee flavored black tea that I get from Lupicia. When you drink it hot, the lychee flavor is muted and the Keemun tea stands out a bit more. For that reason, I’d rather just drink a plain Keemun hot.
But when it is cold, the lychee sweetness is in the front and simply delicious. I go through plenty of this tea during the summer and it’s a crowd pleaser with all my friends too. Even though it is unsweetened, the lychee’s fruity flavor adds its own sweetness to the tea.
Iced Lupicia Lichee Tea
Cheers, Annie
This post is entered in July’s CLICK Photo Event
>@lrimerman – Hummingbird Nectar — what a great name for a tea!
@Sarahub – ooh, peach iced tea sounds perfect!
@Temperance – chai isn’t on my list of favorite teas, but a good jasmine is sublime.
@Carmencooks – too bad, Aoki’s is just a stone’s throw away from Matsumoto’s, on the same side of the road, even!
@mk – jasmine lime…all these teas sound so great. Too bad my tea drawer is so full…
>@quitecontrary1977 – yeah, mint has that great cooling effect.
@SecretServer – I pronounce it “lie-chee” but some people say “lee-chee”. It’s a To-MAY-to / To-MAH-to thing.
@Jude – have you made a jasmine lime iced cream? Now that sounds totally awesome!’
@Kathryn – mmm, vanilla…
Thanks for your comments, everybody. Keep ’em coming!
>iced toasted barley tea with a squirt of lemon is delicious in the summer. Actually, it’s a perfect year round drink, just leave out the ice cubes in the winter!
>I have never actually tried lichee tea but I want to!! That pic of a nice cold glass of lichee tea is making me thirsty!!
>@Cindiir3lli – ha ha, so true!
@PaperGirl – thanks. It was quite hard to resist taking a sip while shooting.
>Hello. Oh I just “heart” tea also! I would simply love to try this tea! I drink it every day. Please count me in on this wonderful give~away!
Enjoy your weekend!~
>I like lychee tea too but I bought mine from Ranch99. I wonder if there’s much of a difference from yours. Also do you think you can post a picture of the Mugicha tin? I would like to get some but am not sure what to get. Thanks!
>uhmm, Lichee ice tea sounds interesting. I’ve had the Chinese version of Lichee tea from the traditional Chinese tea shops but had never tried the Western version. Count me in, Annie!
>Aloha Annie,
Wow love your blog!!!! I love tea too but with the weather we have.. I like them on the rocks LOL
PutuPiring from IK
>@Lola Enchanted – *ting* you’re in! LOL
@soy – can’t tell you if there’s a difference or not. Perhaps I shall do a post of mugicha and other roasted kernel teas.
@Virginia – welcome!
@MM – Hi PutuPiring *waves*. Thanks for coming to my blog!
>Love the iced tea at Diamond Head Bakery and Grill on Monsarrat. It’s homemade, tastes like Chai. I like it best mixed half and half with lemonade, Arnold Palmer style.
I’ve got to try the Lychee tea, hope I win!
>I drink lots of tea year round. Summer time is definitely for cooler and “lighter” varieties. I drink a lot of green and white teas but my favorite is definitely Genmaicha (Japanese green tea with roasted rice and sometimes popcorn).
I recently tried Chinese “beauty” green tea which has chrysanthemum, dried fruits and flower buds, as well as some candy rock in it. It is becoming my favorite mid-day tea.
>I love chamomile tea!
>Lichee tea sounds exquisite. Sweet teas on the taste buds, all I need for summer! I have to say I tend to stay a little traditional and I like a sweet mint tea during the summer. I saw a recipe for lemon balm blackcurrant mint tea and my eyes nearly fell out. Sounds like I have a new taste awaiting my tongue. (Really, how yummy does that sound?)
>@Linda – Oooh, I’ll have to stop in one day and try it!
@CCC – mmm, genmaicha is one of my favorites too.
@Katastrophyk – I like the chamomile when I’m looking for something really relaxing.
@seventiescinema – wow, that’s gotta be some sweet mint tea. Where can I get some?
>I recently tried starbunks green tea on holiday which i have taken a liking to and am now willing to try anything
>I love to drink iced Jasmine tea in the summer.
>I love anything Lychee be it fresh or in can but never have one in a tea bag. I am sure its refreshing in hot summer day.
>@Julie – congratulations, you’ve won the tea! Please click the Contact link up at the top of the page to send us an email with your snail mail info.
>That tea sounds refreshing and delicious! I know the contest is over, but I wanted to thank you for introducing me to the “Research Randomizer” website. What a great idea for contests! I was introduced to your blog from the FoodBuzz contest. Congrats! Great recipes and pics. I want to try the tofu two ways!
>@Trina – thanks for stopping by!