Lemon Basil Tea (Steep No. 0504)

Steepologie Advent of Tea Day 14: This tea would smell like lemon-scented cleaner, except the basil in it adds a very strange meld to it in my nose, and keeps it from smelling that way. Actively holding the mug to my mouth and sniffing makes the basil scent clearer, but it is still strongly overpowered by the lemon in general.

The taste reminds me of the lemon-basil shortbread my father makes around the Christmas holidays sometimes. And because of all the lemon (and because it’s an oolong) I’m not adding milk to it, so there’s a tangy mouthfeel to it that I don’t normally have in my teas. The acidity of the lemon, however, is leaving my mouth slightly puckered after drinking. Not in a bad way, but definitely in a “you have encountered citric acid” way.

I’m not sure I like it. I don’t think I actively dislike it, but it’s not a tea in my usual frame of reference. (I freely admit to having been tainted by my heritage, I drank nothing but cheap black ceylon with rose petals in it growing up.)

I think this tea wants to be paired with something like a good strong Pho soup, or possibly hot pot. It’s not the sort of tea I should be drinking while eating oatmeal or even biscuits. Or, y’know, I could pair it with my father’s shortbread, except he’s 9+ hours’ drive away and I don’t know if he’s made any this year.

Regardless, not the correct tea for me this morning, but not a bad “nope, throw that out” tea.