Tealyra Lychee Black Dragon Pearls Tea

Here's the honest truth: while the dry pearls have a wonderful lychee aroma, the brewed tea has a much subtler lychee presence than you might expect. Think of it as a gentle hint of lychee sweetness rather than an in-your-face fruit flavor. The malty black tea base is actually the star here, with lychee playing a supporting role. If you're looking for intense lychee flavor, this might disappoint, but if you enjoy a well-balanced black tea with just a touch of exotic sweetness, you'll likely appreciate the restraint.

Absolutely! This is one of the tea's best features. You can easily get 2-3 quality rebrews from the same pearls, and many drinkers find the second steep is actually their favorite as the flavor mellows beautifully. The pearls are quite potent—just one makes a strong cup—so rebrewing is a great way to control caffeine while getting excellent value. The large leaves hold up remarkably well through multiple infusions.

Start with just one pearl for an 8-ounce cup. These pearls are deceptively powerful, and beginners often make the mistake of using too many. One pearl unfurls into a surprisingly large amount of tea leaves and produces a bold, full-flavored cup. You can always add a second pearl if you want it stronger, but it's much easier to add than to fix an overly strong brew. This also makes portion control wonderfully simple.

Beyond being visually stunning, the hand-rolled pearl format serves real purposes. First, the tight rolling preserves freshness and aroma. Second, watching them slowly unfurl in hot water is genuinely mesmerizing—it's part tea, part theater. Third, the large, high-quality leaves inside can handle multiple steeps without falling apart or getting bitter. And practically speaking, counting pearls makes measuring your tea foolproof compared to loose leaves.

Yes, it works beautifully both hot and cold. The smooth, bold black tea base translates well to iced preparation, and the subtle lychee notes actually come through nicely when chilled. Since the pearls are so potent, you can cold brew them overnight for a refreshing drink, or brew hot and pour over ice. The fact that it doesn't develop a soapy mouthfeel (a common problem with some lychee teas) makes it particularly reliable for cold brewing.

This is actually an excellent choice for beginners. The pearl format eliminates the guesswork of measuring—just drop one or two pearls in your cup and you're set. It's very forgiving: if you oversteep it slightly, it won't turn aggressively bitter. Plus, the ability to rebrew the same pearls lets you experiment with different steep times and temperatures without wasting tea. The visual drama of watching the pearls unfurl makes the experience fun and engaging, not intimidating.