The lychee is a tropical and subtropical fruit tree, found mainly in Asia, South Africa, and Mexico. It is a scented fruit with a sweet taste. The fruit is 3-4 cm long and 3 cm in diameter. The exterior is covered in a pinkish-red, rough-textured rind that is inedible but easily removed by hand as the fruit is peeled individually by the eater. They are eaten fresh from the harvest of the tree, while others make them into desserts with added honey and most often serve this concoction cold. It is a favorite dessert fruit for many diners.

The Chinese consider lychee, which is a heart-shaped red fruit, a symbol of romance and love. And they make lychee tea with it. This tea offers a strong and pleasantly sweet aroma. The reddish-brown concoction has a slight honey-sweet flavor. This is their delicacy served by the Chinese either hot or iced.

Drinking tea is a customary ritual on almost all occasions in Chinese society. The ceremonies are usually done with tea as the drink served. There is no time in China when tea is not present, especially at dinner parties which are long and elaborate occasions enjoyed by food-loving Chinese. Such sumptuous dinners usually end with the infusion of tea, since it is believed that tea is the best drink that can help in the digestion of the food eaten by the diners.

Even in hotels, guests are normally greeted in their rooms when they first check in with the usual tea container and tea cups, along with seasonal fruits. The lychee fruit is of course one of the fruits available for hotel guests to enjoy as a welcome gift.

Lychee tea, like the other types of tea in Chinese society, is believed to be good for health. Well, considering that there seem to be no obese Chinese at all, it stands to reason that they drink tea. Even with the fancy Chinese meals they enjoy, lychee tea and other types of tea help maintain their good physique.

The good news for other countries now is that lychee tea is now available to other nationalities. The British like to drink tea; maybe Americans should learn the art of drinking tea too. Perhaps this tea drink, instead of colas and other fattening drinks now consumed by young people, should be the drink of all people, both young and old. The health benefits of lychee tea included cannot be overstated.