I’m drinking this as I type. Thankfully, it’s one I’ve tried before, because I know I’m getting a cold at the moment and my sense of taste is starting to diminish. Anyway, it’s safe to say that I’m not the biggest fan of jasmine tea. I haven’t tried all that many as yet, but something about the perfumeyness of it just doesn’t seem to agree with me. I got a box of this for christmas, though, and it’s not so terrible that I’m not willing to drink it at all. It’ll just never be my favourite.
I may not like the taste of jasmine, but these kind of teas always fascinate me. I love the pearl shape, the colours of the leaves, and the way they unfurl and end up looking like seaweed. This tea is no exception on that front. The pearls are quite dark, brownish-black on the whole, with paler white and green leaves running through them. They’re also slightly fuzzy-looking. I’m feeling patient today, so I let the water cool before adding the bag, and leave it for just about three minutes. As the pearls unfurl, it’s easier to see the leaves are actually predominantly green. The liquor is a light yellow-green, and the scent at this point is strongly floral, very much like fresh jasmine flowers.
To taste, I’m pleased to find that the floral aspect has faded into the background a little. It’s still there, but it’s more a flavour that you taste at the back of your mouth after swallowing than one that hits you in the tastebuds as soon as you take a sip. The green tea itself is very subtle and delicate. There are no strong green flavours here, just a refreshing lightness and then the slight floral. I can imagine this being a really wonderful tea for drinking on a hot summer afternoon, simply because it’s so delicately sweet and light in flavour.
It’s actually more pleasant than I remember finding it initially, but my tastes are changing as time passes and I try more and better teas. I don’t think I’ll ever completely warm up to jasmine, but this was definetly a very pleasant surprise!
