Morgana

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Wild Purple Chrysanthemum flower tea from JK Tea Shop

__Morgana__ drank Wild Purple Chrysanthemum flower tea by JK Tea Shop

I was another lucky recipient of a sample of this, though it has taken me until now to taste it. Sigh.

The flowers are so pretty! Small, with big yellow centers. Some of the flowers are pretty much only the centers as the petals have disconnected from them. The scent, as Cait said is odd. It’s extremely pungent and a little disturbing. Pollen, mixed with… salted wax? Sap-filled plastic? Fortunately it smooths out quite a bit after steeping and becomes much more green and plant like, almost bready.

It steeps to a light yellow/green, not too far removed from clear. The flavor is gentle, floral and sweet with a hint of chlorophylly bitterness. It suggests nectar and pollen, and something a tiny bit like cauliflower. I suppose the nectar and pollen part aren’t surprising given that it is made of flowers.

I also think this may be a taste you either love right away or you gradually acquire. It may be that I am in the acquiring stage, or I may not be able to get past the smell of the dry flowers.

Though I’m not sure this is for me, I appreciate getting the chance to try it. Thanks, JK Tea Shop.

2010-04-27 00:44:49 -0400

195 °F / 90 °C

3 min 0 sec

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Cait 2010-04-27 09:13:13 -0400

It is definitely a very distinctive taste! And I still seem to be the only reviewer experiencing it as extremely sweet — apparently my tastes are a bit odd….

__Morgana__ 2010-04-27 10:30:52 -0400

I got the sweetness, for sure. The main problem I have is really with the fragrance of the dried flowers. It doesn’t sit well with my stomach.

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Bio

I thought I should probably update this bio as it’s been a couple of years since I “started getting into” tea. It’s now more accurate to say that I was obsessed with tea for a while, then other things intruded, then I cycled back to it, and I seem to be continuing that in for a while, out for a while cycle. I have a short attention span, but no shortage of tea.

I’m a mom, writer, gamer, lawyer, reader, runner, traveler, and enjoyer of life, literature, art, music, thought and kindness, in no particular order.

Personal biases: I much prefer to drink tea without additives such as milk and sugar. If a tea needs additives to improve its flavor, its unlikely I’m going to rate it high. The exception is chai, which I make on the stove top using a recipe I found here on Steepster. Rooibos and honeybush were my gateway drugs into the harder stuff, but once I learned how to make a decent cup of tea they became far less appealing to me. That said, I’m not entirely a purist, and I enjoy a good flavored tea, particularly flavored blacks.

Since I find others’ rating legends helpful, I added my own.

95-100 A once in a lifetime experience; the best there is; will keep this stocked until the cows come home

90-94 First rate; top notch; really terrific; will definitely buy more

80-89 Excellent; likely to become a favorite, will likely buy more

70-79 Very good; would enjoy again, might buy again if in the mood for this particular one or a better, similar version not available

60-69 Good; wouldn’t pass up if offered, but probably wouldn’t buy again unless craving this particular flavor

50-59 Okay or run of the mill

40-49 So-so

30-39 Iffy

20-29 Would definitely pass

10-19 Ick

0-9 Never again