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Hua Xiang Jasmine Pearls from Tea Valley

AmazonV drank Hua Xiang Jasmine Pearls by Tea Valley

Steep Information:
Amount: 2 tsp
Water: 500ml 175°F filtered water
Tool: Breville One-Touch Tea Maker BTM800XL
Steep Time: 3 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: very strong jasmine floral
Steeped Tea Smell: jasmine flowers
Flavor: floral
Body: Light
Aftertaste: vegetal, a little bitter
Liquor: translucent yellow-green

The tea arrived in an adorable tin with see through top, since I keep my teas away from the light I like preview windows. The packaging had the tea hand written on the side, but the handwriting was neat and easy to read so I did not mind at all. Overall adorable packaging.

I think i needed to increase the pearls and cut back on the time? The tea was airy and light, like smelling jasmine with your tongue, but with a bitter after taste I did not appreciate. I failed to follow directions and do 2 minutes for the steep as it seemed too light at two minutes, but I now know this is meant to be a light tea since it was not bitter then.

Resteep: 6 minutes, stronger floral taste, but also a stronger bitter after taste, perhaps next time a pinch of sugar?

Disclaimer: I received this tea for free from The Tea Valley Company in exchange for reviewing their website.

Images: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/08/tea-valley-company-loose-leaf-green-tea.html

2010-08-07 23:57:10 -0400

175 °F / 79 °C

3 min 0 sec

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The Tea Valley Company 2010-08-09 13:36:09 -0400

Hey AmazonV,

Thanks for reviewing our jasmine pearls. You are absolutely right when you said this is meant to be a light tea.

Brewing jasmine is quite tricky for me. From experience, the bitterness comes from too many pearls and too little water. One source I checked actually suggest a jasmine tea to water ratio of 1:20. I’m not sure how accurate that is but here are the two ways I brew this tea personally:

1) Brewing it Gongfu style. Using a gaiwan, I put just enough pearls in it so that the bottom is covered. Fill the gaiwan with hot water that is just below boiling and let it steep for about a minute. Anything too long and you will end up with a bitter tea.

2) This may not be a popular way to brew the tea but it is something my family has suggested and the method has worked for me so far. Simple place about 8-10 pearls in a cup/mug of hot water and leave the tea leaves in there. Since the leaves are continually steeped in the cup, it create more flavors but at the same time none of the bitterness. I enjoy this quite a bit.

Nevertheless, no matter which menthod you choose, the end result should be a light and delicate tea. I hope this helps!

AmazonV 2010-08-10 11:44:29 -0400

thank you, i will try the mug preparation time next time (i do not have a gaiwan)

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