I had been planning on having some Jasmine Silver Needle this afternoon, but then I got this DEEEEElightful package from takgoti. I had an extended brain freeze moment trying to decide which tea to try first and then I decided to make it easy on myself and pick this one – replacing my planned jasmine with this jasmine.
I love jasmine teas but prior to the Jasmine Silver Needle, my last two jasmine teas were… not great. I was ready to avoid jasmine for a while. Then I got the JSN in a swap and I was reminded how well jasmine can be when it is done right.
This is jasmine done right. The smell is gorgeous. Light but rich, not perfumy/fake. But the taste is where this one really shines. Because even badly done jasmine teas can SMELL okay. But taste? That’s harder.
This one is surprisingly deep of flavor. Samovar says it has hints of cocoa and a baked, almost cookie-like flavor. Not sure if I would go THAT far (I taste no chocolate chip) but there is a richer taste that is totally unexpected but very welcome. It makes the taste less one-dimensional jasmine and more like an overall taste of jasmine with a note of something almost bready underneath it. In a weird way, it reminds me a bit of King Hawaiian dinner rolls.
And since I feel totally insane saying THAT on a jasmine tea review, I will leave it there. Oh wait, one more thing: this? is sooooo good.
