Primula Tea

This morning was awesome. Our praise band rocked. There couldn’t possibly be any dust left on the rafters. Not bad for the former frozen chosen. lol

Came home and fixed bacon, egg, and smoked Gouda sandwiches. More awesome.

I needed tea so I brewed a cup of this. Then the power went out. It was white out conditions as the winter, I mean spring :( storm rolled in. I had to wait until the power came back on to say this was pretty tasty. Healthy dose of bergamot and floral notes. Not bad for a flowering tea I have had for two years!

Tea: Flower Basket Green Tea with Vanilla

I dropped the tea ball into my glass tumbler and poured boiling water over it. As it steeped it had a very light vanilla scent. The liquor was a light golden color. When I tasted it I expected vanilla but it actually just tasted like a light green tea. It has an astringent mouth feel and aftertaste. Not too bad, not too good.

My first tasting note but I’ll do my best to describe what I taste. ;P

Tea: Primula Guilded Lotus Green tea with Pomegranate flavoring.

I steeped this tea for 5 min in boiling water. The bloom opened up fairly quickly, probably within 3-4 minutes. Instead of preparing this in a teapot I used a clear glass mug. I also warmed the mug before brewing.

Now onto the tea. As soon as I poured in the water I could smell pomegranate and faint remnants of green tea. First sip was very much pomegranate. As I drank more I could start to taste the green tea more, and also a floral hint (from the flower, I assume). This also has a natural sweetness to it. Very light feeling in my mouth with a bit of a dry bite after swallowing.

Like I said I’m new to tasting so that’s all I have for now!
Cheers!

I totally forgot I had this! I got this in a set for Christmas last year. It came with a glass tea pot and 12 flowering teas. I love flowering teas! They are so beautiful. This was perfect for the mood I was in. I had a ton of sugar today so something light and far away from sugary-sweet seemed just right.
The red flower is very pretty. The flavor is very floral and light. It is lacking a little bit but hey, it fits for right now.

Another tea that’s been great to do some blending experiments with! This is a solid green tea with a nice nutty overtone.

A pretty basic white tea, which has served me well for blending experiments heh heh! I feel like this white tea isn’t as sweet as I expect a plain white tea to be, but it’s not bad.

No notes yet.

No notes yet.

I bought a sampler pack of Primula’s blooming teas awhile back – they all taste the same, but they bloom in different configurations. And they’re not bad teas. Just loose-leaf, I wouldn’t buy them, but they’re nice to show off for guests, and I enjoy sitting in class with my double-walled glass travel mug blooming one of these. Okay, maybe I’m a tea snob… I prefer the term “enthusiast.”
It’s a very light jasmine taste, and it’s great that I’ve never had any trouble with oversteeping, since I leave the ball in the bottom of the cup while I drink and sometimes it steeps for upwards of 30 minutes. I probably will buy them again, just because they’re not especially expensive and they’re cool to show to company. The jasmine flavoring is wonderfully light too. So many companies scent it so strongly that you lose the flavor of the tea itself.

After steeping for 5 minutes (water at 180°F), the bulb did not completely open and the flavor is very light. I can taste the sweetness of jasmine as well as the sweetness of the green tea. Overall a pleasant tea experience, not my favorite flowering tea but it’s certainly not horrible either.

The other reviewers didn’t like this near as much as I did. I greatly appreciate there was no globe amaranth in this. It is the hibiscus of flowering teas IMHO. I did three mugs today. I could drink this one often. Usually I put a nearly identical review on here and my blog. Today I put a more detailed version on the blog. I don’t know how to code a link so I will just post it as a shameless plug. http://theeverdayteablog.blogspot.com/2012/03/primula-floral-passion.html

Brewed this up at work. Freaked out my co-workers :) Not a bad tea. French Pressed it. It’s just ok to me.

Not sure why this is called Guilded Lotus as Primula lists the ingredients as green tea, marigold, and jasmine.

I prepared this in my French press using 12oz of boiling water. As with all the green tea pods in the Primula variety pack the dry bloom smells strong of jasmine. The bloom was completely intact after adding the water. As it began to open it quickly sank to the bottom and began to release trapped air bubbles. The air had enough force that it knocked several petals of the flower loose. It eventually expanded into a massive yellow flower. Quite pretty.

I let it steep longer than intended as work got in the way. The brew was bright golden in the press and much deeper in the cup. The taste is primarily jasmine at the front of the sip. This is followed by a bit of bitterness and then a rush of sweet floral goodness in the aftertaste. With the following cups I was careful not to over steep. They had the same jasmine followed by sweet floral without the bitterness in the middle. This is maybe the sweetest tea I have tried. An interesting cup.

Prepared this in my French press with 12oz of boiling water. Having it today with peanut butter fudge and crackers coated with a generous wash of garlic and red pepper (lots of red pepper!) Also have some kind of crumb cake squares covered in lemon icing. Wow. I have tried my best to avoid the holiday snacks but they keep finding me. I have no choice. It’s not my fault. Ok, I’m just weak but I did try to resist… briefly.

Tea report – For all I know, all the blooming teas in China could be made in the same factory. The craftsmanship in all of them is pretty high and frankly they taste way better than I expected. The Primula pods are slightly smaller than the Teavivre ones. What they lack in size this one made up for in jasmine flavor. This one is especially good. The bloom was not as amazing as some of the others but made a pretty display. There is globe amaranth in this but for once I don’t really taste it. Just a lovely mild jasmine tea. I thought all the sweets and spices in my snacks would wash this out but it actually stands up for itself pretty well. Bring on cup two and three, hold the goodies. I notice my experience with this tea was completely different than TeaEqualsBliss. Possibly my pod was fresher?

Used a 6 cup pot. The bloom is very pretty, a combination of white and red flowers rising up out of the nest of green tea leaves. It is huge spanning nearly the width of the pot and ¾ of the height.

The smell of jasmine is a bit strong, but in the sip it is a light taste (pleasant). There is also a hint of cinnamon (interesting) and unfortunately a bit of a sour taste that was in the summer bouquet (eewww). It is not undrinkable. It is just a little off. The liquor is dark for a green.

I left the water in the pot steeping, close to an hour, until I was ready for the second cup. It was very good. A blast of cinnamon followed by jasmine at the back of the sip. The sour nasties have left the brew. Perhaps this is the secret to these teas – let them steep.

Excellent center piece at a table with friends. The bloom rates a 100. The first cup was a 40. The following a solid 70+. Since you don’t really drink these for the tea, I will skew the rating on the bloom side.

Boiling water. Steeped about 4 minutes. The packet said summer bouquet but the bloom looks like Noble Madam so I am not sure what this is for sure. The pod on this one is oblong. All the others so far have been round. Couldn’t find any willing helpers in sipping this so I used my 4 cup press, which is really two mugs in super-sized America. And before you ask – no I did not use the plunger. The bloom is exquisite. All those long wonderful green tea leaves surrounding a literal bouquet of red flowers. As you can tell I thought this was quite attractive.

The liquor was deep orange-amber. The jasmine smells very strong in the dry pod, so I was a bit nervous. In the sip it is as light as it has been in all of these so far. Unfortunately it was accompanied by a nasty sour taste. Not candy sour – milk sour, eeeeew. I thought maybe I didn’t get all the puerh washed clean from the last use of the press. Poured out the pot. Washed the press. Started over. Steeped about 3 minutes until the liquor was golden amber and poured. The jasmine is still light and the green tea would be pleasant if not for the soured taste. Less prominent but still present. Apparently it is the flowers. On all the other blooming teas I have used a used a six cup pot. That might have helped here. Glad I didn’t try this one first. I would not have tried more. I am going to rate this higher than the tea deserves because the bloom is so pretty.

It still bothers me there are no real brewing instructions on these teas. H2O + pod = tea are not real steeping instruction in any language. I continue to experiment one 36oz pot at a time. This is a green tea so boiling water should probably not be used. The however is, the first blooming green I tried was very slow to open. So boiling water it is. Didn’t make the tea the least bit bitter IMO. The pod bloomed beautifully. I haven’t had any problems with the pod coming apart. Not sure why others would have problems. The display is so pretty I almost hate to pour it… almost.

This is another very mild Jasmine. It is the predominate flavor but not overwhelmingly so. It blends well with the green tea. I can’t tell that the flowers are adding anything to the flavor of the cup. If they do it is very subtle. Very pale amber brew with a natural sweetness. Honestly I can’t tell the difference between this and the lovers leap I brewed a couple days ago. That’s ok with me because I like it.

The second pot I steeped long and strong on purpose. I was curious to see what would happen. The brew, of course, was much darker. The scent of jasmine was present wafting off the cup. Still no hint of bitterness. Interestingly, the flavor of jasmine seems to have moved to the background and I get just a hint of the flowers now (that could be my imagination). I am also noticing a dryness in my mouth. I prefer the way I steeped the first pot.

I am always leery when someone who does not like Earl Grey recommends an EG to me. So let me make clear, I do not normally like jasmine tea, but I am enjoying these blooming teas by Primula.

The friend that gave me this said he really liked it for the bergamot and some kind of berry notes. That sounded excellent. The dry pod does smell nicely of bergamot, not overwhelmingly so, but in a pleasant way. The display opened up nicely. It is a bit drab compared to the colorful Lovers Blossom. Still it is cool.

The clarity is good. The brew a golden amber. In the sip I get the berry notes my friend mentioned. I can’t quite put my finger on it. I will call it plum for now, maybe a little grapeish. The bergamot takes a major backseat here. It is more on the level of bergamot in Ahmad’s No 1 tea, its there, but way in the background. As an EG this is more than a bit disappointing. If the package only said London Fog I would not have a preconception that is a bit hard to overcome. Ok, if this is not EG, how is it? It is not brisk, bold, or astringent. It is very smooth like Prince of Wales but to my tastes, with the fruitiness, it takes on a Keemun/Ceylon afternoon blend quality. Works well with a little sweetener, which gives it some depth. This is really not bad. While I doubt I will buy this one (cause its not EG), I would definitely drink it if it were offered to me. One pod made two 6 cup pots (36oz each) or 7 medium strength 10oz cups.

My first blooming tea. This was a most thoughtful gift from a friend.

There are no real instructions on the packaging. I looked on the website and could not find a statement on how large a cup/pot to use. The canister said 12 blooms, 36 infusions, over 250 cups. Doing the math that is about 7 cups per steep. How big do they think a cup is? Is it 4oz, 6oz, – 8oz? I am sure it is not the 10oz I normally use. My kettle came with a 6 cup pot, or roughly 36oz. I figured that was close enough.

The bloom opened up nicely with minimal debris. The broken off leaves were due to me pouring the water over the pod in a bit of a brutish manner. The artistry in these things is truly amazing to behold. There is a beautiful tiny red flower at the heart of the bloom. A wonderful conversation piece around a table with friends. Highly recommend for the visual appeal.

Now I have always heard blooming teas are less than spectacular in the taste department. That may be true, however in this case I must say I was thoroughly surprised. You see, I don’t or didn’t like Jasmine. I have never liked the smell, the taste, or how it settles on my stomach. This tea has the Jasmine smell but the taste is very mellow and subdued. It is so sufficiently sweet on its own that even I was tempted not to add the yellow packet.

I made two pots out of this. Didn’t try the third Primula claims. I suspect it would have worked. If you like an in your face Jasmine, this is not a tea for you. If you think you don’t like Jasmine, you may well enjoy this. I poured and finished 4 cups myself. That’s more Jasmine than I have been able to finish in my whole life. A pleasant cup. Looking forward to more.

I love the way blooming teas look and taste, however I do find them difficult to drink because I hate the way the leaves and flowers tickle my lips. Or maybe I’m supposed to remove the bloom first? Am I doing it wrong?

This was in the sampler with the teapot my wife and I received as a wedding gift. Not a bad tea flavor wise but bloom looked like a old tattered flag. Not bad though dark for a green tea.

Not bad. Very pretty when it was brewing – I wish I could get a decent picture of a flowering tea. Damn you, refraction. On my third cup and it is getting a little bitter, but I enjoyed this more than the green tea flowering teas, but I am totally biased towards Earls. Thank you to atuinsails for send it to my wifey!

I decided to have some fun with a flowering tea tonight! It was lots of fun. It was also a nice earl grey too. Especially if you are like me and aren’t really into a heavy bergamot flavor.

I posted a full review with pictures and everything on my brand new blog, if you want to check it out!!

http://apurpledress.wordpress.com/2011/03/13/dont-smell-the-roses-drink-them/

So delicious. If left to steep long enough, the bitter afternote isn’t as strong, in my opinion, and it’s just thoroughly pleasing. The little bits of tea leaves that break off the main pod during brewing are my absolute favorite part – they’re so sweet and robust. Delicious!!