As this tea is only harvested in Yunnan Province in the Spring (late march/April), the tea I purchased at Teavana was likely 2015 harvest, and therefore about a year old.
This tea is a strong yet very smooth tea that takes some time to brew as it is rolled into little balls. Eastern-style brew methods should splash (or perform a rinse) with a bit of hot water and allow the balls a minute or two before first steep. Western-style brewing will take 3-5 minutes. This tea worked very well ‘grandma-brewed’ – leaves left to sit in tea pot all evening/night – the next day the tea was still smooth and tasty.
Teavana claims 30 leaves to a ball. As these balls are the size of large peas, I doubt that.
It may be true in other brands of Black Pearl, where the balls are much larger (quarter-sized, one ball per cup) and the leaves are rolled and tied.
This version of black pearl is just ok on it’s own. It is definitely not the best black pearl I’ve had.
