80

I was feeling sort of like spoiling myself a minute ago. I’d wanted to save this to pair with some sort of dessert, but then I started putting my gym clothes on and thinking ‘I really do not want to run today’, and decided once my shoes were on that I was going to banish this morning’s overdose of Earl Grey with a cup of something indulgent. I’m a wee bit concerned that the cup is going to be too strong…it seemed like a greater quantity of leaf than the rest of the single-serving 2-cup sample packets have had in them. I assumed this was a result of the jasmine or something, so I went ahead and brewed it anyway, but now I’m not so sure.

It definitely smells like…cream soda. Cream soda with something else in there, and I’m not quite able to think of what the ‘something else’ is. …grape? That seems a little odd. Maybe that’s just something the jasmine is doing in my nose.

I have no trouble whatsoever getting jasmine out of this aroma. The vanilla is easy to find, but the pair of flavors are both so balanced that pulling them apart is something I’m finding difficult to do. I feel as though the jasmine wins, though. If this were a jasmine-vanilla cage match, it would go five rounds, probably involve a lot of grappling, and jasmine would win by virtue of just being on top the longest.

No, maybe we have to scratch that. Jasmine wins in the nose, vanilla wins on the tongue, coasting in for a surprise finish that I think must be aided along by the black tea, which shows up through the floral jasmine unexpectedly. There’s a nice sweetness on the finish.

As it cools, the jasmine is making an effort to reclaim the title. I suspect if I let it cool even further there would be more upsets in store, but as with most long bouts involving lots of grappling, I feel compelled to chalk it up on the board as an even match and change the channel.

As with most sweet teas, I’d be curious enough to try it iced. I could definitely drink this more often than I think I want to drink plain jasmine tea; the vanilla brings a fuzzy warmth that the jasmine — which I find can be a bit cloying, at times — benefits from.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 0 sec
Cofftea

I’m excited about this one. I love jasmine, but have never had it mixed w/ another flavor before.

Harney & Sons The Store

Jasmine tastes really good with Peach. I once steeped a jasmine concentrate to make simple syrup, and used it to make a Peach, Banana, Jasmine sorbet.. to die for!

sophistre

That sounds divine. The only thing I ever make simple syrup for anymore is mojitos.

Jasmine-peach mojitos…hmmm… >.>

Robert Godden

Try making it really strong – lots of tea and a normal length steep – then freeze in a flat silcone baking tray. Break up the shards and insert in good, real vanilla icecream. I’ve done this with similar teas. mmmm

sophistre

…man. I am going to be spending a lot of time in my kitchen very soon, I can already tell. These ideas are all so good. Maybe I can freeze it in my special, incredibly geeky silicone trays for extra cool points: http://www.perpetualkid.com/ice-invaders-ice-tray.aspx

Cofftea

Robert, the granita sounds amazing- but I’m not sure about mixing it w/ ice cream. I like both- but not together.

LENA

@ sophistre – SWEET! I have the ice luge, ice shot glasses and the Ex Voodoo Knife block in black. I’ve bought way too many items from Perpetual Kid. LOL! It’s such a cool site.

sophistre

Ice cube shapes shouldn’t make me as happy as they do, I know. But they DO. Little cranberry-juice space invader aliens and jolly roger skulls and crossbones floating in lemonade ftw.

Robert Godden

I should have mentioned adding a little sugar
Here’s another one – make the tea, remove the leaves, place in twio saucepans, add tiny slices of rhubarb to one pan and thinly sliced, chopped pear to the other. Cook for a few minutes. Mix some gelatine with cold water and add to each, then decant into shot glasses. When the jelly has set, add a whirl of whipped cream with real vanilla to the rhubarb ones, and whipped cream with real cocoa to the pear one. Then, amaze your guests with a tray of dessert!

Sundart

I’m so glad someone else thought “cream soda” – that was exactly my thought!

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Cofftea

I’m excited about this one. I love jasmine, but have never had it mixed w/ another flavor before.

Harney & Sons The Store

Jasmine tastes really good with Peach. I once steeped a jasmine concentrate to make simple syrup, and used it to make a Peach, Banana, Jasmine sorbet.. to die for!

sophistre

That sounds divine. The only thing I ever make simple syrup for anymore is mojitos.

Jasmine-peach mojitos…hmmm… >.>

Robert Godden

Try making it really strong – lots of tea and a normal length steep – then freeze in a flat silcone baking tray. Break up the shards and insert in good, real vanilla icecream. I’ve done this with similar teas. mmmm

sophistre

…man. I am going to be spending a lot of time in my kitchen very soon, I can already tell. These ideas are all so good. Maybe I can freeze it in my special, incredibly geeky silicone trays for extra cool points: http://www.perpetualkid.com/ice-invaders-ice-tray.aspx

Cofftea

Robert, the granita sounds amazing- but I’m not sure about mixing it w/ ice cream. I like both- but not together.

LENA

@ sophistre – SWEET! I have the ice luge, ice shot glasses and the Ex Voodoo Knife block in black. I’ve bought way too many items from Perpetual Kid. LOL! It’s such a cool site.

sophistre

Ice cube shapes shouldn’t make me as happy as they do, I know. But they DO. Little cranberry-juice space invader aliens and jolly roger skulls and crossbones floating in lemonade ftw.

Robert Godden

I should have mentioned adding a little sugar
Here’s another one – make the tea, remove the leaves, place in twio saucepans, add tiny slices of rhubarb to one pan and thinly sliced, chopped pear to the other. Cook for a few minutes. Mix some gelatine with cold water and add to each, then decant into shot glasses. When the jelly has set, add a whirl of whipped cream with real vanilla to the rhubarb ones, and whipped cream with real cocoa to the pear one. Then, amaze your guests with a tray of dessert!

Sundart

I’m so glad someone else thought “cream soda” – that was exactly my thought!

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Bio

Ohhh, I dunno. I like tea but I’m kind of a tea newbie. At this point I can say with authority that I may never be anything else, no matter how many teas I try…there is always something new out there.

I write a lot.

I also play way too many video games.

Ratings! (Bout time, wot?) This is a new arrangement, so…subject to change!

1-10: Not potable. First-sip disasters.

11-30: Intensely unpleasant…won’t catch me finishing the cup.

31-50: I really don’t like it…but maybe somebody else out there would.

51-70: Drinkable, but probably not the first thing I’m going to reach for.

71-90: Pretty good tea, and stuff that there’s a good chance I’ll have on-hand. Will do in a pinch at the low end, all the way up to regular visitors to my infuser on the high end.

91-100: Teas I really do not want to be without.

Location

Boston/Cambridge

Website

http://sophistre.tumblr.com/

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