Jasmine Green

I was at a loss. I wanted to try this tea really badly, but I also had to go to class. And then I remembered that I had that travel tumbler from Teas Etc. that Steepster Select ran a while ago.

Crisis aborted.

Class actually wasn’t bad, but I was going in sleepy and I credit this tea to keeping me fully awake for three hours of lecture. This is going to have to become a regular practice of mine.

So, the tea.

The tea kapowed me in the face with scent when I opened the tin. I almost half-expected to see a little cartoon splat with WAP! in it. It was almost stronger than Samovar or Harney & Son’s Jasmine Pearl teas smell, which is kind of impressive if slightly overwhelming. I was a little bit afraid that the tea would judo chop my taste buds, but I steeped it, dumped it into my travel tumbler, and headed out into the cold.

And so I sat in class, listening about the physics of acoustics, and I unscrewed the lid on my tumbler.

Smells good. Strong, but good. It didn’t have that artificial tinge that some jasmines can have, which was a very good sign. Good good good good good.

Took a sip, tentatively. It was in that lovely temperature between hot and lukewarm that tips just a little bit closer to hot. The taste of jasmine filled my senses and, after it had been downed, that lovely perfumed sweetness tickled my breath when I exhaled. I had to suppress a little giggle and concentrate on standing waves for a bit, before returning to the tea.

I managed to time finishing the tumbler with our break in lecture [for which my bladder thanked me] and found myself wishing I had more to sip on during the rest of the lecture. It probably ended up working out well, though, because the caffeine kept me awake and I would have been wired if I’d had enough to last me through the end of class.

Jasmine Green wasn’t pretty strictly jasmine tasting, and it was not a quiet, lullaby-like taste. It was more Whitney Houston power ballad – you know, old school Whitney. I Will Always Love You Whitney. This doesn’t have some of the other notes I’ve gotten out of jasmine tea – like the cocoa notes I sometimes get in Samovar’s; it’s really a solo act. But like Kevin Gillespie in Top Chef has proven – keeping things simple and doing them well can be pretty damn effective. And this tea plays that hand with skill.

Series three has hit the ground running.

Another sampling from Doulton! (Thank you Doulton!)

At first wiff – the aroma of the dry leaf is remarkable. Jasmine. (sigh) How I love Jasmine. Fragrance wise, this may be – perhaps – even more beautiful than jasmine pearls. That is very difficult for me to say, for my love affair with the pearls is a very passionate one, indeed. The aroma of the brewed tea is quite a bit softer.

Lovely! The green tea is very fresh and pleasantly vegetative – not a strong vegetative presence, but enough grassy flavor so that it melds nicely with the floral essence of the jasmine. This is perhaps why I prefer jasmine greens to other jasmine teas, because the fresh, grassy essence pairs so well with the jasmine.

I cannot say that I prefer this to pearls. But, I can say that this is probably the best jasmine green tea that is not pearls that I’ve tasted… certainly worthy of an order from me! I only wonder what I shall do with the caravan……

After a day full of errands I arrived back at my apartment to fin my mailbox stuffed with A&D tea. I really wanted to try this one first because I have another Jasmine tea coming from Mighty Leaf tomorrow. I wanted to see how this lived up to how I remember that tea.

I have to say, I love A&D’s packaging. Such bright vibrant, detailed labels (hippie chick with an afro on this tin, amazing!). I brewed 2 tsps in 12oz water at 175F.

I am enjoying the strength of the jasmine flavor in this. It doesn’t taste perfumey, it tastes sweet, smooth and floral (as it should). The base tea is sweet and melds well with the jasmine flavors.

I will have to do a side by side comparison of the two jasmine’s to determine which I like more, although I’m not sure it matters, as I like both, and this is a limited tea. Nice job with this blend DFT!

This is a very good quality jasmine green.

I feel churlish giving it a score that doesn’t reflect the score I think someone who enjoys both jasmine and green teas might give it, but the fact remains that green teas are a sporadic indulgence for me at best, and floral teas are equally a matter of mood and whim, and the combination of the two together will never be a staple in my cupboard.

This is among the stronger jasmine teas I’ve tried. The tea that it produces is slightly cloudy (or at least not crystal clear); there’s a pleasant sweetness there, but also the sort of vegetal astringency that tends to be one of the reasons I lean toward green oolongs rather than purely green teas for a lighter cup. The jasmine flavor doesn’t seem to be in the least bit artificial, and the smell of the dry tea leaves is absolutely lovely.

To me, though, it’s like having a mouth full of perfume. This is absolutely in no way a drawback in terms of what the tea sets out to accomplish…but one really ought to enjoy jasmine to drink this tea. It is unrelentingly jasmine-y.

I ordered my Series 3 when it was on Select on Tuesday, it shipped on Wednesday, and it arrived this afternoon! Totally wasn’t expecting it. A&D, you guys are AWESOME!

I was very excited to open the box and sniff the teas. Jasmine Green smelled like orchids to me but I’ll confess I know nothing about flowers and have no idea what jasmine should smell like. Possibly this. Earl Grey smelled citrus and sour, possibly soapy. I kept sniffing him trying to put my finger on what he smelled like. Not quite what I thought an Earl Grey should smell like. Caravan was easy, he smelled like smoked ham.

I’m most excited to try the Jasmine Green cause I recently had a jasmine tea for the first time from Life in Teacup, a surprise sample, and I wasn’t expecting to like it as much as I did. I’m interested to see if I really like jasmine teas or if the Life in Teacup tea is just that good.

I think I’ll be steeping myself up a cup while I watch the finale of Ugly Betty off the DVR.

Every time I see the tin for this tea, it makes me want to sing Lady Marmalade (original Labelle one, s’il vous plaît!)

http://videosift.com/video/LaBelle-Lady-Marmalade-original

Mmmmmm these tea leaves smell good!!!!

1st steep: Hellooooooo Gorgeous! Floral, fruity and sweet. Maybe I’m crazy but I taste something like banana or some other sweet tropical fruit!!! It’s different from any of the green jasmines I’ve so far tasted, and I really like it. I lowered the temp and steeping time slightly based on what others have said and I think it was a good way to go.

2nd steep: (3min) A lighter sweet and floral cup. I really can’t get over the natural sweetness!

Also – magical mood lifting properties in full effect!

Gitchi Gitchi Ya Ya Da Da!!!!

This is the last that is left of my A&D, and it’s a little fun that this is the first time I break into this tin. I just haven’t felt like green teas much in general and when I did, I didn’t feel like a jasmine one.

But okay, this morning I was all in doubt about what to have and of course I’d already put the kettle on and the water was just getting colder and colder and made the decision for me.

It smells a little soap-y but not anywhere near close to the horrible bouquet thing from Kusmi, so I’m just coming to the conclusion that jasmine quite simply just smells like soap, the end. Okay, I can deal with that. And after brewing it’s less soap-y and more flower-y so that’s even better.

Now, I had a bit of a fail when I poured it. I just poured it like I normally would and these days I’ve taken to using a little sieve on top of the cup when pouring. So when I took the sieve away I noticed darkish clouds swirling around in the cup. What the…???

Either there’s something dark and swirly in the tealeaves or the sieve is in need of a clean. I’m thinking it’s probably the latter, so I’ve set some wheels in motion in that department. So yeah, the flavour is likely a little tainted by… something.

But then again this means that everything I’ve had for a good while now has been tainted by the same something, so I’m not really all that concerned.

The tea itself, taint and all, seems extremely well balanced. There’s a lot of jasmine in it, but not really all that overwhelming. Hands down the best jasmine green I’ve ever had.

(But green is not my favourite type and jasmine is not my favourite green, so…)

I don’t always like jasmine green teas because of the tea base use – most Chinese greens are pretty briny to me. This one seems to have more of a sweet Chinese green taste than a salty one. The jasmine taste is softer than I expected. The jasmine surrounds the edges of the tea taste on all sides but the center flavor is still sweet Chinese green.

Typically, I prefer my jasmine teas to be softer, more delicate – jasmine with hints of soft, light, sweet tea. This is more evenly balanced and, while not stout like an Assam or anything, stronger than what could be considered delicate. But even though it’s not my preference, it’s still nice. Quite tasty.
^7.7g/14oz

Another herbacious gem from JacquelineM’s SweeTeas! I’ve been low on Jasmine for a while and none of it worth singing about, but this one! This is worth a whole comcept album!
The base is lightly sweet but nutty, not too grassy to cause disharmony. The jasmine is soft and real (Is there anything more repusive than brash or fake jasmine?) and I think I spent as much time sniffing it as drinking it. The smell, taste, and color are all plesant. A&D’s Jasmine is an instant hit in the top five jasmine teas for me.

Edit: And this is what makes it Damn Fine. Four steepings and it still tastes like jasmine! The jasmine fades slower than the tea base without starting harshly! And the fourth was over night! I almost want to dance.
Ah! Here we go! I’ve always thought Venus Hum looks and sounds like this tea. Tastes like it too!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clgTSuDSqWU

Whoot! I just recently got the package Takgoti sent me and this was one of the teas she included. I’m really excited about trying the Samovar ones, but I’m almost scared that I’ll end up wrecking them!

I have to say that I’m a little disapointed at how small and broken up the leaves are – thought that could have happened easily enough in the mail, I suppose. The scent of the tea is a little ‘green’ but mostly it makes me think “Mmm, jasmine soap…wait-!” Sooooo maybe not the most auspicious beginning, but let’s move along.

I have to say that I think it’s too perfumed for my tastes. The taste-recognition part of my brain keeps sending me ‘jasmine soap’ which I like well enough – just not to drink. The green tea base strikes me as a tad bitter aswell, unfortunatly. I’ve got more leaf to experiment with so maybe I’ll reduce the length of the steep next time.

My husband called it “Jasmine Water”. Jasmine…Water. I also had to say to him, “No babe, it’s a green tea…you may not add milk and sugar to it!” sigh He’s still new. At least he tries all of the teas I bring home. He’s currently of the mindset that if it’s not Earl Grey or bold enough to smack your tongue like Thor’s hammer, it’s water. He’ll come around…eventually.

On to the tea. I really enjoyed my cup. Very floral without being perfume-y. I like that after swallowing the tea, my breath smelled like jasmine but with just a hint of the taste lingering. I’m not a fan of the jasmine teas where you can taste the jasmine “oil” all day and it becomes offputting. The green tea that A&D used to blend with was on the light side to me. The jasmine was the main event. Front and center. I do somewhat agree with my husband in that the green tea was so light in taste, that it could have been mistaken for white tea…almost. Still, very tasty cuppa.

Thanks again, Takgoti. You’re the best!

Oh my goodness. When you first open the tin, the scent that hits you is incredible. It reminded me of the Jasmine Dragon Pearls that I’m rather fond of, strong and sweet without being cloying. The tea itself is much sweeter and smoother than the pearls, with a bold jasmine flavour that springs up in a unitard and says “JASMINE!” with jazz hands. Even the second steep managed to be a sheer delight by tasting exactly like a silver needle jasmine!
Standing ovation Jasmine Green, now let us throw roses at your feet and demand another encore.

What can I add that hasn’t already been expressed? If you’re at all a fan of jasmine, then you will love Jasmine Green.

Simply put, Jasmine Green is an absolutely lovely rendition of a classic.

I love jasmine and this Jasmine is soulful and delicious!

Hello Jasmine!

This is very jasmine. The aroma in tin and in brew sings from the mountain tops – I AM JASMINE, HEAR ME BE FLORAL. And yet, it’s not too much in the tea. It’s a bold tea. And it’s good. I like it a lot.

This is my first time breaking into the tin of Jasmine Green. It smells divine. Not like soap, more of a true floral smell than a fake soapy-floral smell. I brewed it at recommended time and temperature, and poured it in a beautiful porcelain cup from Russia. The cup is gorgeous—blue and gold and white and lovely. I’ll enjoy using them, before I inevitably break the ones I have (one of them, alas, did not survive the trip home in the luggage).

The tea itself is a robust golden yellow, darker now on this third cup than the previous two. I always wonder why that happens—greens get darker the longer they sit. Anyway, back to the tea. It is very much jasmine, jasmine seems to overwhelm the green tea flavor. The jasmine pearls from Teavana that I have are more balanced between the green and the jasmine. The jasmine still retains that natural floral note, it isn’t overly artificial or like perfume. This is definitely a tea I’m going to enjoy drinking!

Steeped with four teaspoons to 1000 ml of water in the Breville at the below parameters. Incidentally, I discovered that I have been using too little leaf in the Breville for most pots of tea that I make. Teach me not to read directions. That may explain why so few teas really taste like they should. At least, I hope.

I am a Jasmine Fiend! I love the smell and the taste of jasmine tea, so I am glad to have “found” this one…in a package from Meghann (thanks girly!)

The jasmine flavor and the green tea are in a terrific balance. I could drink this over and over and over and over…

2nd infusion is as flavorful as the first.

YUMMY!

Wow, this is one intense Jasmine! I love Jasmine Pearls and I didn’t expect this to be very strong because I have not typically had good experiences with non-pearl Jasmine Greens. I think I would take this down to a 2 minute steep next time, 3 minutes is verging on a bitter edge for my tastes. Overall, pretty good and I’m looking forward to another infusion at a lower time and possibly lower temp. Thanks to threewhales for my supply of this tea!

Jasmine teas have always been my absolute favorite. (This is probably has a lot to do with jasmine teas being was the only kind of tea I enjoyed drinking at Vietnamese/Chinese restaurants when I was a kid.)

When I first got my jasmine green tea from Andrews & Dunham, I marveled on the beautiful design on tin and then quickly opened it up to get a good whiff of it. Heavenly (as the scent of jasmine always is). And when I brewed my first cup of this — it was obviously a damn fine cup of tea.

Hello again Steepster,

I haven’t been logging many teas of late because as the weather warms up, I’ve been drinking less tea, and because most of what I have been drinking has been stuff I’ve already logged.

But apparently I haven’t logged this tea yet. Which is sort of a shame, because it’s a nice tea. It tastes pretty much exactly like an archetypical jasmine green tea. Are you familiar with jasmine teas? If so, imagine a nice jasmine tea in general without imagining any specific jasmine tea. Then add a little bit of extra jasmine flavor. You will then be imagining this tea.

Brewing some of this cause I know how much Mike loves his green tea ;)

^{Brewed in Huge Glass Teapot, wrapped in black tea cozy}