Dragon Pearl Jasmine

Tea of the evening…..
…..And a little experiment. I may be sorry for drinking a tea even with just a little caffeine this late, but it is the weekend. I am hoping my system can tolerate a jasmine pearl this late at night and not suffer insomnia from too much caffeine too late at night…..

I am really liking jasmine tea, lately. I have one that is a straight jasmine green and a few that are pearl jasmine like this one. I love the light floral notes in this type of tea as they are very relaxing. This example is very good. It definitely ranks up with the best I have tried (which really is only about three…..) I would consider purchasing when I cannot find a comparable tea on the market at a better price. This one comes out to about $5 an ounce. It resteeps very well. My second pot full (yes, I am incredibly hydrated after two 24 oz. pots of this!) was just as good as the first.

24 oz. teapot, just over 4 actual tsp tea, 175ish water, 3 minutes steep #1, 4 minutes steep #2. No additions.

This is a sample I received in my latest Harney and Sons order.
I am going take a second to thank all the tea companies for giving out samples.
I just think it is awesome.
It seems like 10-15 years ago when my Father first got into teas, it was not a common thing, so I am always pleasantly surprised when I do get some in a box.
Okay!
On to Dragon Pearl Jasmine.
Which is my VERY first introduction to a Dragon Pearl Jasmine.
I must say when I opened the box, and saw this sample, I was so excited!
I have been wanting to try it since I came onto Steepster.
It seems to be a tea that either you really like it or you don’t.
Well, from the moment I opened the little sachet packet, it was like I bumped into a dear old friend.
I wore Jasmine perfume when I was younger and used a LUSH soap that smelled just like this tea.
I felt like I was young again!
Which is quite a feat since yesterday was my birthday and I am suffering from slight heat stroke today (playing too much in the sun on the water) and general feelings of ancient-ness creeping up on me.
If the smell was not enough to win you on this tea, the taste will.
Imagine a Jasmine flower with honey dripping off it…Yeah, thats how it tastes.
So, Harney and Sons, Thank you for the sample.
So, Steepster Friends, Thank you for introducing me to a tea that I had not even heard of before.
And thank you,Dragon Pearl Jasmine Tea, for making me feel young again…if not for a few minutes:)
P.S.
I used SimplyJen’s recommendations for brewing this tea, since my little packet did not have any on it.
I think it was spot on Jen!

When I think of nauseating, overpowering jasmine teas this is one of them.

This pretty pink tin of twenty tea bags was given to me as a birthday gift last year. It was an incredibly sweet thought and I had never seen pearls before this. The individual sachet bags are gorgeous; the leaves themselves look like delicately rolled bits of green and white cloth. At the time, the jasmine aroma reminded me of root beer.

This tea is consistent. The jasmine is exuberantly floral. Sometimes, I pick up a pleasant “salty” sweet finish. The flavours have a tendency to overwhelm and I can’t imagine following the suggested four minute steep.

Unfortunately, this isn’t one of those teas I find myself reaching for. I still have twenty tea bags. They must have given me extra because I’ve had this at least three times in the last year.. just did a count on my gifted Paris tin and, although it says “twenty sachets”, I counted twenty-one. Lucky me!

I have been meaning to try this for a while. Thanks to Russel Allyn and Harney and Sons I can! They sent a free sample of the loose leaf version.

I have only had one other Jasmine Dragon Pearl tea and that is the one from Teavivre. I will try to compare and contrast the two teas as best I can. I gave some of the Teavivre pearls to a Teavana employee, and he said that the Teavivre ones seemed more earthy than Teavana’s. Let’s see how these two stack up.

Appearance: the pearls are very similar. Teavivre’s pearls are ever so slightly larger overall. I notice that the Harney and Sons says green and white blend on this page. I had not noticed that before.

Steeping: both smell great! Neither has a sickening, artificial perfume aroma, and that is important because my first jasmine tea experience was somewhat traumatizing.

Color: the liquor is very similar. Both are golden, but there is a tiny peach colored cast to the Teavivre when the level is low in the cup. When the cup is filled completely, the Teavivre tea is slightly darker. H&S remains golden.

Wet leaves: though the Harney pearls were smaller, the unfurled leaves are larger, especially in width. They are a bit lighter in color than Teavivre’s, which have more…stem?…attached. They are long and wiry.

Taste: wow, I feel so spoiled. Both are these are very good. The Teavivre tea is softer and smoother, the jasmine perhaps a tiny bit more pronounced up front with the tea flavor following, and it gains astringency as it cools.

The Harney and Sons tea tastes more like the greens I have been drinking for the past six months with just a hint of sour astringency at the front, and the jasmine following at the end. This is not a bad astringency I am referring to, but the palate cleansing property. I am getting that sweet, late rising aftertaste that comes with many greens, and I suspect the Harney and Sons tea is the source of that as I haven’t noticed it before drinking Teavivre’s, and the Harney tea has the sort of taste up front that I associate with teas that do that.

Summary: both are great. Teavivre’s version is jasmine followed by green tea flavor until it starts to cool. Harney’s is the opposite – green tea flavor that says, “Here I am!” followed by soft jasmine.

Different people and different tastes mean some will prefer one, some the other. I hope this review helps!

If you love jasmine tea, also try Harney’s tea just called Jasmine. It is incredibly inexpensive, you can drink it every day at the price, and very, very good. I actually preferred it over one of their more expensive jasmine loose leaf offerings.

Another goodie from QuiltGuppy! Jasmine is one of my favorite flavors and scents, and dragon pearl is one of my favorite varieTeas. ;) This one delivers! This is the bagged tea version but with the nylon bags the tea smells and tastes like the fresh, loose version! As it brews the fragrance of jasmine is so strong, which is nice. A coworker stopped by my office to see my new “jasmine candle” and left with a bag of the tea herself.

Thanks again, QG!

I was so excited to try Dragon Pearl Jasmine after getting recommendations of Harney and Sons teas from fellow Steepsters,when I first joined. I must admit the first cup that I brewed, I wasn’t too fond of it. I felt that it tasted too perfumey,if that makes any sense. I actually got a headache from drinking it. Since then, has been stashed in the back of my cupboard for a few weeks. So I wanted to give it another chance and I finally did!

I brewed the Dragon Pearl Jasmine to 195 degrees Fahrenheit. I steeped it for approximately five minutes. I found it fascinating how the tea leaves were rolled to look like pearls.
The aroma is a nice fragrance of jasmine that reminds me of a nice soft perfume or being in a beautiful garden filled with jasmine flowers on a beautiful warm and sunny day.
The taste was a very floral taste with sweetness.
The liquor was a golden color.
Overall, the Dragon Pearl Jasmine has a great flavor and great quality tea especially for tea lovers that enjoy floral teas,including jasmine. I found that while I was drinking the tea, it felt very calming and soothing.

Thanks Jess/Jane :)

this is a darn good jasmine! It’s been on my list for a while. It’s slightly citrusy even but mostly a sweeter/creamier jasmine. It’s smooth and delicate. I like this!!!

Ever since I had my first jasmine tea, I will get these cravings for jasmine. I just really love the smell of it, and the soft taste of it. Nommy. No wonder it’s been part of the tea tradition for so long now, and I’m happy to be a part of it.

takgoti gave me this one, and I love the look of these Dragon Pearls. In fact, I love the look of pearls in general, but these are really gorgeous. The sea green interwoven with the blue-green. So gorgeous. And the smell coming off of them! It’s that floral-fruity smell that’s so jasmine. And I just realized it today, sort of reminds me of Juicy Fruit gum! I could smell these little buggers all day.

One of the other great things about a jasmine pearl tea is the steeping. Watching them unfurl, little bubble trails streaking up the sides of the clear pot, it’s almost like the caterpillar emerging from the cocoon. Entrancing, almost. Anyway, the leaves in this particular one are nice and whole, and there’s a fair amount of buds as well. I don’t know what the ratio is (although there probably is a method to the madness), but I soon had a little green aquarium of tea leaves.

The liquid on this one smells very soft and inviting. Very jasmine, but there’s almost a hint of cocoa in the smell. And it’s actually my favorite color for tea, that dark beige, pale yellow color that I think just looks like rich for its pale color.

It’s the flavor of this one that really knocked my socks off, though. Wow. Just.. wow. There’s a buttery taste, that melts into a soft, juicy jasmine flavor. It’s really not overbearing. It doesn’t try to beat you over the head with its jasmine notes. It just blends seamlessly into the body of the tea. I’m addicted to that butter-like component. I finished this cup very, very fast. It’s just a testament to the quality of the green tea in this one. It’s full of flavor. Seriously.

The jasmine has a wonderful sweet aftertaste that lingers on the tongue, but is pleasant. Some aftertastes just never seem to end. This just quietly fades away.

Really top-notch stuff. Seriously. It’s like a sigh. The flutter of butterfly wings. Okay, I’m getting a little stupidly poetic, but this one is so fuzzy-wonderful that I want to just let it wash over me.

I tried a second steep of it, and while the jasmine flavor was still there, it was a bit more muted, and there was a vegetal note creeping in that wasn’t to my liking. So out the leaves went!

I can’t wait to compare this to Samovar’s!

I made a cup of this yesterday.

Samovar, you may have a contender entering the ring. This jasmine is pretty damn good.

In fact, I’m not even going to finish this note. I’m going to brew both of them RIGHT NOW.

LET THE BATTLE BEGIN!

When I was at the Harney Soho store one of the teas I chose to sample was the Dragon Pearl Jasmine. I asked about their Jasmine teas in general and the guy helping me brought down both this tea and the Yin Hao Jasmine; upon smelling them I knew this was the one I had to try. The jasmine smell of the Dragon Pearl was much more powerful and flowery. My sample basically blew me away. The first thing that struck me was how sweet the tea was, and how delicious the floral flavor was melding with that. Full, lovely jasmine flavor, like fresh picked jasmine flowers, with a beautiful rounded strongly honeysuckle sweetness that lingers on the tongue. I can’t remember ever having so delicious a jasmine tea, and I had to buy some of course.

So I brought my 2oz of pearls home and made myself wait until this afternoon when I had my temp-controlled tea kettle and some time to enjoy them. I really wish Harney would put the steeping instructions for individual teas on their website, since I didn’t really know anything but the temperature for this. I read that someone got 21 pearls out of a sachet meant for 12oz of water, and a level perfect teaspoon yielded 24 pearls for my 12oz Kati cup, so I figured I would go with that. A 3min 30sec steep time seemed to be what most people were doing in the reviews, so I went with that. Most of the pearls seem to have completely unfolded in the first steep (this didn’t actually happen at the tasting bar at the Soho store, but the cup they were steeping in was smaller), although a few were still loosely bound together. The flavor is the same amazing flavor I got from my sample at the store, so these parameters seem to be good. I get strong flavor all the way through the cup, from hot to cool. These seem to be my Jasmine Pearls to beat!

Second steep, 5 min. I didn’t get to try resteeping the leaves in the store, but I can now. This steep is a little less sweet, especially when very hot. The Jasmine aroma is still very strong, and the sweetness definitely comes out as it cools a bit. Definitely a delicious second steep as well.

Way, way back when I was small, I only drank tea in two places: my grandmother’s house, and the Chinese restaurant down the street from my grandmother’s house, because the jasmine tea they served “tastes like flowers!” (And, being the strange child I was, I actually spoke from experience on that one.)

Since then, I’ve tried a few different jasmine teas, most of which have fallen short of memory. This one doesn’t! It has that sweet floral taste that sits on the back of your tongue, and it’s good and strong without being overwhelming. Definitely one of the better jasmines I’ve had.

Had this as the sachet – they state that brew up to 12 oz of water – but I think that’s a little light. Overall it seems like a decent pearl jasmine. Very light color, nice aroma.

Reviewing a sample of this. Have to admit it is a pretty little tea…all those hand rolled pearls…then the light champagne gold liquor in my glass mug…ah. I took a sip…hum…what kind of Jasmine floral is this? A bit on the strong side and I was careful not to overbrew. The scent was bending towards Paperwhite flowers. They can be a bit overpowering. So, I went to my tea cupboard and took down my best organic white jasmine from Puripan and made a small brew to compare. The Harney & Son’s brew and Needles were golden…the Puripan needles darker and the tea liquor palest yellow. Puripan was not knock me down Jasmine but subtle and smooth. Harney"s I’m afraid for me was just a bit too cloying. Almost not Jasmine but Paperwhite. Sorry to all you lovers.

A review of Dragon Pearl Jasmine (floral) Tea by Harney & Sons Fine Teas
I have had Harney & Sons Teas and note the bags are made of silken sachet, which is a nice effect as one can watch the leaves unfold as tea is brewing and steeping. This effect is nicely demonstrated with this Dragon Pearl Jasmine.

When examining the tea bag I can see the curled up leaves, actually they are rolled into individual little rounded pearls. And one can smell the Jasmine at once.

I place the tea bag in a cup and pour hot boiling water into the cup and left to steep for two minutes. Tea’s color is lightly golden dew and there are hints of Jasmine permeating one’s nostrils. It is kind of over powering.

I don’t want to sip tea right away, but instead to take in what I smell, and to get pass it. I leave the tea alone for several minutes while doing other things. I am reminded of reviews I had read of Jasmine tea, wordings like: ‘light tea loaded with delicious Jasmine’; ‘naturally scented with jasmine flowers creating a soothing aromatic experience while enjoying this tea’.

I like that the leaves are shaped like pearls and how nice an effect it is to watching them unfurl as they steep and having experience this makes it special in some small way. I decide to have a sip of tea and not think of odor but the taste. I am reminded it is green tea and this is usually astringent in taste; tasting like cut grass but with the jasmine it is not astringent and does not have that drying aspect either. It is not bitter but it does have smoothness to it and something of the taste reminds me of the Hemani Brand teas I have tried. As they all seem to have that medicinal quality, smelling pungently strong.

With the 2nd steep of this tea the aroma of the jasmine is somewhat less.
With the 3rd steep, it is faintly in the background; hovering, a lingering effect enhancing this green tea experience.

At first, the fragrant jasmine tea can be overpowering/overwhelming but in time with several steep it does become tolerable and palatable. I am guessing those liking flowering teas will enjoy the many folds found in this one cup of Dragon Pearl Jasmine tea.

I am reminded of another reviewer going as far to say that this tea: “my mouth literally waters every time I think of or smell these jasmine pearls.” Well, I cannot say this.

I can attest to the Harney & Sons saying: From tea garden to tea cup! As it does seem to be taken directly from the garden.

This is an absolutely lovely tea. It brews into a nice yellow golden color, and has a delightful floral smell to it. The taste is light and floral. I was also really impressed by how the tea leaves expanded in the sachet while brewing, I’m excited to rebrew. I definitely recommend this as a relaxing afternoon tea.

I love jasmine, but one sachet wasn’t strong enough for me. Would be terrific for anyone who enjoys a more mild-medium jasmine flavored green tea.

(Mine is loose, not bagged as shown.) I love that the jasmine scent is strong, but the green tea taste is not overpowered by the perfumey scent. This is a very nicely balanced tea. It is also fun to watch brew (in a clear teapot or IngenuiTEA) because the rolled leaves unfurl. It feels like a living creature, this tea, transferring its energy to my water. Fun!

The color of this tea was so light after I steeped it, I debated steeping it longer. It didn’t need it. It was wonderful.

I LOVE THIS TEA. It is by far my favorite jasmine tea. I bought it in the loose leaf form (without the bag but still in bullets) and I find that if you plunk about 5 bullets in a single cup you get the perfect amount of flavor. This jasmine is a lot sweeter than the others I have tried. I really like that because I find that usually when I drink a cup of jasmine, my taste buds get kinda bland by the time I’m two thirds of the way through the cup, but that little extra sweetness prevents that from happening. All in all I’ll always be happy with this tea

Yum! This was an excellent jasmine.