Dragon Pearl Jasmine

Another sample from Ost, yay. :) I don’t think I have much of a palate for jasmine teas, in the sense that I tend to just go “yup, that sure is a jasmine tea alright”. I mean, I’ve had cheaper jasmine pearls that tasted soapy to me, and this tea definitely doesn’t do that, so that’s a point in its favour. The base green tea must be pretty smooth and sweet because I’m really getting no bitterness or astringency in this at all. Lovely jasmine aroma and flavour. Why do I keep forgetting that I like jasmine tea? I do. It reminds me of going for dim sum, which I haven’t done in a really long time. Mmmm. Still waiting for spring to really kick in up here, so at least I have a nice floral green to get me in the right frame of mind. :)

This is an extremely floral tea perfect for people like me who wake up slowly. It truly is a beautiful tea. My only qualm is that it gets bitter if the water is any more than 175 degrees.

Finally got this to see what all the hype was over!
Seems like a lot of you think this is the best jasmine tea. And being a fan of jasmine, I just had to try it!
I think I might have steeped it for a little over the correct steeping time, because it’s pretty strong.
And usually I like strong teas…But…Some teas have the tendancy to be too strong, and taste inky to me. This one is definitely like that.
I wasn’t expecting that at all. 0_0
So, I’m gonna withhold a rating on this one till I try it again. And am super exact with the steeping time. Because I’m not all about that ink flavor.
Despite that, it’s a really strong and smooth jasmine.
It’s pretty good. But I don’t think I’d call it the best jasmine out there. Happy to have tried it though! (: Think once I get the steeping time right, I’ll enjoy the rest of this sample more!

I’ve never seen Enter The Dragon but I figure it’s a lot like this tea. Probably not, though.

One time, my English teacher got high and did a figurative dance of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon album.

Standing in front of the tea counter at Harney & Sons, I knew I wanted a Jasmine tea. Having been only properly introduced to Jasmine teas a few months prior, I was surprised and drawn in by the tea’s light-footed attack and sweet, tumble-dried finish. The New York Harney & Sons tea store is really something special. Walls lined with premium tea and crafted blends, there’s something for each taste but it’s easy to get lost. Within the Jasmine tea selection alone, there are 3 unique approaches albeit differentiated by price.

I went middle-of-the-road with the Dragon Pearl Jasmine. There’s a “lesser quality” Jasmine not furled into succulent lilliputian balls like these, and there’s a forbidden, secretive greater-treasure out there as well. Pack 2 teaspoons into your tea-maker and watch the leaves thrash and unravel to produce a mystical mellow Jasmine blend.

I find the Dragon Pearl to be quite relaxing with a little bit of kick right before you swallow. This tea has quite a lot of caffeine, so use sparing sample sizes during the right hour of the day, or as so required. I’ve also found that water quality is the single most important factor to maintaining the integrity of the tea. You may go with 175F (as suggested) or 180F (Steepster average) with varying amounts of steep time and water volume, but the quality of your water is critical. Having previously gone with water straight out of the tap in my 100-year old retrofitted-factory building, the tea had a distinctly dirty taste. However, after installing a Culligan faucet filter, I’ve once again captured the purity of the taste.

If you don’t believe me, see for yourself.

Who is Bolo Yeung?

Enter the Dragon in 2 minutes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Es9L7OlMFAE
Corrosive: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrGrOK8oZG8
Water quality is important!

Wonderful scent, I love jasmine flowers. This is one tea that actually tastes the same as the scent of the dry tea. This is probably the best jasmine tea I have had, very authentic. It’s one of the few kinds of tea that I like unsweetened so it’s a virtually calorie free indulgence.

Flowery, aromatic tea without being overpowering or too perfume-y. I wonder how many more cups I can get from resteeping the unfurled pearls. I may buy a larger quantity of this tea after my initial sample.

This tea is tasty. I brewed it at 175 degrees with three teaspoons of leaves for 18 oz. I gave it 3 min. The jasmine flavor is quite prominent. There is both a taste and separate aftertaste of the Jasmine. The flavor of the tea itself is just a little weak, not exactly off, just weak and missing some flavor. Still, I am glad I bought it.

Sample box 15/18

Tightly coiled pearls with a distinct, not-too-perfumey jasmine scent. The pearls unfurl during brewing to fill up the sachet, which fortunately does leave enough room for them. The tea brews out to be very smooth, light and a tad sweet, not very vegetal, and definitely more forgiving toward longer steep times than some other greens I’ve encountered. The jasmine fragrance is pleasant, fresh, and not overwhelming. Overall a very nice jasmine tea that is definitely above average.

Always a cheering tea. I had 3 steeps to help me recover from another long talky day. I needed a boost and it provided. Lovely jasmine scent but not that strong floral almost begonia scent of some and then a strong green tea taste behind it. The jasmine backs off after the first steep but still a fine and gently scented green!

I got a silken sachet of this as a free sample with my H&S order. It looks similar to other jasmine pearl teas I’ve tried. The pearl are small and tightly rolled with very dark green leaves and silvery threads interwoven. There are about 20 or so pearls in my sachet. There is a very powerful and sweet jasmine scent as soon as I open the pouch, along with a touch of light vegetal aroma – maybe lettuce? I brewed my sachet for 3 minutes.

The brewed tea smells similar to the leaf, but in a much subtler way. The jasmine is still the main element, but it does not seem as perfumey now, and I can catch a scent of buttery, mild green tea. Tasting this tea, the jasmine seems more mild than it has been in other jasmine pearl teas I’ve had before, and I definitely appreciate this. The green tea base is mild and sweet, and it reminds me more of fresh leaves than vegetables. There is a slight floral aftertaste.

I don’t know, after trying some straight green teas (admittedly, they’re been mostly Japanese and this is a Chinese tea, so I’m sure there’s a lot of difference) I just don’t find myself enjoying this style of tea as much. It is definitely a calming cup, though.

They’ve been out of the jasmine pearls at my grocery store where they sell tea from a local company, so I was really glad to get some of this in a small swap. I had this tea yesterday at work.

I like this tea. I love jasmine. It’s a really nice jasmine. It doesn’t completely overwhelm the tea, but it’s definitely strong on the jasmine scale. It was exactly what I wanted and needed yesterday.