Jasmine Dragon Phoenix Pearls

I first drank this tea this morning as my wake-up cup. I brewed it simply in a paper filter in my travel mug — and took out the leaves prior to leaving the house. As I said prevously, I really love floral teas and the pearls are super. However, this one was pretty unremarkable otherwise from being a good jasmine green.

I saved the leaves by taking them out of the paper filter and putting them in a glass. This afternoon/evening I gave the tea a second steep in my teapot. At the second steep the leaves really began to shine — they unfurled further and the floral aroma was balanced with the green tea. I will be steeping a third time later tonight. Upping the score on this one.

“What shall I sample today?” I went through the collection of labeled baggies in my tea cupboard and brought out one that was filled with little round pieces the size and shape of blueberries. It emanated the scent of jasmine. “Hmmm, this looks promising,” I said.

I put a teaspoon of the little chunks in my tea strainer, heated the water, submerged it, and set the timer. Too late, it occurred to me that I ought to have simply measured them directly into the glass measuring cup, where I could have watched them unfold and strained them afterwards. “Ah well, there’s enough left to try that next time,” I said.

I like jasmine tea. I was introduced to it while dating the man I am now married to. In the winter, whenever he took me out for Chinese food, he would order hot tea to go with his meals and I sometimes followed suit. They served a lovely jasmine tea and I became very fond of it.

These days, I don’t get out much, having moved to an area where good Chinese food is something of a rarity, so if I want jasmine tea, usually I have to buy it myself. Happily, this one came to me, courtesy of Terri Harplady, my big sis.

I chose this sample because it was an icky wintery day. I was missing the sun and feeling the need for a bit of self indulgence. Once upon a time, I would have asked my husband to bring me flowers, but we have a cat who eats them, so it’s not really a viable option. Maybe that’s why I like cooking with rosewater, dried marigolds, lavender, and saffron. I guess if you really like flowers, you get them in whatever form you can.

The tea sample smelled awesome. “Oh yeah,” I said as I sampled the first cup. “That’s the stuff. I am totally resteeping after this is done.” And yes, I did heat up a second cup of water and gave the leaves another bath. They yielded a second cup that was a tiny bit astringent but still very good.

Good stuff, this. It cold brews well too. Thanks, Harplady, for an awesome sample.

Teavana disappoints again!

So I went to Teavana for the first time in a long while to buy a gift for my girlfriend’s mother. I got her an infusing mug, some flavored oolong, and some dragonwell, and for my girlfriend, I picked up some Jasmine Pearls – two ounces of each.
The first reminder that I should never shop at Teavana was when the chick behind the counter suggested that if I pick up one more tea, I’d be at half a pound – and at that point, if I DOUBLED my order, I could get 10% off my purchase. She was trying to turn my 6 ounces of thoughtfulness into a 16oz monster, made up by a majority of impulsive, poor self-control. Of course I declined this. And the reusable tins. And the $5 drink to go.

On a brighter note, my girlfriend’s mom fell in love with the cup at first sight, and enjoyed the teas. But this review isn’t about those teas (which, mind you, I didn’t try.)
This is about the jasmine pearls.
I don’t go to Teavana with delusions of grandeur and wide-eyed amazement that I did some years ago when I started my explorations into tea, but I do carry with me an expectation of at least substantial mediocrity. When you keep your expectations low, you tend to avoid disappointment – but as this prestigious establishment has been so gracious to remind me, there’s always an exception to the rule.

The first thing I noticed when my girlfriend and I poured some water into our mug was that the tea was without a question NOT processed according to tradition. The pearls SHOULD be crafted from the bud and tender, top two leaves, rolled into a tight ball that unfurls into a graceful, slender figure that dances with its brethren in your cup once awakened by warm water. It was supposed to be a very special treat for my loved one.
What I got was a cup crowded with large, clumsy leaves that impatiently expanded. So much for aesthetics.
I would love to comment on the taste as well, but there wasn’t one. What we ended up with, essentially, was a cup of warm, greenish water, made inconvenient to drink by some useless leaves swirling around in it.
Sure, it smelled nice, because it was infused with Jasmine. But you can spray a floral aerosol in the bathroom after you take a dump, and that bathroom will smell like Jasmine too.
By no accident, that is the metaphor I’ll leave this review on – this tea was a piece of crap covered up by a flowery fragrance.

Ashley is a goddess. I’ve had one other jasmine green tea and I’ve never had pearls. They’re so fun and rattle around in my strainer! Sweetened with german rock sugar. Very floral. Lingers in my mouth and the smell is heavenly. I’d say it’s a must try.

My husband broke this one out last night when we arrived home from singing in a Christmas concert. We were both exhausted, but not quite ready to go to bed. This tea was pretty much the perfect ending to a not so perfect day. (I came home and discovered that my cat had peed on my tree skirt. Instead of being greeted by the briskly inviting smell of pine needles, I got hit in the face with the aroma of cat pee.)

This tea is both invigorating and calming at the same time, which is fairly typical of green teas. I believe my husband said this was the fourth or fifth infusion that he’d done with these particular leaves (and it may have been higher than that, I don’t quite remember). Anyway, this tea is great for multiple infusions, as anyone who’s familiar with it will know.

Sunday night I came home late (1 am), and turned on my music. I forgot that I had my volume turned all the way up from when I left the house in the morning. This was corrected within seconds, but my neighbor (who I share a wall with) started banging on the wall in anger against me five seconds of noise. Today I come home from work with a note on my door about a noise violation from my leasing office. Give me a break.

After finding the note I decided this tea was in order. That choice is, of course, based on nothing. I’m skipping the rating on this, because I’m neutral on recommending this. If you like a lot of jasmine, it’ll be great.

Backlog. Had this last night after an epic wiggle session (aka dancing like a maniac around my apartment to music while watching What Not to Wear). Totally underimpressed. I have loved this in the past but I just didn’t get that fresh grassy floral flavor that I remembered. I guess I have recently been drinking Vermont Liberty Tea Company’s Jasmine Gold Dragon and that sways my opinion in comparison because it is so much fresher and smoother.

Either way, just wanted to log that I drank it and say that though Teavana opened my eyes to the world of loose leaf tea, Steepster has guided me towards the teas and companies that I truly love.

I love drinking this tea. I love that it’s good to brew several times. I love that it blends with other teas and tisanes so well. I love watching the pearls unfurl. I love the way it smells dry. I don’t love the smell of it wet though. For whatever reason when I pour the hot water onto the leaves the jasmine becomes so strong and cloying, it sticks to the back of my nose and throat which really sucks because I don’t really brew my tea according to time, I do it by scent (unless I’m sick). The tea sitting in my cup, sans leaves smells good, it’s the actual leaves when they are wet that I do not enjoy, other than that this is a divine tea to smell and taste. Jasmine green tea in general was my first introduction to actual tea, loose leaf tea (I used to drink Lipton as a kid) and it’s still my favorite (the jasmine tea not the Lipton) and these pearls have a permanent place on my shelf, I just love them!

Testing 3 jasmine teas tonight, to answer the question: do I like jasmine teas? Adagio’s Jasmine Chun Hao kept me going (was good), but Mighty Leaf’s Organic Spring Jasmine kept me wondering (not good). Now I’m on my last one, and this is not exactly a sample size (2 oz.), so hoping it’s good to better.

First about the “pearls”… watched them expand and such, thinking it would be cute. Not! It reminded me of those big hairy spiders who roll into a little ball when they think you’re about to squish them. That’s what it reminded me of (sorry).

Ok, now the tea … made it according to site instructions. Can smell the jasmine in the brewed mug. Smells nice. Does not taste bitter at all, like the Mighty Leaf one did. It tastes very similar to the Adagio one to me. Hmmm, I think I know what jasmine tastes like now… not sure I like it, but if that’s what you’re seeking, this has it. The green tea is in the background, behaving. Overall I like this, but the price is going to keep it from being a “love it” one. Don’t like the aftertaste (jasmine?) The Adagio one made me happier : )

1 tsp per 8oz at 175 for 2 minutes in my Breville. Bit of raw honey. Lovely. I absolutely love jasmine. I never thought I liked florals until I had a jasmine tea. I thought the recommended amount and steep time was good, but I’m also curious what more leaves would taste like. I could see myself wanting a bolder taste but tonight this was exactly what I needed to wind down. It is very heavily jasmine, but that’s exactly what I was searching for. Delicately silky mouthfeel. Very enjoyable and calming.