Jasmine Dragon Phoenix Pearls

Prepared in store bc I was craving some jasmine, and apparently you get a free refill! Sooo yeah. I got my free refill today and I DIDN’T THINK IT WOULD BE FREAKIN TRAFFIC AT 2PM AND I HAD TO PEE SO BAD AND IT WAS SO PAINFUL WOW but tea was okay. The lady who prepared it didn’t really wash the steeper out so it had the previous taste which was like chocolatey and weird and did not work with this tea at all.

This was my very first loose leaf tea so it is somewhat special to me. I love the look, feel, and smell of the dry pearls. Watching the pearls unfold is almost as interesting as drinking the liquor. The jasmine is a bit strong especially oversteeped (or if you don’t like jasmine flavor) but weakens on further steepings.

A little too strong for my liking.

I’ve done my share of carping about the Teavana “chunk o’ food” blends, which are really not to my liking, above all, because so many of them are nearly, if not totally, devoid of tea. And that’s not even to mention my objection to the highly annoying inclusion of artificial flavors in nearly every blend.

However, I stand corrected in my low estimation of the company, as a whole, for the straight-up teas have proven to be surprisingly good. I thoroughly enjoyed the Gyokuro and continue to enjoy the Jade Dragon Mao Feng. Tonight’s glass of Jasmine Dragon Phoenix Pearls brings the number of Teavana teas worthy of purchase at full price up to three.

Why is this tea so good? Well, it’s not just that it brews up green. It has a smooth and buttery taste, and the beautiful silver striations of the medium-sized globes translate into big jasmine flavor and scent through multiple infusions.

I am a bit surprised that so many people have rated this tea but that the overall number is lower than that for the Steepster Select Jasmine Pearls. I stand by my claim that this tea is in fact better, because, setting my anti-Teavana prejudice to one side, I compared the two teas directly and found that, sip for sip and sniff for sniff, the Teavana wins the steep-off chez sherapop.

(Blazing New Rating #28)

Sipdown no. 158 for the year 2014. I’m having this hot because I’m out of cold brew black tea and waiting for another batch to do its thing in the fridge. I’d love to try a jasmine green cold brew, but I am hesitant to part with the amount of tea it takes to make up a batch since it’s such a favorite. I may break down and do it, though.

This isn’t the most spectacular jasmine green I’ve had but it’s quite good for one on the light side (both the tea and the jasmine).

Happy July 4 to all you Americans in Steepsterland!

At the upper-end of my “Good cuppa” category, it’s easy to find and reasonably priced if you live near a teavana store. Are there better jasmine pearls out there? Sure. But it’s hit-or-miss if you can’t smell it and get a closer look at it before buying. Then there’s shipping, the hassle of having to buy more samples or larger qty to make it worthwhile, etc.

This does the trick for my jasmine green tea supply. It reliably holds up through 3 infusions without breaking a sweat, usually 4 w/o any bitter or astringent notes although sometimes they’ll make an appearance on round 4. By then the jasmine is mostly gone anyway and I have good senchas if all I want is a straight green. The first infusion, the jasmine is pretty strong and might be overpowering for some. I like infusions 2 & 3 the best, but find that if I just combine 4 infusions (2min/30-60sec/1-2min/3min all at 170-180F) into one batch it all evens out nicely at a good level. Have made some fun blends with other floral and citrus teas.

So delicious and so addictive. Has a rich scent and a full flavor that isn’t too overpowering (imo).

It was on my last cup that I’d discovered I hadn’t added a tasting note for this.
While this is not my first Jasmine loose leaf, it is the first one I have owned. I love the floral sweetness and the smoothness of this tea. I usually prefer strong, bitter greens, but when I need something lighter, this is the way I go. Tastes great for about 3 infusions.

Yes, Teavana’s sales tactics would make a used car salesman blush, and yes, the prices practically require buyers to take out a second mortgage, but that doesn’t mean the tea is bad. This tea is absolutely delicious, with a soothing, clean, sweet jasmine scent that is tough to beat. I’m hooked. Now if only the company which produced the stuff didn’t look at it’s customers like walking bags of money…

The best of the bunch I bought. I love a jasmine tea that isn’t too sweet and overpoweringly floral, and this is a great example of that. It has a distinct green tea flavor with just the right about of jasmine for me.