Yunnan White Jasmine

soooo you know how sometimes you think you should branch out and try things that you might not like just in case your taste buds have changed?

shudder yeaaaah… mine haven’t. LOL Picked this up as a sample with my last verdant order and sadly i couldn’t even manage to drink half the cup. Floral much? Jasmine… check! In to the spreadsheet it goes.

Not rating this only because i know that it’s ME not the tea in this particular instance.

Ever try to enjoy a bit of pumpkin custard while your dog cries and looks longingly and pitifully at your food? I felt like the hugest jerk in the world not sharing my my dessert with him. So then I let each pup get a lick. Those darn cute faces get me every time. My dogs own me.

Fortunately, they are not interested in my tea so I don’t have to feel bad while I enjoy a cup. :) I had a terribly stressful day at work today. Called someone early in the morning to get some info. She directed me to someone else. That person directed me to yet another person. And so on. Until about 4pm when the last person I get directed to directs me back to the person I had called in the first place. It’s such a classic failed bureaucracy situation it’s almost funny. Now I’ve been directed to yet another two people whom I will call tomorrow morning. Someone save me.

Anyway, despite the fact that I know white tea can get me pretty wired sometimes, I really needed something that tastes soothing and delicious. Jasmine tea is perfect for that. And Verdant is guaranteed quality.

First whiff of the dry tea was heavenly. I absolutely love the smell of jasmine. The scent has me practically salivating. It also reminds me of peach. I can just feel the sticky sweet juices from of perfect summer peach. yum. The liquor is a very pale grayish brown. Not the most attractive color, but it’s all about the taste! and the taste here is fantastic! Juicy and floral and exactly what I need. There is a pleasant drying effect here as well.

Did I mention how I love the dry leaves? They are like little fuzzy twigs. Awesome!

There is a funny taste here, but I suspect it’s my kettle because my mom has a kettle that gives a similar taste to her water. Gotta boil some water in a pot and see what happens. Will withhold rating until then.

Yay for jasmine! When I saw others posting their tasting notes about this tea, I knew I had to try it. I absolutely love jasmine, and I have been so very impressed with all that I’ve tasted from Verdant thus far, I knew that this would be an amazing tea experience.

And, indeed, it is.

The jasmine is a strong flavor, but, it does not taste perfume-y in any way. For those of you who have tried bad jasmine teas in the past, this is an example of a GOOD jasmine… not just good, but GREAT jasmine. The flowery flavor is fresh, sweet, and when brought together with the creamy notes from the white tea, tastes incredibly indulgent. The White Yunnan has some of the qualities one would expect from a black Yunnan, specifically, the peppery spice tones… but of course, with a delicate white tea, they are more delicate. The warmth of the spice flavor is a pleasant contrast to the sweet jasmine.

An absolutely wonderful jasmine. Definitely one of my favorites that I’ve tried thus far.

First review from a generous sample that David included with my Verdant Tea order.

This is my 100th review Woo Hoo and a big thank you for all encouragement and comments to a newcomer to the tea community especially to David at Verdant for personal notes and samples and Angel at Teavivre for samples both companies being highly regarded!*

I’ve only ever tasted really good Jasmine tea which is fortunate so I was looking forward to this Yunnan White. The timing on my steep was 3 minutes which produced a lovely blush pale golden tea. Some Jasmine’s knock you down with floral scent but not this one. It’s more refined and gentle…a peach, jasmine, paperwhite floral with a hint of pine finish, if you can imagine such a thing. There is a creaminess and spice tingle on the tongue. We’ll see on a further pour what develops. Very delicious.

Second steep Oh My this is a bit fizzy on my tongue when hot and still lovely and creamy floral but I got distracted and put my cup down. The tea cooled. Oh well, it’s probably ok, I thought. OK? it was GREAT cool! No longer fizzy but just short of buttery and definately SILKY SMOOTH oh yes it is! Sometimes we all know how tea cools and goes all bitter, but this stayed lovely. I didn’t steep more than 3 minutes so that is important also. Quality tea has to be respected for potency… zillion proof tea needs restraint compaired to fluff and dust. I’ve been drinking so much tea that I’m going to get wicked and slice a 3 inch California strawberry and plunk it in a tall glass with the remains of the second cooled steep and a few ice cubes. Be right back…….pause…..ummmm ummmm that’s good!

When I made my order for the Golden Fleece I threw in an ounce of this as well since it was labeled as “low stock” and I always wanted to try it. Western brewing as instructed on the Verdant site. Unfortunately I don’t have time to wax poetic about this tea today but safe to say I would if I could! It is a really delicious tea.

The dry leaf smells jasminey in a sweet, fresh, honeysuckle-y way, and the steeped tea smells a little more pungently jasmine. The flavor on this one is so sweet and fresh. It’s almost juicy, which is mind blowing from a jasmine tea. That’s really the most prominent thing I take away from this tea, that lovely juiciness. There is definitely a good amount of natural sweetness to this, which really brings out those honeysuckle notes. It is super smooth and silky in the mouth, and altogether a real pleasure to drink. Yum.

Oh wow! This is the cleanest, sweetest, crispiest, nicest Jasmine I have had to date! Most Jasmine’s I can take or leave…but this one…I will TAKE any day! Very nice! No funky floral aftertaste…smooth and fairly creamy, even! I really like this! Very VERY good!

Thanks to Invader Zim for the sample of this! (I’m typing on the iPad as I wait for my car to be fixed, so please forgive any spelling errors!

I wasn’t paying attention and mistook this for Teavivre’s white jasmine, so I only got one steep out of it. It was only the next morning when I saw the empty bag on the counter that I realized.

It was delicious, really delicate and soft and just a little bit sweet. The jasmine wasn’t overpowering. I only wish I had more to say! I’ll leave off the rating because I cant really rate it very well right now.

OMG!! SOOOO much tea!! I received a giant swap package from Kittenna today! Just by opening the box, my whole kitchen now smells like a hodge-podge of tea aromas. :) Thank you so much, Kittenna!!

It was really hard to pick out the tea I’d try first, but I have yoga in a little while; so I wanted something quiet and calming that wouldn’t slosh uncomfortably in my stomach while I’m in downward dog for practically an hour and a half. This was the tea that fit the bill!

On first inspection of the dry leaf, I’m even more excited! They’re long, beautiful, fuzzy silver needle leaves. The jasmine scent is overwhelmed by the hodge-podge scent of teas from the swap box, but I’m hoping it will emerge upon steeping. I also forgot to set the timer on my thermometer, so I caught the water at 172 degrees instead of 175. I can’t imagine that will make much of a difference though.

Two minutes later, I pulled the brewing basket out of the cup and was assailed by a lovely, strong jasmine aroma! Yay! Hmm, the flavor is very interesting. There’s an odd bit of pungency to the aroma and flavor that I wasn’t expecting and can’t quite find the words to describe. As the cup cools, that oddness dissipates. So, maybe it was just the other teas lingering around.

Fast forward 12 hours, and I’m enjoying a second infusion at 175 degrees for 2.5 minutes. Again, that odd pungency is also in this cup. This leads me to believe it’s the jasmine and not the influence of any other teas. It’s not bad, just different. I’m sure the Yunnan white base is also contributing to the unique flavor. I don’t believe I’ve ever had a Yunnan white before. I love Yunnan blacks!

So, the verdict? I’m definitely enjoying it, but I prefer Teavivre’s jasmine greens. Those are the epitome of jasmine teas in my opinion and much more affordable. This was my first Verdant tea experience, and I can tell that it’s not all hype. These teas have something special in them. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to try something new, Kittenna!!

This Silver Needle Jasmine truly came about as a sort of conspiracy between Wang Yanxin, our scout for Yunnan teas, especially fine pu’ers, and Weiwei, Verdant’s employee in China who works with farmers mostly in Laoshan and Anxi.

Both Weiwei and Wang Yanxin have some of the most formidable and discriminating palates in the world. The conspiracy here is that neither of them have any inclination towards jasmine tea at all. When Weiwei and I are drinking tea together with a workshop or farmer, she always asks for a glass of water to discreetly wash the taste out of her mouth when jasmine is served. I would just shake my head. Come on Weiwei, you can find some of the most heady and floral Tieguanyin, but take that profile a bit further towards Jasmine and you wash your mouth out with water?

Wang Yanxin always had a bit of jasmine on hand, and was known for supplying Qingdao with the best jasmine of anyone. One day I asked her if I could buy a bit of her jasmine to take home for family member less inclined towards pu’er than myself. She flat out said no. She said that normal jasmine is not good to drink, and pulled out a variety that cost several hundred dollars a pound. “This is the only one you can have.” Wang Yanxin has a strong will, so I didn’t argue. I tried to pay, but she gave it to me for free. She said that she didn’t want my family drinking anything less.

Keeping this in mind, I imagined a pretty cold reception when I started making inquiries on a jasmine for Verdant Tea. To my surprise, Weiwei said that her and Wang Yanxin had been talking, and they thought they found something that was good. I asked Weiwei if she liked it. She seemed slightly embarrassed to say yes, but admitted that she did. Wang Yanxin pulled her connections to get us a jasmine from Yunnan, made with a silky silver needle white tea. Weiwei approved the scenting.

When I got the first box, and cut open one of the heat-sealed bags, I knew that Wang Yanxin and Weiwei had found something special. Most of the tea-lovers here in Minneapolis that come by Verdant HQ when new shipments get in are pu’er or oolong people. This jasmine seduced pretty much everyone.

The update from Wang Yanxin and Weiwei is that they are now actively scouting more jasmines. In my last shipment, there were over 40 new samples to try. This silver needle variety actually got them excited to drink jasmine. I get jasmine pearls, little blooming teas, twists of scented Huangshan Maofeng, and a large variety of possibilities. While none have yet approached this one for staying power, it is good to know that my friends in China have broadened their horizons.

It’s been about a week since I first tried this tea, and I’ve now had four extended sessions with it. Four times in one week. . . . that should say something about how much this tea has impressed me. It’s had the same effect on everyone I’ve showed it to. People put their nose in the bag, take a nice deep inhalation and come up looking like one of Odysseus’s doped-out sailors on the Island of the Lotus Eaters. This was exactly the effect it had on me too. Let me put it this way, with jasmine scented tea I normally take a whiff and think, “Bluh, jasmine, I don’t want any.” But with this one, I catch its fragrance, feel goosebumps, and think, “Mmmmm, jasmine, I must have some nooowwwww . . . .”

The taste delivers in spades. I would have to say that this is the most enjoyable white tea I’ve tried to date. Interesting comparison occurred today by happenstance. I brewed up some of this after I woke up, and did about 4-5 gongfu infusions in my gaiwan. Then I left the apartment to visit my parents’ house for the day, and while there I took the opportunity to try another jasmine scented silver needle white tea that one of my mother’s friends had sent her recently. The fragrance of that one did not inspire me, in fact it produced the normal reaction I mentioned. The taste was also nowhere close to being in league with this one, it was actually pretty bitter by comparison. Not entirely un-enjoyable, but it barely held a candle in the sunlight of this Verdant tea.

I came back home, now at the end of the day, and decided to brew up the tea still in my gaiwan until all flavor was exhausted. It took me another 5 gongfu steepings! So the general experience has been that this tea will typically give generously for about 10 gongfu infusions. There are so many things I love about this jasmine white, but I’ll reserve for you the pleasure of making your own discovery of most of them. One quality that I can’t help but comment on though is the exquisite texture this tea leaves on my tongue. The sensation is like a dusting of powdered sugar. It’s heavenly!

Got a sample of this in my last order – it has a lovely true jasmine scent, and big fluffy silver needles. The taste is surprisingly smoky, and there’s a hearty – almost brothy – texture. I just dumped the whole sample in my mug, started drinking once it was cool enough, and plan to re-steep by adding water through the day. I think my steeping practices peaked in diligence… awhile ago, and are shamefully casual now. I jest – it’s more that I’ve learned enough of tea culture to articulate my own philosophy, which hinges on appreciating and sharing tea rather than fretting about it ^_ If it tastes good and makes me smile, then I’m doing it right.

I’ve always loved Jasmine tea, but some are better than others. This is one of them! I’ve not always been a huge fan of white teas, often feeling that they are kind of boring, but that has been changing lately, maybe it’s just because the quality of the whites I’m drinking is better. I’ve had some really tasty white teas lately, & I’m enjoying the difference between the various varieties.

In this tea, I think the balance of the silver needle to the jasmine is perfect. The aroma is heady, without being overpowering. The silver needle is delicate, & combined with the Jasmine I picture a field of early spring bulbs, especially the white ones. I actually have 2 different potted jasmine varieties as houseplants, & when they bloom (when they’re happy), my house is like heaven! ahhhhhhh!!!

So I brewed the first small pot of this tea this morning & shared it with one of my adult harp students. I think I’ll give her some as a gift, as she was enamored with it. I shared the 2nd steeping with my 2 sons, who have come back for 2nds. I’m on the 3rd steeping now. This was a sample size, but I plan to order more!

Oh, wow- this jasmine!!

I am really excited for other people to try this; prepare for your socks to get knocked off.

Now, I’m normally not one for jasmines- period. I find them often bitter with an unpleasant metallic base, or the jasmine scent is positively choking in its powdery perfume. Sure, you can find one that tastes nice like candy and floral sweetness, but I’ve never really been convinced of why the flavor is necessary. Why would someone think of scenting tea with jasmine? Well.. now I know.

First, the dry leaves of this tea are just beautiful. Gorgeous yunnan white buds with some flowers.. the whole thing reminds me of lovely Victorian lace. The smell of the dry leaves almost bowls me over with how mouthwatering it is. I smell jellies, oranges, strawberries, peaches.. thick candies and creams.
Once I steep it up.. woah, Nelly! This is going to be fantastic!! (my technical note here was: “YUM!!”) It’s thick and warm and floral like being in a flower conservatory in the middle of our Minnesota winter, with a suprising undercurrent of pine.

The taste begs multiple steepings. I think we did at least ten or so in the gaiwan? Usually, I’m never moved to steep jasmine more than three times. You drink it, and say to yourself: “Yep, that’s jasmine, alright,” and then you’re done. This one- you just want to bask in it.

The taste is lovely and thick in texture with a bit of warm spice.. very much in keeping with the budset base. There are notes of pine along with fruit like peaches, candied lime, or that pink watermelon flavor you find in jollyranchers. There is no perfume choking the throat or drying the nose as I drink. The texture through later steepings reminds me of gelato (vanilla.. or very very light, delicate strawberry+cream), with an intriguing aftertaste of blueberries. The taste of plumerias on Hawaii…

The fantastic thing about this jasmine is how calm and perfectly together everything melds. I drink it, and it really reminds me of Verdant’s Alchemy blends. The jasmine is there to accent and show off how delicious the white tea base is! The jasmine scenting fills in and picks up exactly where the white tea leaves off, and you’re left (shifty-eyed) wondering.. is this really just the most fantastic white tea ever?!? Brilliant! Just what scenting should be.

An ambrosial white tea, decadent but at the same time thoroughly cleansing. It’s a tea I want to have as soon as I wake up, to start the day off right. A spa in my mouth.

Now I understand why you’d want to scent tea with jasmine, and why I want to drink it. Thank you!!!

I will start by saying that I am partial to Jasmine teas, but not white jasmines. I feel that the jasmine is cloying, too perfumy, and always overpowers the white tea base. After hearing so many good things about this company and their tea and reading the great reviews of this tea, I had to give it a try. I am such a sucker for jasmines.

Upon opening the package I smell the jasmine, but it’s nice and light and I can still smell the silver needles through the jasmine, that’s a first. Once I brew it the wet leaves smell strongly of jasmine but the infusion and the taste does not reflect that, it reflects the softer jasmine I had smelled when I first opened the package. This tea tastes amazing, the jasmine is soft and creamy in quality, I get the hay notes of the silver needle. The tea has a sweetness to it and I do get a hint of the pine at the ending. When I swish the tea in my mouth I get just the barest hint of the pepper note.

On the third steep (Western style) I get some of that fizziness feeling on the tip of my tongue that Bonnie mentioned in her review and more of the spiciness is coming through. Absolutely no sign of any bitterness or astringency.

This is the BEST jasmine white tea I’ve ever had. It is not something I would drink everyday but drink when I want to indulge in something so light and complex and wonderful. There is a reason this tea is highly rated.

To sum up this tea: If gorgeous was a taste, this tea would be it!

Full Review on my blog, The Oolong Owl http://oolongowl.wordpress.com/2013/05/09/yunnan-white-jasmine-from-verdant-tea-tea-review/

LOL, okay okay, I’ll write more. This tea is good and the silkyness is just wow! I love floral teas and Yunnan White Jasmine was just pure art. If I had more, I wouldn’t drink my other white jasmines! Wahh!

Simply pure silk. The finish is floral glory.

I butchered my second steep of this, western style, and forgot about it for over ten minutes. Minimum harm except for a drier mouth.

This soft and gentle cup is the best jasmine tea I’ve tasted so far. Huge points for not making my head spin.

Lingering aftertaste is faintly fruity.

A review of Yunnan White Jasmine by Verdant Tea

Date: 10/29/2012
Company: Verdant Tea
Tea Name: Yunnan White Jasmine
Tea Type/Varietal: Green
Region: Lincang Region, Western Yunnan
Steeping Vessel/Amt. Leaf:
Plucking Season: Spring 2012
Liquor Color: very light yellow
Leaf Characteristics: Silver Needle White tea, 100% bud material, picked and steamed, then allowed to dry with fresh jasmine petals changed out once a day for seven days to absorb full fragrance.

1. Steepings

1st Steeping:
Water temperature: 175 Fahrenheit
Time: 2 minutes

Note: I use one teaspoon of leaves per cup of water and steep for 2 minutes with 175 degree water, and waited for the leaves to have sunk to the bottom of my cup. This is a lovely tea to view; the leaves open up but in small roll like since they are more like pods and there are small flower that floats atop of the water. The effect is kind of like in a pond…with some flowers floating on the water.

Tea’s color is most lovely, with this first steep, it is a lovely very light yellow and as I steep this tea a bit longer, tea’s color did brightened to a pale yellow, more yellow than white or that light green when first steep.

Throughout all of this description is the tea’s aroma and it is that of Jasmine, full of the fragrant perfume of Jasmine and there is not mistaking of this. And when tasted I did not like it since scent is too over powering.

2nd Steeping:
Water temperature: 200 Fahrenheit
Time: 2 minutes

Note: I let the water boil fully and steep the leaves for the same amount of time as before. What I want is less of the jasmine fragrant and to just enjoy this very mild tea with its strong perfume. And with more water added the strong, heady scent of the jasmine does dissipate, allowing for a more sedate cup of this tea. And it is fine with me for now.

This tea has a heady floral bouquet and does make this tea reviewer think of a pond with lilies, and lilacs that floats about in the pond. I am not sure if the jasmine plant is one that floats around in ponds, but could as well be.

All of this is suggestive of another’s tea description by Verdant Tea, of which they stated: Shui Xian is a tea shrouded in mystery -its name is either a reference to a Taoist immortal, a spirit of the water, or the narcissus flower. This triple-meaning is fitting for the immense complexity and richness that the tea offers.

Anyhow, this imagery / description seem true of this Yunnan Jasmine Tea. I did view the silver white needles and the buds of the plant as well. This is a lovely tea and for me I must learn to appreciate the headiness of jasmine flower…made popular in China and is rich with antioxidants and vitamin C and to help sooth the digestive system, as this is the benefits I hope to obtain/gain when drinking this tea.

This was the sample included in my first Verdant order. Very generous :)

The dry tea smells barely of jasmine. It’s a different jasmine aroma than I’m used to. But, it’s good.

Steeped, there’s a wonderful jasmine aroma. Quite strong. The wet leaves, although they have a jasmine aroma, it’s also a bit different than what I’m used to. Good different.

The tea tastes so light and jasminey floral. Absolutely no astringency or bitterness. Just pure jasmine. Oh, and I’m getting a lovely white tea aftertaste. Wow. This is really the epitome of jasmine teas. It’s almost a bit fruity, too. Now, jasmine teas are not something I would drink daily, but they are a nice treat, and this one would be perfect for that.

I’ll have to do some more infusions tomorrow. I’m sure the leaves have a lot left to give.

ETA: Next-day infusions.

Second infusion (2min/175F) is jasminey and white tea-y. Om nom nom. Pretty sure jasmine + white tea is a way better combo than jasmine + anything else, because I’m just not getting any bitterness or astringency. Just lovely light, floral, tasty flavours.

Third infusion (3min/175F) is also lovely and lightly tasting of jasmine, with a delicious white tea aftertaste. I think I may be able to get a fourth out of these leaves tomorrow.

My Verdant tea order finally came!!!! ECSTATIC!!! I wasn’t going to have a cup of caffeine tonight, but I couldn’t resist when my order showed up.

This tea is absolutely beautiful. It is so smooth, so light, so lovely. The jasmine is done just perfectly, not overly perfumed as in other varieties I have tried. Getting a sweet aftertaste in the back of my throat which I love!

Overall, I love this. So happy I got an oz of it! For my first verdant tea, I am SOLD! So excited to try the rest!

My first Verdant order!!! So excited for this one!

I got a gong fu pot and small double walled tea cups today. So my first gong fu experience! The first 3 steeps at around 5 seconds each. Then 8, 10, and 15 seconds respectively.

My first notes are light sweet jasmine. The second steep is stonger in jasmine flavour. Later on, I am getting more of the citrus/woodsy, but none of the cinnamon notes that the website mentioned. The freshness of the silver needle also peeks out a little more.

Very good and an interesting tea. I like the different notes that the gong fu steeping brings out. I still want to steep it western style for interest sake.