40

So… I finally gave up to the hype surrounding this tea and ordered myself a sample.
I read all the praising tasting notes before trying it and was prepared to face something extraordinary.

I like jasmine teas and am always on the lookout for the perfect jasmine. This isn’t gonna get to the top, that’s for sure. My main gripe is the smell. What I’m looking for is fresh-off-a-bush-jasmine and all I’m getting instead is old-lady-perfume-jasmine. It’s heady, powdery and strong. I can vividly picture an old English lady wearing jasmine perfume and serving this tea to her grandchildren. The lady is so stuck in my mind that I think of her each time I brew this.

I decided to use a gaiwan because I figured since it’s Silver Needle it should stand up to several infusions. And indeed it does. Actually I like the subsequent infusions much better than the first one. The perfume is pretty much gone and now I can enjoy Silver Needle taste with the traces of jasmine flowers.

I’ll continue my experiments with this tea and maybe I’ll find a way to beat the first wave of flavor…

Preparation
180 °F / 82 °C 3 min, 0 sec
Cofftea

Sad day. This is one of my favorites! I started steeping mine at the recommended 7 min.

Oolonga

If I’d steeped it for 7 minutes I’d had to pour it down the drain, that’s for sure :D
I also find Adagio’s recommended 7 min steeping time for whites to be quite excessive.

Ricky

I think the full seven minutes are necessary, then again I like stronger tea. For the smell, just let it cool a bit and it’ll die down. Oh god, now I have the old lady picture in my head, haha. Next time I drink jasmine I might think of it and I won’t enjoy my cup of tea.

Jason

Oolonga: Sorry for the unrelated comment, but I saw your discussion (which I have since deleted) about problems adding new teas and I just wanted to follow up and see if you're still having an issue (I tried to email you using your signup email but it didn't work). Shoot me an email at jasonsteepster.com if you are having problems and include any relevant details about the situation if possible. Otherwise…have fun experimenting with the jasmine tea :)

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Comments

Cofftea

Sad day. This is one of my favorites! I started steeping mine at the recommended 7 min.

Oolonga

If I’d steeped it for 7 minutes I’d had to pour it down the drain, that’s for sure :D
I also find Adagio’s recommended 7 min steeping time for whites to be quite excessive.

Ricky

I think the full seven minutes are necessary, then again I like stronger tea. For the smell, just let it cool a bit and it’ll die down. Oh god, now I have the old lady picture in my head, haha. Next time I drink jasmine I might think of it and I won’t enjoy my cup of tea.

Jason

Oolonga: Sorry for the unrelated comment, but I saw your discussion (which I have since deleted) about problems adding new teas and I just wanted to follow up and see if you're still having an issue (I tried to email you using your signup email but it didn't work). Shoot me an email at jasonsteepster.com if you are having problems and include any relevant details about the situation if possible. Otherwise…have fun experimenting with the jasmine tea :)

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Bio

I’ve been drinking loose leaf tea all my life. I always take tea plain without adding any sweetener or milk to it. Would love to swap for tea, feel free to contact me about it.

Teas Ratings:

1-9 Undrinkable
10-19 Hardly drinkable
20-29 Strong dislike
30-39 Dislike
40-49 Unpleasant but still has some merits
50-59 Average tea, no strong feelings either way
60-69 Good solid tea, isn’t worth repurchasing for some reasons
70-79 Quality tea, might repurchase once in a while
80-89 Great tea, will keep in my regular rotation
90-100 Outstanding tea, staple of my collection

Location

El Dorado Hills, CA

Website

http://picasaweb.google.com/O...

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