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I think I could like this tea quite a bit, but I need to spend more time with it.

The dry leaf smells like something between buttermilk and yeast to me, and there’s a lot of that flavor in the tea as well. At times I get a malty flavor and occasionally it sweetens into more of a caramel, but it’s not always present.

The description says that it contains pine notes, which to me would read as woody, sharp, and edging on bitter. I think I can taste it [how much of that is purely psychological I couldn’t tell you], but thankfully it’s muted. Too much of that would ruin this for me, easily.

If it weren’t for the occasional sweet flavors I get in this I don’t think that I would enjoy it overall. However, the melding notes and shifting flavors make it intriguing. This isn’t something that I’m going to drink all the time, but I like it and it warrants some extended experimentation.

Eep. I just glanced at my Harney & Sons post and hopefully Battle Part Deux will not be nearly as long as Battle Part 1.

Scent
There’s not much to say about this that I didn’t say in the H+S post. It smells so full and succulent that you want to be able to take a bite out of it. Just lovely. But H+S has a bit of a stronger scent and so I gave them the win.

Texture
Samovar’s jasmine was a little lighter in the mouth, but also smoother. Almost silky. If it just came down to those two components I’d call it a coin toss, but because Harney & Sons had that strange tingly/prickly thing going on the round goes to Samovar.

Things I Don’t Know Enough About
The leaves in Jasmine Pearl were more separated. Some of the leaves were attached in pairs at the stem, but many were singles. They were all completely unrolled and long by the time the 3:30 was up. Here are my Samovar pictures.
1 | http://twitpic.com/nfruc
2 | http://twitpic.com/nfrzg
3 | http://twitpic.com/nfs3t
leaf | http://twitpic.com/ng5um
cup | http://twitpic.com/ng61c
all | http://twitpic.com/photos/takgoti

Taste
This one was sweeter, like I mentioned in the H+S review, and a little more consistent over time [however, it did grow in flavor as it cooled]. It also had more of a vegetal quality to it, though subtle. I found that the liquid edged out the Dragon Pearl in terms of complexity, but both had very similar notes and tones. Samovar won the taste round.

Price
The price of Samovar’s 2 oz. can is $15, which is much higher price point per oz. than the next [and only] size up. For this tea to be “worth it” I’d get the 5.5 oz. tin, which runs at $28.

FINAL VERDICT
I am giving Samovar the championship belt in this battle, but it was really, really, REALLY close. If Samovar all of a sudden discontinued their jasmine tea and I would not be at all disappointed at the prospect of drinking Harney and Sons’ jasmine instead. Really, like I mentioned previously, I think that this decision should be based on who you buy more from [and how much you want to get, I suppose]. I buy more Samovar tea than anything else, so it makes more sense for me to get my jasmine from them.

So…I suppose that in the end this was all somewhat moot, but I got to play with my camera and two really great teas so it was a win for me. And really, isn’t that what matters? [Yes.]

I say go big or go home.

So, when I decided that I wanted to do a little Harney & Sons vs. Samovar match up of course it turned into a much bigger ordeal than heating up a couple of cups of tea. I pulled out some of my camera equipment and set up a makeshift lighting situation. Not the best, but I think they came out decently enough.

For the sake of comparison purposes, I’m going to try to do this list style. Both teas are relatively giving in terms of steep time and temperature, so I used the same for both of them. I should also point out at this time that even after direct comparison, these two are neck-and-neck. I’m really splitting hairs at this point and obviously, since I’m no expert, this should really be taken for what it’s worth [like maybe a small animal]. In the absence of oyster crackers [since I believe those are supposed to be good palate cleansers] I used original flavored goldfish. It seemed official enough for my purposes. And HERE WE GO.

Scent
Perfumed to perfection. It smells decadently of jasmine – both the dry pearls and the steaming drink. It could be cloying, but since I only participate in moderation it’s simply intoxicating. There are no major differences between the scent of this tea and Samovar’s, but H+S is SLIGHTLY stronger.

Round Scent goes to Harney & Sons.

Texture
At the start, Dragon Pearl echoes a tingly sensation. Not tingly in a ticklish, bubbly sort of way, tingly like somewhere between your foot falling asleep and when you intake air quickly and suddenly and the air is REALLY COLD and it does a number on your lungs for a second. As it cooled slightly, it evened out. It’s weightier than Samovar’s, and it was also a little more textured. I’d call it grittier, though it really isn’t a gritty tea.

Round Texture goes to Samovar.

Things I Don’t Know Enough About
I’m not going to bother attempting to comment on the leaves because I really know nothing. As for things I simply observed, H+S seemed to have more leaves attached at the stem. They were bigger, but they also didn’t seem to unfurl as completely as Samovar’s. See for yourself. [Disregard coloring as I took some liberties there, except for the final leaf shot. That’s pretty true to what I see in real life.]
1 | http://twitpic.com/nfmev
2 | http://twitpic.com/nfml7
3 | http://twitpic.com/nfmug
leaf | http://twitpic.com/ng5r2
cup | http://twitpic.com/ng61c
all | http://twitpic.com/photos/takgoti

Taste
The main event! Sunday, Sunday, Sunday! Dragon Pearl doesn’t exhibit that jasmine sweetness for me until it has cooled somewhat significantly. In the beginning, most of the taste is in the aftertaste. I get a taste of something relatively bland in the liquid when held in the mouth, but there’s a that delicate jasmine taste towards the back of the mouth that makes itself present when air sweeps in. It remains, pleasantly, for quite some time.

I prefer to drink jasmine tea when it’s between hot and warm, and because the taste in this doesn’t begin to really kick in for me until it’s rapidly approaching warm, it leaves me a smallish window in which to enjoy it. Perfectly fine if I’m concentrating on the tea like today and can pace myself accordingly. However, I can see myself getting it annoyed if I waited, got distracted, and then missed the window. Overall, it’s a very good tea. However…

Round Taste goes to Samovar.

Price
Not to be ignored. In the smaller quantity, the difference is negligible. If you like buying things in large quantities, however, H+S wins [Samovar also doesn’t go above 5.5 oz. for this particular tea]. I like to buy teas in small to medium quantities because I have a lot of them and I’d rather drink them while they’re awesome. For loose tea only at the time of this log, H+S’ pricing is…
$20 for 4 oz. | $5/oz.
$39 for 8 oz. | $4.88/oz.
$69 for 1 lb. | $4.31/oz.
And everything said and done, unless you’re buying Samovar’s small quantity [which runs much higher at $7.50/oz.] I’d base the overall decision on who typically supplies more tea for you.

I made a cup of this yesterday.

Samovar, you may have a contender entering the ring. This jasmine is pretty damn good.

In fact, I’m not even going to finish this note. I’m going to brew both of them RIGHT NOW.

LET THE BATTLE BEGIN!

Eight at the Fort, you win.

I dropped the temperature like it was hot [hahaha, I crack myself up] down to 180 and the difference was exponentially better. There’s still some bitterness to it that rides on the swallow, but it’s much weaker in this cup, and therefore more manageable for me. I get some astringency from it, but not as much as I have from some other teas.

There’s some maltiness at parts, but it’s very light and it comes and goes. On the whole, I’d almost call it yeasty. In fact, it kind of reminds me of bread. It’s got a savory quality to it, but also a fleeting sweetness. Kind of like challah.

Eight at the Fort is a nice, solid tea. It’s not plain, but in the way that it doesn’t rely on any additional flavoring or frills like other teas do, it stands firm. It’s your favorite cable-knit sweater. The kind of tea that you drink when you aren’t necessarily seeking anything specific, but want something you like.

Ok. Something must be addressed before I say anything else.

WAY TO ROCK HARD, STEEPSTER OVERLORDS.

I am FULLY digging the new update. It’s like opening a present, that is in a box, and inside the box is another box, and in that box is a key, which you use to open a chest… I’m sure I haven’t seen everything that has been tweaked yet, but MAN ALIVE, you guys have been working hard. It is MUCH APPRECIATED. And now that I can go back and adjustate and accuratize and other made up words all the stuff I’ve logged before you’ve given me quite a pile of stuff to keep me busy. AWESOME.

So yes. Eight at the Fort. I think I need to play around with the steeping time on this because it came out a bit bitter for me. It definitely is smooth, though.

The tin has that distinct dark, almost earthiness in the scent that I have come to associate with black teas, but with an almost fruity undertone. In the infusion, that sweetness is lost to me. Looking at the tea itself, it’s comprised mainly of the dark twisted leaves typical of black teas, but there are a few sprouts intermixed that are quite downy. There are also some lighter, near lighter brown, near golden leaves.

Eight at the Fort makes me wish I knew more about black tea, or tea in general really. I can’t even begin to pick out what the hell is in this because it’s very well blended and makes for a solid, singular taste. It’s certainly is going to have me jumping for a while trying to figure it out. I think that I’ve been drinking so much stuff that’s flavored lately that I’ve lost a semblance of what some teas taste like as a standalone. As it is right now, the tea doesn’t really taste like anything to me. Just…tea. It’s not an unpleasant taste by any means, I just don’t have anything to compare it to.

The aftertaste has an extremely pleasant, grounded sweetness to it that is reminiscent of some of the subtler dark chocolate I’ve had. It’s not obviously sweet like Hershey’s, you have to wait for it, and when it comes it’s not overwhelming. It’s just there, and it lingers in the recesses of your mouth before leaving as quietly as it arrived.

Right now, I like this tea. With some adjustment and attention, I think that I could REALLY like this tea. If anyone has any suggestions on steep times or temperature or whatnot, by all means send them my way. I didn’t steep it as long as the packaging suggests, but it’s already bitter for me at 4:30, so I’m thinking I don’t want to go much longer if any longer at all.

It rained yesterday, crescendo style. Drizzled all morning, and gradually became stronger until by the time 8 PM rolled around it was heartily Riverdancing on the rooftop. My sleep schedule is so screwy right now; I’d planned to go to bed early but there’s no way that was going to happen. So I went upstairs to catch up on some TV.

About 15 minutes into it I decided that I wanted some tea, but I was too lazy to go back and get some so I ransacked the cabinets instead. The findings were meager, since I don’t really keep a lot of stuff in the kitchen, but I found this and thought, eh, sure.

I was pleasantly surprised on two accounts. One, that I could taste it at all. [Seems I’m seriously on the mend, which is cause for my own Michael Flatley impression.] But two, that I found it enjoyable, because, being honest, I was approaching it with the mindset of wanting something hot and steaming more than expecting something good.

The steep time is SHORT. Like 30 to 60 seconds, which is something that I can’t recall coming across before. For someone with my kind of limitations on patience, however, this is a nice bonus. I let it go for the full 60. I also don’t have the means to gauge any temperature besides boiling in the kitchen, so I approximated as best I could and shut the stove off when I saw steam.

The ones I had came in a little round sachet, but didn’t have a string attached with which to pull it out. It was a minor nuisance, but maybe that’s common-ish practice with bagged tea and I just don’t drink enough of it. It’s also a rather flat package. Tea Forte is really the only bagged variety I drink on the semi-regular, and I know that a number of other brands are starting to offer the pyramidal bags now. I can’t imagine that the tea has a lot of room to expand in there, but I didn’t examine it too closely because I wanted to get back to my stories.

And so I found myself sitting on the floor, watching Castle [which is awesome and I highly recommend it], with a blanket and the rain calling a war meeting overhead and a cup of tea in hand. It made for a lovely experience. [Especially since the show open of this particular episode – the Halloween one – made me whoop out loud.]

The tea was light and warm, which suited my mood quite well. It was also sweet in an almost granulated kind of way, but there was some fruitiness to it as well. It wasn’t pear that I was picking out of it. It was something that bore resemblance to fruit, though. The tea on the whole didn’t have a whole lot of depth. The taste was pleasant, however, and I wasn’t looking for complexity. Apparently there are actual pear bits in it, too, so I might need to give it some extra attention on a later date.

It is so very hard to concentrate on anything else when Nathan Fillion’s on the screen, being all funny and Nathan Fillion-y.

After finishing the writing of this log, I feel that I should scroll to the top and warn you that there is very little actual content in this post. There is, however, a ridiculous link at the end of it. Caveat lector. And uhm…caveat clicker, too, I guess.

I have officially managed to complete absolutely nothing that I intended to get done today.

I did take a pretty long nap, though.

And I drank a lot of tea.

And I played Fat Princess, which is this hilariously awesome downloadable game on the PS3 that bursts with cuteness and gore.

None of those were on the agenda, but I’m going to add them anyway in an attempt to see if I feel like I’ve accomplished something worthwhile.

Nope, didn’t work, so it looks like I’ll be buckling down for the next couple of hours, but in OTHER NEWS, my sinuses appear to be clearing up! It could just be the late® hour, or the tea, or any number of things, but I’m going to hope that this just means I’m getting better. If that’s the case, it also means that I should hopefully be logging some of the new stuff I’ve gotten in recently-ish on here. [Nothing like having the ability to do something taken away indefinitely than to spur you into a frenzy once it’s over.]

In a test of sorts, and because I need some prodding, I decided to make a cup of Old Man Sampson to gauge where I’m at, taste wise. [I don’t know why I called him Old Man Sampson, because he doesn’t look elderly in the picture, but it’s fun to tag “Old Man” on to someone’s last name every once in a while. Even if they’re female. Old Man Sampson works pretty well.]

Ugh, does the content of this post give you reference for where my mind is at right now? I’m still not fully awake.

Back to the tea, I brewed a teaspoon or so for 4:30. I know from reference that this should be relatively strong for me, but I’m still feeling a little dulled from the cold. Getting a hint of that maltiness, but not enough to feel completely back on my feet…tongue? The tea is still good, however, and the mouth-feel still luxurious. Plus, the caffeine should start kicking in momentarily and that’s always something to look forward to.

When I tell stories that I think might be going somewhere but then end up being either really boring, pointless, aimless, or all of the above, I like to end it with, “And then I found twenty dollars.” Instead of doing that here, I am going to link you to something that I let loop for an amount of time that I’m not going to divulge because it’s embarrassing. It’s a little naughty and possibly gross, and also probably NSFW, but I think it’s funny. And catchy. Enjoy.

http://www.getonmyhorse.com/

I am interrupting what is shaping up to be today’s all out attack on your update feed for reasons that I was going to list, but really are too boring to list, so I’m not going to list them and here we are.

Apparently, the things that can keep me away from the internets are to include midterms, head colds, and crazy weekends. What I think started out as seasonal allergies have segued into a full blown virus. And while you may very well be thinking that this is going to turn into an entire post about me whining, there is a point.

The point is that I got this tea in…yesterday? No. Yesterday was Sunday. […Right? Right. I had to check the computer. This is how off my sense of time is.] I got this tea in Saturday, along with some others from, when my ability to smell things had already pretty much abandoned me and I was wallowing in a pool of my misery. The tea helped perk me up a bit, but I was tired and cranky and sick and I didn’t want to try it because I figured I wouldn’t really be able to enjoy it – what with the cold and all.

But I couldn’t resist cracking open the tin and oh, but with what wondrous scents were my nostrils graced. If I, whose m’s are melting into b’s and n’s are gradually hardening into d’s, can still smell this you know it’s strong.

It’s also, joyously, delicious.

So naturally, I brewed a cup.

I have experimented with a few other teas, but I simply can’t enjoy them when I’m in this state. I also suspect that this tea is also not going to taste the same once I am again able to be going to the movies, instead of go-eeg to the boo-vies. Since this is one of the few relaxing things that I can turn to at the moment, though, I am clinging to it like Golem.

The main flavor that I get from it is cranberries. And if I’m being honest, that’s really all I can get from it at the moment. It’s tart, and reminds me of hibiscus. Which I guess it could be flavored with, but whether it is or not it works in this situation. There’s also a nice sweetness to the aftertaste that I find refreshing.

And the tin is pretty.

So yay, Cranberry Autumn, for being my sick buddy. Hopefully I’ll get well soon and then I can try you again. You know, for realz. Yes, with a z.

At the suggestion of many, I dialed the temperature WAY down. Like to the top of the first white zone, which I’m thinking is somewhere around 160 degrees. [1. I really need to get a thermometer. 2. If you’re just tuning in and have no clue what I am referring to, I use a utiliTEA.] I put in more tea – like 1.5, maybe even 2 tsp – and I let it sit for 2:15-2:30 minutes.

MUCH improved. Of course, this is a completely different company, so I’m not sure how much that played into it [I’ll have to try Adagio’s again], but this was much more aligned to what I was expecting.

There is a distinct smokiness to the scent as it rises off the cup, which I don’t enjoy but don’t hate either. It’s almost gunpowder-y? Kind of like that smell you get from a log-burning fire, but with more of a peppery tone to it.

There is still some of that saltiness to it, but it’s not too pronounced. This is definitely a tea with some subtleness to it, but this cup had that chlorophyll-sweet taste to it that I enjoy. The sweetness becomes more obvious as it cools, and the aftertaste towards the end is somewhere between roasty and smoky.

It’s an interesting tea, and I want to continue playing around with it a bit, but I think that I’d enjoy it more if I were eating something with it. Something with complex flavors and a medium kind of intensity to it. Balducci’s makes this smoked ham, pear, and gorgonzola sandwich that would likely pair masterfully with this. I think I know what I’m doing tomorrow.