Black Jasmine Cream

Reducing my score a bit because this cup was just so incredibly perfumey. It still smells lovely- sweet vanilla creaminess and jasmine. The jasmine flavor is just a bit too synthetic tasting.

No. Just no.
This tea arrived in a pretty black tin with a Klimt label, so that’s good – I’ve got that. As for the tea inside the tin, I cannot recommend it to anyone.

I’ve brewed up a little bit of it again today alongside some very good Jasmine black tea from another source for comparison, and the difference is striking. The fragrance of the dry tea is overwhelming and does not change/evolve with the addition of hot water – it remains a strong scent that is NOT floral, much less jasmine – it took me a long time to place the scent but it reminds me of the fruity fragrance often added to lip balms meant for the teenaged girl market. Surprisingly, this overripe-fruit essence does not come through in the taste – the tea doesn’t have much taste at all, either of Tea or Jasmine/Whatever. Brewing it using different methods or for different durations doesn’t change the taste profile for me – it remains understated for tea, per se, but with a definite mustiness that is unpleasant. I perceive no jasmine scent/flavor present.

This blend lists black and green teas with jasmine and vanilla, and states both natural and artificial flavorings are used. I have to assume that both the jasmine and vanilla additions include artificial flavorings in rather large quantities, and it certainly degrades the taste of this tea. The tea leaves are in small, broken pieces with lots of stems and may also be of less than stellar quality – it would make sense…why use excellent tea if you’re going to add artificial flavorings?

I bought a sample of this recently and upon smelling it filed it away as ‘to try but not now.’ I finally got to it today, and I must say I like it quite a lot more than expected. It smells very floral when dry, but steeped the scent is less intense.

The taste is floral, but not overwhelming. It’s a sweet tea that I can’t imagine taking with additives—and that’s a good thing in my opinion.

I originally bought this to put in a TTB because it was on someone’s wishlist. Around the time I was bagging it up I had made arrangements to include this in a swap. After bagging one up I dropped the rest of bag on the floor. Not sure if it would be worth buying more of I pinched some off the top of the pile on the floor and tried it. It was so good iced, cheap and I get free shipping, I decided it was worth buying more.

This has been one of my favorite teas to occasionally drink iced this summer and I will get more for the next. Sweet jasmine and black tea

This was a weird tea. The jasmine was almost overpowering, and I barely got any cream at all in the flavor. I’m not sure I like this one. I finished the cup, but I have a feeling this will be pushed to the back of the tea cupboard.