28 Tasting Notes

57

First cup. Steep 2 minutes.
Just as the name suggests, this tea does have a very aesthetic appeal as the leaves open and sink while the tiny flower petals rise to the surface. The light orange-colored liquor emits a simple but bright fragrance, while the taste holds notes of tangerine and melon, perhaps a little sweeter than other jasmine varieties. The flavor of the flower in this blend is a little too strong for my palette, as I prefer jasmine teas with a solid tendency toward the tea flavor. Lastly, this is a fragile tea and steeping for too long will produce an undesired bitterness from the jasmine flowers.

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65

First cup. Steep 5 minutes.
The taste is like a very clean cup of black tea, similar even to a red rooibos tea, but less sweet. A bit of that old musty aroma common in some pu-erhs. The color is a rich reddish brown, but there is little taste. Honestly, this tea does not do much for me. I added some sugar: no major revelations.

First cup. Second tasting.
The tea proved to be a little more enjoyable at room temperature. With a longer steep and perhaps more sugar or flavoring, I could see this being an admirable iced tea. Though I suppose that defeats the purpose of the Gongfu ceremony traditionally used to brew pu-erh.

Second cup. Steep 10 minutes.
Given that this is a pu-erh, which should yield different tasting notes with each brew (and should be able to withstand multiple steeps), I decided to give this tea another try. Something that was not mentioned in my purely aesthetic review above is that despite the bland taste, this is a strongly medicinal tea with powerful antioxidants. Most medicinal teas have an overwhelmingly spicy or herbal taste, so I think there is something noteworthy in a tea that is very mild but very powerful. Especially if you believe in the weight loss and cholesterol suppression benefits of pu-erh. If you are on a limited diet or a diet consisting of mostly mild food options, the last thing you probably want in a tea is something extremely spicy or sugary-tasting.
Despite all of that, little has changed in my tasting experience with this second cup. There is a slightly more nuanced sweet and smoky tea flavor, but not a huge difference. For getting the most flavor out of this tea, I would suggest doing 1 long steep for up to 15 minutes. And there you have it.

kOmpir

Why did you steep it for so long ? I would go for 10 seconds for first infusion.

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90

First cup. Steep 2 minutes.
The charming pearls unfold hastily upon brewing and the scent of jasmine flower rises immediately from the cup. As with any dragon pearl, it is fascinating to watch the expertly wrapped pearls unfold into the long strands of tea buds and leaves. This brew produced a pale golden liquor that is soothing even to the eyes. The flavor of the green tea is very clear amidst the jasmine. The flower itself is of exceptional quality, sweeter than many other jasmine flavored teas, yet not overpowering. This tea is transcendent therapy for all five senses.

Second cup. Steep 8 minutes.
This tea will yield only one good steep.

ESGREEN

I have a little tip about how to steep jasmine tea——steep it as fresh oolong.
Use a Piao Yi tea maker or a Gaiwan. Make the first 2-3 infusions for 20-30 seconds like fresh oolong teas then strain the tea leaves immediately.
This way, the liquor will be light with a little sweet in the mouth. The aroma will not be that strong-just a mild scent of jasmine and the right grassy hint of green tea will not be covered.
Meanwhile, the tea leaves could be re-infused and enjoyed for more cups.

Birdman

Thank you for the tip! I just finished off this and the jade snail sample in this style. It was delicious! What a great way to prolong the tranquil joy of these teas.

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34

First (and only) cup. Steep 3 minutes.
The sticky rice flavor is very prominent! Mixed with the aged tea it provides very earthy characters like barley, mushroom, beef broth. A difficult flavor for western taste buds, but could make an excellent accompaniment for a hearty meal.

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74

Steep 2.5 mins. – Maximum steep time recommended
If you like jasmine scented teas, you will definitely recognize the thoroughbred quality of this concoction. The jasmine flowers have been delicately picked and blended expertly with the green leaf/silver bud mix. The tea leaves themselves are also of decent quality, with a light but classic sencha flavor that manages to poke through the jasmine. One thing I hate about many jasmine teas is the overwhelming flavor of the flower. This tea is a much better blend than many cheap, prepackaged alternatives (unless you oversteep of course!). I do not measure my water temperatures before brewing (sorry people, but I’ve got better things to do…maybe some day I can attain fully blown tea-nerdvana) but after having several cups of this at varying degrees, I would recommend using a lower water temperature, well below boiling. All in all, a very uplifting cup perfect for afternoon drinking.

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81

First cup. Steep 2 mins.
This tea produces a well-balanced broth that is most invigorating. Both hearty and calming, there are flavors of farm-fresh straw and dandelion. I am usually skeptical of tasting notes that seem to draw geographic attributes just from taste, but this one really does have a faint bouquet that remains in your chest like fresh breath of mountain air. Very drinkable.

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67

First cup. Steep 2 mins.
The scent of fresh cut alfalfa. Woodsy flavors of grass, lemon peel, barley. Similar to a dense genmai cha. A great accompaniment to steak, meat soups or stews, mushu, or pork BBQ.

Second cup. Steep 5 mins.
The first steep seems to have washed off most of the tannins. This cup is a much cleaner taste, slightly more floral.

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56

1st cup. Steep 1 minute. The smell of a mild breakfast tea. Fruity, like bubblegum or mangosteen/lychee. Hint of a nutty green or very mild iced tea from the American south. Flavor of fruit candy and marshmallow linger on the back of the tongue.

2nd cup. Steep 8 mins. Sticky fruit flavor manages to hang on despite bitterness released by the tannins. I have heard that Pu-erh can be steeped for up to 10 mins but maybe this is only true for cooked or very aged tea. More of a generic cup when steeped this long.

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