I don’t know if the sample of jasmine green tea in the green tea sampler bag is the premium or the superfine, but I will put the review here for now. It looks like most other Jasmine Dragon Pearls, and it smells quite lovely. This one is particularly nice, because it has a strong scent that isn’t overpowering.
The leaf size is smaller, and if the sample I have is the one leaf:one bud ratio, then it does take more tea to get the same flavor. It has a more predominant floral taste, and the tea itself is lighter in color, though if you let it sit, its color deepens to amber.
The first time I brewed this, I only used 15 pearls, because I assumed that it would brew the same way. I set the temperature to 185 as recommended on the package, then steeped it for a little over two minutes. The result was rather flavorless, and because I kept the tea in the bag, the pearls didn’t really open. That was my mistake. I eventually emptied the tea into the pot and they unfurled, but it didn’t make a strong enough tea until I let it sit for a while. So, to brew this tea, you will need to use more of the pearls. That being said, this tea makes other lower quality dragon pearls look bitter, even after a rather long steeping period.
I wouldn’t recommend this tea for someone just trying Jasmine Dragon Pearls, simply because for the price I think it would take longer to find the best method for brewing it. That being said, I would definitely use this tea for entertaining guests. I like that it has a much more prominent jasmine flavor. Even the tea itself has a different profile, though I doubt I could describe it without drinking more of it.
