The Jasmine Pearl Tea Company

TTB! Ha, it may be partially due to the soy milk I added, but this really reminds me of soy sauce. I don’t taste much chocolate, just some desserty soy sauce. I shared the cup with my partner, who said it tastes like good quality hot chocolate.

Why yes, I did think that The Jasmine Pearl Tea Co. might be a store that specializes in jasmine-based blends. It is not! It’s a generalist store that makes their own blends.
I’m really torn about this one. I don’t hate it but I do think that the balance is a bit off. It’s extremely lavender-heavy, almost to a soapy extent. Somewhere under all that lavender is a floral jasmine, with a hint of lemon at the end of the sip. I’m not picking up on the hojicha at all. If this blend wasn’t so heavy-handed with the lavender I’d probably keep it. Alas.

2025 TTB #16

This certainly isn’t the most original flavor combination, but this company does it well! The puerh adds a nice depth and richness to the chocolate flavor and the peppermint is present without being overpowering. Even my husband (who isn’t much of a tea person) commented that this was really tasty! May be hanging on to this one.

Someone else in the house just made a cup of this and had me take a few sips. I hate it. I get some green tea and lemongrass, but there was a weird flatness accompanied by something bitter and something unknown. It was gross. The cup was dumped, the tea removed from the cupboard and my mouth washed out. Not into it.

Yup, this is amaretto. It’s well balanced, but on the lighter side. There is a slight sweetness to it. I don’t know that I really get the spice part of it, but maybe it melds so much with the amaretto that it doesn’t stand out. I like this better as it cools, but I’m not crazy about it which surprises me because I do love almond flavoring in my tea. Maybe my feelings will change with time.

I met someone this summer who had lots of good things to say about this tea company, so I thought I’d give it a try. So far I’ve been mostly unimpressed. I was excited about a flavored puerh, but this isn’t as interesting as I had hoped. It’s kind of bland. The mint comes through more as a feeling than a taste. I can feel the cool tingle of the mint, but not really taste the flavor of it. The tea base seems very neutral too. I woudln’t have guessed this was a pu. The flavors all seemed muddled into an incomprehensible cup. Another into the reject bin.

I’m not feeling this one. I’m trying and have had cups multiple times, but it’s just not there. I had to add creamer to make the flavors pop a little. It’s like the wateriest of chocolate milks. Is milks the plural of milk? Anyways… this tea is trying, but really has nothing going for it. It’s easy to drink down the cup mindlessly because it’s in front of me, but it’s a neutral experience that I don’t pay attention to. Into the get rid of bin it goes!

Sipdown! I ordered from this company for the first time this summer and this has been my favorite blend from that order. It’s well balanced, yet dark, broody and comforting. The chocolate flavors go well with the puerh base and the cherry makes it more complex. It reminds me of Lupicia’s Chocolate Strawberry Puer, but not as bright. I think it’s too close of a match to that other one to win a permanent spot in my cupboard, but I’d never turn down another cup of it.

For the sipdown prompt, “a chocolate tea.”

The dry leaf for this tea smells absolutely incredible, with a strong cocoa and berries vibe which sends my brain to either chocolate-covered cherries or very dark, fruity-noted cocoa from South America.

Brewed, the scent of the pu-erh base comes forward, earth and spicy, but the cocoa and fruit notes are still present on the nose. The flavor is very smooth; I’m not a fan of pu-erh but do enjoy it as a base in blends if the blending is done right, and this one is really hitting the spot. The tea doesn’t really have that earthy dirt taste I dislike, but still has the thick, dark qualities of the base, and the flavor has notes of chocolate, vanilla, and a berry note that is sort of a cross of dark cherry and blueberry on my tongue.

Love this! Would easily pick this up again if I were to peruse Jasmine Pearl again.

For the sipdown prompt, “a breakfast tea.”

I purchased this on the last vacation I took, which was to Portland in 2019 (so long ago… sigh…) The tea smelled amazing in the shop, and as I really like lavender, I decided to take a bag of this home.

It’s quite disappointing, though. The base is really strong and I haven’t figured out a way to prepare it yet where it doesn’t turn unpleasantly astringent. And while I like the clementine oil used to flavor the tea, which creates a really sharp, tangy, and authentic orange taste, it completely dominates the cup. I don’t taste the vanilla or honey flavoring at all, nor the lavender.

I like it a little better as a coldbrew than the warm cup I had, since I find the strong clementine flavor on the brisk base makes a pretty good iced tea, and a subtle floral note pops out toward the end of the sip… but it still comes out a bit astringent-tasting. Next time, I’ll add a generous dollop of honey to the iced tea mason jar.

If the balance between all the elements were better, I’d probably be more impressed. As is, rather disappointing and not a tea I’ll miss once I work through the pouch.

Had two steepings of this sample that came with my order. It was good. There was a slight medicinal quality to it, but the berg and lavender were solid with a descent amount of flavor. I’d drink another cup, but I wouldn’t order it. Zhi Tea’s Violet Femme holds the space in my heart and cupboard for lavender EGs.

Sipdown.

I added more leaf and increased the steeping time a bit, since last time this was somewhat bland for me.

Well, the flavor is stronger, but I actually like it less because the lavender is really popping out. Not being a fan of lavender, it’s not for me.

Removing the rating since I feel a bit biased here…

From an old Sips By box (April 2019).

Okay, I had a good laugh at the other tasting note for this tea. I wonder how cookies is doing…

I do not find that this tastes like wet dog. Mostly it’s a malty Assam base with a few hints of things added on. There’s a touch of honey, and bit of lavender, and some sharp tangerine-like citrus zest going on. The base has a bit of raisin to it as well, and a touch of bitterness and astringency.

For me, it’s just okay. The base is a bit too ho-hum to have such subtle flavoring. If it were a more interesting Assam, maybe I would feel differently about it. I admit, I am glad the lavender is very light, as it’s not my favorite flavor to begin with…

I have a couple more cups’ worth of this, so we’ll see if it grows on me at all.

Oh this is a good blend. A solid breakfast tea. I can taste the roses and cardamom together this time around (not sure if I got both last time), and it’s such a nice combo. I don’t know if this company is still around, I need to look, but if so I’d definitely order more of this. I’d kind of like to compare it to a chai, but it’s really much more than that. The base is rich, the cardamom makes itself known, and then the rose comes in and lightens everything slightly. Really just a lovely cup.

Edit: It’s still available!

I like this one! Cardamom in the dry blend, ginger in the sip.

Received this tea as a sample in the December Sipsby box and have really enjoyed it. It smells lovely-with the amaretto and cinnamon really shining through – but the flavor of the tea is surprisingly subtle and smooth.

I actually got this tea as a sample in my December Sips By box.
I was a bit hesistant to try it as I am not an amaretto fan and I don’t care for almond scented/flavored anything (though I LOVE almonds themselves)
The smell is quite strong, but I forged ahead.
And I am SO glad I did.
I drank the first quarter mug or so with no sugar and no milk.
It was good, just the right hint of sweetness and I thought the cinnamon tasted lovely. Not overpowering.
Then I added about a quarter cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk (I use Orgain, since it’s slightly creamier than most other almond milks) and it just bumped it up to a whole other level.
The creaminess from the almond milk with the slight sweet cinnamon-y-ness of the tea was just perfection.

11/21/18

After trying Earl Grey tea and enjoying it, I thought I would try more black tea. I am trying to drink less coffee and substitute for tea instead, because I have found that I really enjoy the tea making process. It is very relaxing and I have felt that it calms my nerves and helps when I am very stressed out. This Ceylon Black tea tasted average in regards to flavor. It was nothing special, but it was definitely decent. What I noticed the most though was how much energy I had after drinking it. I purposely chose a black tea because of how much caffeine it contains. It was a very nice change from coffee and provided similar effects. I will definitely be trying some more black teas now. I will probably drink this Ceylon Black tea again at some point.

10/10! Jasmine tea is the always the man, and the lavender only adds to the experience.