The Jasmine Pearl Tea Company

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.

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.

I went to Jasmine Pearl with a family member today and she ordered a pot of this. I ended up drinking a cup of this since we ended up sharing our pots. It was delicious! I don’t really have much to add as I drank it fairly quickly. I’ve found that Jasmine Pearl really excels at their green teas and of course green tea is my favorite! Sadly I was so indecisive on picking a green tea (I wanted to buy them all) that I didn’t end up purchasing one. I opted for a pu-erh and a chai instead. Between the two of us we ended up taking four teas home to try.

Although the roast isn’t heavy, it’s enough that the bright floral aroma of a green Taiwanese oolong has been deepened slightly, blending well with the nutty note brought out by the roast. Once the leaves open up in my gaiwan, it’s easy to see the two teas that make up this blend. Some of the leaves are a little smaller and more heavily oxidized, while the others are larger, nicer looking, more typically Taiwanese pairs of greener leaves, leaving no ambiguity as to which ones are Gui Fei and which are Jade.

While the mouthfeel is a bit thin at first, it does thicken up later and sticks to the back of my throat, which combined with the floral and honey notes gives the impression of wildflower honey. It’s quite fruity as well, with a pleasantly sour lemony note early on and various stone fruits coming and going throughout the session, peaches and apricots being the most obvious. Cinnamon shows up in the first half of the session, while the second half gets more woody. The last infusion has a wonderful finish of honeyed peaches that doesn’t want to end.

If my description makes this sound like a powerful flavor bomb, don’t get the wrong idea. It’s not. The experience is more in the aroma and the sweet, long lasting aftertaste than the flavor when it’s in your mouth, so I wouldn’t suggest this to someone who can only appreciate a tea with a strong flavor.

Don’t be afraid to pour just boiled water and brew this for a very, very long time. Unlike a lot of oolongs, especially Dancongs, this tastes best with long infusions. The mouthfeel thickens, it gets sweeter, more aromatic, more complex, and the sweet honey, fruity, floral aftertaste lasts longer.

Another pick from my Sips By box. I have loved this subscription so much. Sure, it’s not enough tea to get me through a month, but I love the variety.

First of all, I’m impressed by the sleek black packaging. I love the sort of turn-of-the-century style. Very cool, looks good on my kitchen counter.

As far as Ceylons go, this one is sort of different. It’s very smooth and the leaves are gorgeous. Long, elegant, and in great shape. Very low tannins with a nice woodsy note. The fruit flavor isn’t overwhelming or artificial. It’s on the milder side, very natural. It sort of compares to Harney & Sons’ version. It tastes more like dried mango than mango juice.

Anyway, I’m going to have to check this company out. I’d like to see what else they have to offer.

Found this in bulk at Whole Foods! I’m not big into puerh, so I kind of stumble through the steeping process a bit. Did a 20 second rinse that smelled very fishy and had me worried. Steeped it for under a minute after that and for the first half of my cup it tasted like new leather shoes… in a delightful sort of way. Probably helps that I’m into Irish whiskeys and like leather, peat and smoke flavors. The rest of the cup has a much more mellow taste, but it doesn’t loose the leather flavor. I’ll be steeping this some more throughout the day!

And a sipdown!
I enjoyed this, but I didn’t love it. It shall not be a repeat performance.
The spices never balanced perfectly with the tea, alas. However it was nice on a cold morning.

My Black Friday orders are starting to arrive, and so I am keeping an eye on cupboard proportions, and still working on sipping down.
I am close to the end of this little tin, and while I enjoy it, I don’t think it will be a repeat performance.

My morning cup.
This is a bit touchy! I keep getting the bitter edge out, so I really need to keep an eye on my steep time here.

This was my morning pot, and I’m afraid that its a bit bitter this morning.
Its apparently one of the more sensitive of my blends, where a little too long in the pot can make it take a bitter edge.
Ehh. Oh well.

I wanted chai this morning, and chai I shall have.
I oversteeped this a little, which does not make it undrinkable, but it does rather pack a serious whack of spices.
Still, thats an acceptable thing on a morning with a decided chill in the air.

Adventures in tea drinking!
My morning sachet of this completely overturned, dumping all the loose leaf into the cup, where it pooled at the bottom like a malevolent seaweed cluster.
I strained the leaf out, and was left with a really rather nice cup of this warming chai. A good glend for a morning.

Part of my sipdown mania is fueled by the fact that I have plenty of teas I have not yet tasted in my cupboard! Shameful. Time to get sipping.
I bought this on a little trip I took back in September, and have not yet tried. Well, the madness stops today! A pot of this shall be my morning treat.
This is a nice chai. Its got a nice spiciness without being overwhelming, so its a very warm cup of spices.
I’m glad I have this! Its really nice!

And its a sipdown!
I enjoyed this, but didn’t find it memorable, and probably won’t get it again.