I love the way jasmine smells, and I love jasmine in tea. I just thought I should get that out of the way. ;-)
The smell in the container is of, of course, jasmine, but also a toasty note that I don’t typically associate with Chinese green teas.
The jasmine scent from the tea after steeping is really deep. It’s a sultry jasmine rather than a perky jasmine. The tea is a medium yellow and clear.
The flavor is pretty intensely jasmine, but unlike other Chinese green jasmines I’ve had, this one actually evokes the jasmine flower rather than the jasmine “flavor.” There’s a freshness to it, as though I’m tasting the petals from a fresh flower. I can also taste the green tea in and among the jasmine, and I often have an issue with jasmine greens where I really can’t distinguish the tea base. Perhaps it’s that toastiness that makes this one stand out. But it doesn’t taste toasty. It’s not smoky like gunpowder green. It’s a darker flavor though, sort of like gunpowder without the smoke but not quite as dark.
I am quite enjoying this. I have a jasmine oolong on the agenda for later this afternoon before we leave for no. 2’s birthday dinner. I’m hoping to stop at Bed, Bath and Beyond on the way and pick up some tools so I can season the little Yixing. Speaking of that, I really need to find my matcha bowl. It’s been bugging me that I can’t find it. I should apply myself to a search tomorrow.
Flavors: Flowers
You might try to fix rice with it. I couldn’t find the recipe under their site but I’ve had Tea Sorbet at Anna Marie’s. It was fantastic and so refreshing. I’ll ask them about it next visit. Recipe Chimp had plenty of ideas that I can’t wait to try:
http://www.recipechimp.com/search.php?search=Jasmine+tea
Thanks! I will definitely have to try that :)