Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green (Flowering)
Where to Buy: Dragon Tea House
Tea Description:
A delicate flower blooms inside this ball tea just before tiny flowers slowly cascade upward like Champagne bubbles. The flowers add their enlivening fragrance and strong taste to this delectably smooth green tea. Our Ball offers one of the most artful spectacles in tea. This blooming tea has an original shape of an tiny ball and when put in boiling water a bouquet of tea leaves and flower. The aromas of both flowers and tea leaves are very well preserved and these exceptional teas develop a wonderful flavor and create at the same time a beautiful “table decoration”.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This tea is really beautiful, and I am thrilled at how quickly the leaves opened to reveal the display of flowers inside. Sometimes, with blossoming teas like this, it takes two or sometimes even three infusions before the tea bulb fully opens, but, I got a beautiful show after steeping for just four minutes.
The flavor is a little less impressive. It tastes alright, don’t get me wrong, and I was able to drink not just the first cup but a second infusion as well, and I enjoyed them both.
This has a stronger green tea taste than some of the other blooming teas, and that may have something to do with it. It has a stronger vegetal taste, and a very faint jasmine note. It’s pleasant enough, and as I continued to drink, a soft buttery tone developed that I liked.
While these pictures are really lovely, I have to say that I think it’s even more breathtaking in person. If you’ve not yet brewed a blooming tea, what are you waiting for? You should get yourself a glass teapot or mug, and try some blooming teas! I have a mug with a glass infuser, which makes it very easy to enjoy the unfurling of the leaves, the finished display, and it is also very easy to remove the tea from the mug to enjoy the tea. I don’t drink blooming teas very often, I would say that I try to have one at least once a week, if for no other reason than the release of stress that I get from watching the unfurling process.
And while this isn’t my favorite blooming tea that I’ve ever had, I will say that I’m really impressed with Dragon Tea House’s vast selection of teas, including some Yellow teas. Fair prices too!
Two Dragons and a Pearl from Teavivre
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Teavivre
Tea Description:
When you brew Two Dragons, two arms of jasmine and globe amaranth petals will slowly expand upwards cupping a single marigold flower – and so it is given the name of Two Dragons and a Pearl. Thanks to the jasmine and amaranth, this tea has a wonderful sweet, flowery aroma and taste. The taste is long-lasting and will survive 2 or 3 infusions.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This is the third and final tea from my Steepster Select box from February: Year of the Dragon. It is a very slow-to-open blooming tea from Teavivre. It’s fun to watch it slowly unfurl to reveal the beautiful flowery display tucked inside the handcrafted bulb.
The instructions suggest using boiling water and 2 minutes steep time. However, I couldn’t bear to pour boiling water over these bulbs, I was afraid I’d burn them. Instead, I heated the water to 185°F, and steeped for 2 1/2 minutes. Only a few leaves opened away from the bulb, so, I infused it a second time, adding 1 minute onto the steep time. With the second infusion, the bulb expanded more, revealing hints of the colors of the display, but, still did not open fully. 
It wasn’t until the third and final infusion that the bulb fully opened, revealing a beautiful orange flower at the base of the leaves, and jasmine “arms” that reach up to hold a gorgeous red flower. The photo to the right doesn’t begin to do justice to how lovely this bloom really is.
The tea from the first infusion was a very gentle flavored tea, with notes of jasmine and hints of fresh grass and hay. It was delicious, but I do think it could have improved with a longer steep time. Perhaps a hotter water would have produced more flavor as well, but again, having scorched more than my share of green and white teas in my past, this is something I do not wish to repeat.
The second infusion provided a much more flavorful cup. The flavor is sweet and floral, and the tea tastes fresh and even a little creamy. Very smooth, with no notable astringency or bitterness. The third infusion was a little less flavorful, but still was quite enjoyable … and even though the flavor had waned a little, the splendor of the bulb finally opening fully made it worth the effort to steep it a third time.
Another lovely tea experience from Teavivre. I’ve come to expect greatness from them, and they’ve yet to fail!
Elixir of Love from Alice’s Fine Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White (Blooming Tea)
Where to Buy: Alice’s Fine Teas
Tea Description:
Sweeping jasmine arch over a bright lily. This tea is mellow, even buttery, with a hint of sweetness from the jasmine. Absolutely delightful! Ingredients: Lily (said to enhance energy and to have a cooling effect), Jasmine (sweet fragrance, said to moisten the skin, ease anxiety and anti-inflammatory) and Silver Needle Tea
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
What a beautiful display! The pale green leaves of the tea open up to reveal a red-orange flower and an arch of white blossoms. Really pretty. This is a tea you’ll want to be sure to steep in a tall glass or teapot so that you can fully experience the bloom as it unfurls.
The color of the tea surprised me, it is a bit darker than other blooming teas that I’ve tried. It is still a light color – I’d say it’s light amber – but darker than the pale yellow liquor that I’ve experienced with other blossoming teas.
The flavor is delightful. It is sweet, smooth and floral, but, not in a soapy kind of way. The flavor of the white tea is prominent. It has a fresh, airy kind of flavor with notes of hay and sweet grass.
There is a creamy element to this tea as well – buttery – and a mouthfeel that complements the creaminess. The floral notes are definitely jasmine, with a lighter lily tone than I recall tasting with the Jasmine Fairy Blossoming Tea (also from Alice’s Fine Teas).
What a delightful tea experience – one that would be fun to share with friends.
Halo Blooming Tea from The Persimmon Tree
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: The Persimmon Tree
Tea Description:
A beautifully hand-crafted blooming white tea that displays a ring of jasmine and amaranth flowers, with blueberry and peach essence.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
There are those who avoid blooming teas because they think they’re gimmick-y and that the tea they produce does not taste up to par. I used to be one of them! But, since that time, I have found quite a few blooming teas that are quite delicious. This blooming tea – Halo from Persimmon Tree Tea – is one of my newest favorites!
This tea is slow to unfurl; it did not completely open after the first infusion of five minutes. I infused the partially open bulb again, and after the second infusion of six minutes, I enjoyed a beautiful display. There was a white floral arch that extended to support a pretty bright pink flower.
In the first infusion, I found the floral tones to be sweet and soft, and they meld quite nicely with blueberry and peach flavors. The flavor of the white tea lends a delicate creamy note to the cup. With the second infusion, the floral notes were a bit stronger, but it was still a very delicious cup.
This is a really lovely blooming tea. I think it would be a perfect tea to serve at a tea party, it would surely make a great conversation starter!
Jasmine Fairy Blooming Tea from Alice’s Fine Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White (Blooming Tea)
Where to Buy: Alice’s Fine Teas
Tea Description:
Our Jasmine Fairy starts out as a ‘mushroom’ shape ball. White jasmine and beautiful lily hide inside the silver needle tea. Pouring boiled water causes the red lily petals to rise up trying to follow the white jasmine dancing light-footed like a fairy flying in the sky. This fragrant tea tastes smooth and sweet. Ingredients: Jasmine (sweet fragrance, said to moisten the skin, ease anxiety and anti-inflammatory), Lily (said to enhance energy and to have a cooling effect), Silver Needle Tea
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
It’s been a while since I’ve had a blooming tea, so I decided that now was the time. I have really enjoyed the blooming teas that Alice’s Fine Teas offers, so I was pretty confident I’d enjoy this one too.
After steeping for six minutes in 175°F water, the bloom was open, but, I fear that my glass cup was not quite tall enough to see the full effect of the white floral extension (as shown in the photo above). To the right, you’ll see what the bloom appeared like with a slightly shorter glass. Still beautiful, even though the extension was not fully visible.
But even more important (at least to me) is the flavor of the tea, and I am not at all disappointed with the flavor of this blooming tea. It is light, sweet, and even a little creamy! The floral notes are present but in keeping with the overall lightness of the tea, and they do not overwhelm the flavor of the silver needle tea.
The floral is not entirely jasmine here, as I can taste the lily flavor too. I like that even though it is a combination of flowery flavors, it doesn’t taste like perfume or soap. It tastes more like … spring. Like the freshness of spring: crisp air, full of life as the flowers begin to bloom after winter’s frosty chill.
A very fun and delicious tea!