Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Red Leaf Tea
Tea Description:
Of all the blossoms that are indigenous to Eastern Asia, the jasmine flower is perhaps the most popular and giving Jasmine Supreme tea its flavor. We have developed this unique blend of green tea and jasmine petals to bring the essence of the night-blooming vine to you. Infused with jasmine blossoms for hours at a time during several heating sessions, Jasmine Supreme Green Tea is a perfect floral tea.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I was excited to try this Jasmine tea. I’m generally excited to try Jasmine teas because I love a good Jasmine. Unfortunately, this isn’t as supreme as the name of the tea led me to believe it would be.
The flavors are TOO floral. Oh, sure, I realize that Jasmine teas are supposed to be floral, but the floral notes here seem to taste more like a flavored jasmine rather than a scented one. As in, flavored with jasmine oil rather than scented with jasmine flowers. The description says that the jasmine flowers infused the leaves with their essence so I’m not going to question the validity of that, all I’m saying is that this is a highly floral to the point of tasting perfume-ish Jasmine tea.
To steep this, I used my Breville One Touch and added 2 scoops of the tea to the basket of the tea maker and added 500ml of water to the kettle. I set the parameters for 175°F for 2 minutes. Perhaps less time would make a better cuppa? I don’t know.
The green tea is a soft green tea with buttery notes and a silky texture, and I feel like I’d really like this if the floral notes were not so potent. As it is, though, I don’t drink perfume and I can’t finish the cup. Sad, because I truly like this company – and they do have many wonderful teas. This just isn’t one that I can recommend.
Buckingham Palace Garden Party Tea Blend from English Tea Store
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black & Green
Where to Buy: English Tea Store
Tea Description:
The Buckingham Palace Garden Party tea loose leaf blend from English Tea Store is a delicate medium tea with a hint of Earl Grey and Jasmine. This is a lighter afternoon tea.
Every May, the Queen holds a garden party at Buckingham Palace, a lovely English springtime tradition. The tea that is served is a long time favorite, a delicious Palace medley specially selected for this occasion. Intriguing hints of high-grown pure Ceylon Earl Grey blend effortlessly with the soft jasmine from Fujian Province. Couple this with malty Assam (from the estate of Borengajuli) flavory Dimbula Ceylon (from Hatton), brisk and golden cup East of Rift Kenya (from Kambaa and Kagwe) and you have one of the most flavorful teas to come from the British Isles. Each cup is a cup of mystery – the flavors all come to the fore at separate times – one minute you taste the Earl Grey, the next second you can almost feel the soft floral notes of jasmine and finally you get the satisfying fullness of the Assam Ceylon and Kenya blend. Enjoy this tea and be a part of the annual tradition in the west gardens of Buckingham Palace, without having to dress up.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This Buckingham Palace Garden Party Tea is an example of a tea that I should have read the description of before I brewed it, because by simply looking at the loose leaf, it is difficult to tell that it’s a blend of black and green teas. I should have used a slightly lower temperature to steep this tea! And there is some bitterness as a result. I steeped this for 3 minutes using boiling water, and I think I should have used water that was closer to 180°F. Even with the bitterness, it isn’t a bad tasting tea, but I think it could be better. Unfortunately, I don’t have more of this tea to experiment with it.
The aroma is lovely! I can smell the bergamot and the jasmine, but neither offers an overpowering fragrance. This seems to be nicely balanced between the two classic ingredients of jasmine and bergamot.
The black tea is rich and flavorful. I can taste the malty notes of Assam and the aforementioned bitterness may be a result of the Assam’s presence in the blend. The bitterness is not something that I find off-putting as it’s not an intrusive flavor. It doesn’t get in the way of me tasting the other flavors of the tea nor does it get in the way of the enjoyment of the overall cup. I’d rather the bitterness not be there, of course, and if I had a little more of this tea, I’d experiment with it a little to figure out a better way to brew it so that the bitterness wasn’t present.
The green tea is a little less discernible than the black tea. This isn’t surprising, as green tea tends to have a lighter flavor than black tea. However, that isn’t to say that the green tea can’t be tasted because I definitely taste it’s softer, somewhat vegetal taste and a silky texture that is unmistakably green tea-ish.
The jasmine is a sweet, exotic note that compliments the tangy bergamot. The bergamot it not as strong as I typically like a bergamot in an Earl Grey blend, however, since this is a “garden party” blend (for Buckingham Palace, no less), I can let the softer bergamot slide because a stronger bergamot essence may very well overpower the delicate notes of jasmine and a good balance between the two has been achieved here. It’s a pleasantly floral, tangy cup that is very satisfying.
Overall, an enjoyable cup that I’d suggest as an afternoon cuppa. It’s not quite robust enough – in my opinion – to serve as a breakfast blend or that first cup of the day when you need that jump start. This is ideal to serve to guests though, and makes a lovely cup of tea to enjoy in the afternoon, even if your garden party is a party of one.
Jasmine Green Tea from Green Terrace Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Green Terrace Teas
Tea Description:
This tea gets its sweet, jasmine aroma through a scenting process in which freshly picked jasmine blossoms are repeatedly mixed with green tea. Known to have even greater health benefits than traditional green tea, this artisan tea is very fresh and soothing in character with a light and sweet floral aftertaste. Due to the intense flavor of the leaves, we recommend using fewer leaves and steeping with multiple short infusions of only 30 to 40 seconds. This tea makes an invigorating after-meal beverage.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve had quite a few Chinese jasmine teas, but I don’t recall having a Taiwanese jasmine tea until now. I might have had one or two, but none come to mind at the moment. And I think that if I had tried a Taiwanese Jasmine Green Tea like this one from Green Terrace Teas, I would have remembered! This is absolutely lovely!
I brewed this the way I would normally steep a jasmine green, but also taking into consideration the recommendations in the description above. I used a little less leaf than I normally would place in my gaiwan (normally I use a bamboo scoop, this time, I measured that out, and then I poured a little off the scoop), and I started with a rinse of 15 seconds and then started steeping for 45 seconds, and added 15 seconds onto each subsequent infusion. I combined the first six infusions into my Yi Xing mug, and that’s what I’m sipping now.
And as I said … it’s LOVELY! The jasmine is strong but not overpowering. I am getting a beautiful floral note that is sweet and exotic tasting but it doesn’t taste soapy or perfume-ish.
It’s very similar to a Chinese jasmine, except that the green tea here is distinctly different. This tastes less grassy and more sweet. It has a slightly creamy texture to it that I don’t often experience with Jasmine green teas, and I’m enjoying how this creaminess melds with the sweet flowery notes.
This is incredibly smooth and creamy and delightful! Another amazing tea from Green Terrace Teas!
Jasmine Special Grade Green Tea from Simple Loose Leaf
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Learn more about Simple Loose Leaf here.
Tea Description:
Enjoyed for centuries in China, Jasmine tea is an extremely popular scented tea. Special Grade Jasmine is a quality green tea with long, dark twisted leaves and sweet jasmine buds that produces a blonde liquor and delicate jasmine flavor. A delicious tea for any occasion.
Ingredients: Jasmine Special Grade Green Tea
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about Simple Loose Leaf’s Selection Club subscription program here.
Taster’s Review:
I think that August’s Selection Club box from Simple Loose Leaf is my favorite box yet! Take a look at the selections that came with this box: Lady Earl Grey (I mean … hey, if you’ve read very many of my reviews at all, you know that I’m all about the bergamot, right?), Blueberry White (I absolutely LOVED this and it’s phenomenal served iced!), Milk Oolong (Um … YUM!) and even the honeybush was really nice. And now, I’m drinking Jasmine! Yep, I love August’s box!
And I’m loving this Jasmine Green tea. I steeped it in my gaiwan, starting with a 15 second rinse, and then I steeped the leaves for 45 seconds using 180°F water, and then I strained the liquid into my special Jasmine Yi Xing Mug. I steeped the leaves four more times, adding 15 seconds onto each subsequent infusion, until my mug was full with yummy Jasmine goodness.
The flavor is sweet and delicate. The jasmine notes are not aggressive, they are soft and exotic and sweetly floral. These notes marry beautifully with the lush, lightly vegetative taste of the Chinese green tea.
The tea has a pleasant mouthfeel. It’s smooth throughout the sip and dry toward the finish. The aftertaste is sweet and lightly floral. A really enjoyable Jasmine tea.
To learn how you can join the Selection Club, click here. And don’t forget the coupon code for 25% savings. Just type in SISTERSELECTION25 in the coupon field and save 25%! This discount is applicable only to the monthly Selection Club subscription and not the retail selection of teas.
Earl of Anxi Blend from Verdant Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Verdant Tea
Tea Description:
Traditional Earl Grey is a classic, great for every season. With the Earl of Anxi, we start not with a black tea, but with our Master Zhang’s Hand-Picked Tieguanyin to give the bergamot a sweet, bright base and reinforce the floral citrus notes. We draw out the citrus sweetness with a uniquely creamy and rich orange peel, and crystallize the florals into a prominent position with jasmine blossoms.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This is really a unique take on Earl Grey – unique but very enjoyable!
What is so remarkable about this blend is how incredibly balanced it is. This Earl of Anxi has a very balanced fragrance as well as flavor and the result is a very smooth tea. Unbelievably smooth!
Verdant Tea has found a way to balance all that is unique about Earl Grey to create an uncommonly smooth version of the classic tea. First, let’s think about the aroma of an Earl Grey tea, because let’s face it, that’s usually the first thing you notice about Earl Grey … that beautiful scent of bergamot! But the fragrant note of the bergamot is something that is noticeable not just by scent but also distinguishable by taste. That’s why sometimes bergamot in an Earl Grey can come off as “perfume-y” because one not only smells the heady aroma of the bergamot orange but also tastes it. Don’t believe me? Try plugging your nose when you drink Earl Grey and you’ll notice that it tastes different.
The way that the Oolong tea melds with the floral notes of the jasmine and the fruit tones of the orange and goji berry is really remarkable. It is so creamy and fluid. Smooth like silk.
To my recollection, I’ve only tried Frankincense in one or two other teas, but based upon my memory of those experiences, I can taste the Frankincense now. It has a somewhat perfume-ish quality to it, very aromatic and exotic to the nose and to the palate.
The frankincense and saffron offer contrast and balance to the fragrant flavor of the bergamot, as does the jasmine, while the goji berry accentuates the citrus tones. The oolong offers a creamy taste that is the basis for the smooth flavor and texture of the tea. It is the conduit for the incredible smoothness of this tea.
A sweet, beautifully balanced, delicately spiced, exotic cup of tea that is so delightful that it is almost impossible to describe. It is one of those teas that you MUST try to believe. It’s an amazing tea.