In the early days of my loose leaf tea drinking, I first encountered jasmine green tea pearls. I was working evening shifts at the college library and we had a small, varied supply of tea, mainly our favorite tea bags. But one night, one of my coworkers had brought in loose leaf teas they were looking to share. I was fascinated by these little green pellets in one of the tea canisters and dropped a few in mug even though we didn’t have tea bags or filters. I watched the balls of tea unfurl and fill my mug with flavor. Turns out they were jasmine green tea pearls, and I’ve had a nostalgic affinity for this kind of tea ever since.
The Jasmine Dragon Pearls from Enjoying Tea are beautiful little tea oddities. Tightly rolled pellets of tea, twined with both grey fuzzy buds, and olive green leaves. Brew them gently, despite their tight shape, these leaves are still green tea at heart, keep the temperature of your water a little cooler than normal.
The dry leaf was already heady and fragrant with jasmine blossoms. Brewed, the flowery notes continued to be pronounced, full and luscious like a bouquet of flowers in your hand. Beneath all that flower-power, the tea has a buttery base, with slightly earthy and savory undertones. The less sweet notes paired well against the powerful jasmine. The overtones of each sip carry the floral flavors, so sweet they are almost fruity.
Jasmine Dragon Pearls from Enjoying Tea lived up to my fond first memories of trying jasmine pearls from many years ago. Give this tea a try and make your own jasmine-scented memories!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Enjoying Tea
Description:
This green tea has a unique shape of a pearl and comes from the Chinese province of Fujian. These hand rolled pearls consisted of both leaves and bud. This tea has a sweet flavor with a flowery jasmine aroma. Researchers in Japan found that people who drink green regularly have a lower chance of getting cancer or developing heart diseases. Dragon Pearl is a great tasting healthy tea to drink regularly. We highly recommend it.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Cinderella from Kipers Lil Tea Shop. . .
I love the wonderful world of Etsy. You just never know what you will find wandering through the shops. I always like to see what possible gem of a tea shop I might stumble upon. You really just never know what you might find and I think I have found quite a gem the other day.
Kipers Lil Tea Shop offers quite a variety of hand blended teas, anything from herbal teas to flavored puerh blends. When I saw the picture of Cinderlla, I knew I had to try it.
Cinderella is a blend of puerh, calendula, hibiscus, red clover, jasmine, and a few other inclusions. The combination of puerh and jasmine instantly grabbed a hold of me and screamed-“You MUST try me NOW”. So I threw a few other teas into my cart and anxiously awaited by the mailbox for my beauties to arrive.
Finally the day came when this adorably packaged treat arrived. Inside were my tea samples telling me to prep my tea pot asap. Since this is a puerh, I prepped my water to 212F and allowed this tea to steep for 4 minutes, then cooled for an additional 3 minutes.
With being a blend of puerh and jasmine, I wasn’t sure what to think. Floral and dark teas don’t exactly sound like they belong, but I have to say, they really do. This tea blend is absolutely gorgeous! The dark tea tones provide such a dark and alluring flavor that is earthy, robust, and rich. Hibiscus tart notes yield a wonderful contrast to the puerh while the jasmine provides this slight floral hint. The rest of the inclusions give off this lovely herbal feel to finish the sip off. Such a unique pairing of flavors.
I couldn’t get enough of this cuppa and quickly prepped for a second infusion. I have to say, this tea didn’t steep up for a second cuppa like I thought the blend would. The flavors definitely did not come across as strong but I was still happy to get another cuppa of this wonderful tea.
I’m insanely gaga over this tea and over Kipers Lil Tea Shop. Currently there are around 60ish teas available to check out from this lovely gem of a tea shop and quite a few of them are now calling to me. . . .
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Kipers Lil Tea Shop
Description
Cinderella – A delightfully original blend of black tea, herbs and flowers create this one-of-a-kind herbal tea that will have you wanting more. Starting on a bed of Pu’erh black tea, I add in some Red Clover Herb & Blossoms, Catauba Bark (a known aphrodisiac), Calendula petals, Jasmine buds, and Hibiscus, and then for added “oomph” I sprinkled in some Vitex Chaste Berry (the “female-friendly” fruit).
The result is a taste unlike anything you have ever had, and you definitely won’t find this pre-bagged on a store shelf.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Dragon Pearl Jasmine from Teavivre
Jasmine – Take Me Away!
I swear this stuff is better than any bubble bath for soothing frayed nerves! My jasmine vines are in bloom which set me to hankering for some delicious jasmine tea.
The first jasmine tea I ever tasted was a painful experience. I will try to distance myself emotionally enough to recount it for you. It was EXACTLY like drinking perfume. Or soap. Or something nasty that was supposed to taste like a flower but tasted like chemicals instead. It was synthetically flavored with jasmine, and it showed.
Then along came Teavivre and they sent me a sample of jasmine tea and I nearly wept for sorrow. But then I tried it and….OH JOY! I was hooked. I have had nearly every jasmine tea they make and they are all good, but this may be my favorite, although Peach Jasmine Pearls and Silver Needle Jasmine are all in the running.
The scent caresses your poor overworked brain and then you sip the tea and just taste pure, smooth green tea with essences of naturally infused flavor. It resteeps, too, stretching that tea-buying dollar a little more.
Oh jasmine, jasmine, how do I love thee? I will never be without a Teavivre jasmine on my shelf. (I hope!)
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Teavivre
Description
Jasmine “Dragon Pearls” is a deliciously sweet green tea that combines the absolute highest quality green tea with a jasmine aroma and taste. Made from unopened bud and small leaf, this tea hand rolled into small balls, which slowly unfurl during brewing, releasing an amazing taste and aroma combination of green tea and sweet jasmine. Brewing a cup of this sweet, fragrant tea only requires a few tiny pearls!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Jasmine Tea Blend from Simpson and Vail. . . . .
I haven’t quite made up my mind on whether I like jasmine or not. When I think I do, I try something else that includes jasmine and then I wonder if I actually don’t. I was hesitant to try this Jasmine Tea Blend by Simpson and Vail because of this. However, I persevered and decided to go ahead and try anyways.
Jasmine smells really sweet and tastes that way too. I did not even add sweetener to the steeped cup. I do like this, but being 100% honest I feel like I need another component here. Like, maybe, apple jasmine…or vanilla jasmine…or maybe like a jasmine tangerine or something. But, just plain jasmine tea isn’t really doing it for me. That said, this is definitely a rich jasmine flavor. Its sweet, its floral, and its smooth.
I think that this would be a great cup to drink if I want to unwind in the evening after a nice bath. The smell of jasmine is definitely relaxing. I just don’t know if i’m all for straight floral tea. Like I said, I am longing for a second component. I do think that this is yummy, though, and I think that someone who enjoys floral teas or jasmine teas would really love this. Even if you aren’t sure whether you like floral tea, this would definitely be a tea to try it out. It is authentic and yummy. I have had great luck with Simpson and Vail and I really always enjoy their blends.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Simpson and Vail
Description
The process of producing Jasmine tea started in China sometime during the Song Dynasty (960-1279) using tea blended with Jasmine blossoms. Jasmine teas are created using different types of tea: white, oolong and green predominantly. The base teas used are picked, depending on the type of tea, from March to June, but the Jasmine blossoms do not bloom until the summer. So the teas are picked, processed and stored until the fresh blossoms can be added. The blossoms are picked in the morning when the dew has dried off the closed buds. The buds are then kept cool during the day and then in the evening, when the buds begin to open, they are mixed into the tea. After at least 4 hours, when the tea has absorbed the jasmine scent, the blossoms are removed and fresh buds are added. For standard grade jasmine teas, the blossoms are added 2 or 3 times. For premium grade jasmine teas, this process may be repeated up to 8 times. Once the blenders are satisfied that the tea has the appropriate amount of aroma, the tea is re-fired to remove the moisture that was introduced to the tea by the fresh jasmine blossoms. Jasmine tea destined to remain in China usually has the spent blossoms removed from the finished product, but with teas that are exported, jasmine blossoms are sometimes left in the finished tea for their appearance.
Historically the aroma of Jasmine blossoms was recommended for stress relief, depression and relaxation. For us, the aroma of Jasmine infused teas does have a profound ability to calm and relax!
This Jasmine tea, from the Fujian Province in China, is a scented oolong tea with a delicious jasmine flavor. The medium size tea leaves brew to a pale ecru cup with a strong jasmine bouquet.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Emily Dickinson’s Jasmine Tea Blend – Simpson and Vail. . . .
Now I have to start this off by saying that I am a sucker for author inspired tea blends. So it goes without saying that you are sure to find me reviewing more in the near future. Which shouldn’t be surprising since what is better than a cup of tea and a good book?
Now I think that this tea was simply delightful. It is not too strong and not too subtle, it has a perfect balance in my opinion. As a matter of fact when I was drinking this tea it was like it started to clear my head. Now I don’t mean completely like a lavender tea would do, but to the point where I could think about things. Now since I go to college I began to think about things I could do for my final that is coming up but not only that I can imagine this tea being a perfect companion when I am writing for a more creative venture.
I was also surprised that this tea had little to no dry notes in it whatsoever. And in my experience with jasmine, there would always be slight, somewhat powerful dryness to it. But I believe that this a soft and balanced tea because of the ingredients. The jasmine tea is a beautiful binder for the rose petals, jasmine blossoms, marigold petals and blue cornflower petals. It goes without saying if you have read any of my previous reviews, that I have always loved the pairing of jasmine and rose. In my book, jasmine and rose will always be the power couple.
Now when I was in the process of brewing my cup I had a look at the tea leaves and apart from the enjoyment of finding little jasmine blossoms I was happy to see plenty of blue cornflower petals. Now, for those who don’t know, my favorite tea of all time is Lady Grey and that contains, you guessed it, blue cornflower. And I believe that the blue cornflower is a perfect addition to this tea for it adds a nice subtle, sugary sweetness to the blend.
On top of the delightfully delicate tasting tea the price is not at all bad either. It is $9.75 for a 4 oz tin but if you don’t want the tin you can save about $3 and pay $6.90 for a bag of the same size. Along with a great price this tea also has deep connection with the talented poet we know as Emily Dickinson. As the description reads on the bottom of this review, this tea was based off of Ms. Dickenson’s garden, which was a place that she got most of her inspiration from for her poetry.
All in all, I believe that this a beautiful tribute to Emily Dickinson and I will be purchasing this for my ever growing collection of teas in the future. (My collection is very expansive. If you don’t believe me, head over to my Instagram and I usually post updates on how big it has gotten.)
See you for the next cuppa!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green Tea
Where to Buy: Simpson and Vail
Description:
Emily Dickinson was born on December 10th, 1830 and lived in a home that was central to Amherst political society thanks to her father and brothers. Growing up around powerful men prepared Dickinson for a life of the same, but society dictated that, as a woman, she was relegated to seemingly less meaningful ventures. Her anger at this slight comes across in her poetry and letters where she explored complex ideas of meaning and self while examining the smallest details of the world around her. She withdrew herself from society and lived in relative solitude until her death. Only a few of her poems were made public during her lifetime, but four years after her demise, a collection of poems was published and met with popular and critical acclaim. Her poems reveal a complicated mind that examined itself with as much attention to detail as it examined the world. Dickinson’s defiance of categorization and simplification make her a popular poet to study even today.
In the years she spent away from society, Emily Dickinson cultivated an extensive garden. In it, she grew jasmine flowers, cornflowers, roses, and many other flowers, plants and herbs. These flowers appear repeatedly in her poetry so our blend had to be floral. We created a delightful combination of jasmine tea and rose petals that brews to a light ecru cup with long green leaves and rose petal accents. This delicate tea hits you with a strong jasmine taste that’s sweetened and mellowed with the subtle flavors of the rose petals.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
