Being one that always shies away from lavender in teas, I wasn’t sure how I would feel about this tea. Secret Garden has a mix of lavender, jasmine green tea, dried roses, and rosehips. I loved all of the other components so I went ahead and gave the brew a try.
Rich gorgeous floral notes comforted me as I sipped this tea down, cup after cup. Subtle romantic tones really give this tea that soothing comforting feel. The lavender is present but not overwhelming. You more or less get that familiar lavender after taste. As you drink the tea, you are enveloped with the jasmine green tea perfection with the sweetness of the dried roses.
All in all, a well balanced floral tea that I will want more of soon. The perfect tea to grab a blanket, a book, and snuggle up for a cozy afternoon!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Pinch of Geek
Description
The Secret Garden tea is named after the classic English children’s book about a young girl in a magical English garden. This tea is a strong floral bouquet meant to inspire dreams of walking in the English countryside. It is a jasmine green tea with rose and lavender. This tea does have medium caffeine levels. This tea blend has no artificial flavorings or added oils. There are no added sugars or flavorings.
Because this tea requires some preciseness to balance the flavors, I only offer this tea in sachets. You can order the bagged tea in 10 or 20 sachets. Steeping time is a little different: steep until the jasmine pearls open into leaves. You will be able to see through the sachet to remove promptly when leaf unfurl (3-4 mins). The jasmine tea tends to get bitter and “perfumey” tasting if over steeped.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Imperial Jasmine Green Tea from Teasenz
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Teasenz
Tea Description:
Reserved for the imperial families since the Song Dynasty in 960 AD. All the appeal and flavor of green tea and enhanced by the aroma of jasmine flowers, Emporial Jasmine Green Tea has a subtly sweet taste and blooming fragrance. Light, soft, and perfumy with a delicate mouthfeel.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I have been craving a green jasmine tea for a bit now. I haven’t had any jasmine pearls in a bit so I thought this might be a great tea to try and calm my cravings.
Let’s start with how gorgeous this tea looks. Just simply gorgeous. One of those teas that makes you sit back and really take it all in. Twisty green and white like tea leaves. I can’t get over how much I love the look of this tea.
Now the aroma of this dry leaf is simply outstanding. You get everything. The sweet grassy like aromas of the green tea mingled in brilliantly with the floral aspects. This is one of those teas that once you smell it, your mouth starts to water.
I prepped my water and brewed the tea for a few minutes. I couldn’t wait to get the gorgeous fragrant brew into my mug. Took my first sip, and sadly, I honestly didn’t care for the flavor. For me, the floral aspects overtake everything else. Now this could absolutely be an error on my part and probably is. I may not have shaken the pouch up enough to distribute the flavors appropriately.
The only flavor I get is an overwhelming floral taste is even too much for this floral loving gal. Typically the more floral flavor there is the more I like it but this one isn’t that way.
For how gorgeous this tea is and how beautifully the cuppa smells, I think I need to take another swing at this tea. It has all the characteristics of being an amazing cuppa so I’m thinking I either oversteeped or overleafed.
I have adored all the other teas from this company, this is an ooops on me!
Yunnan White Jasmine from Verdant Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Verdant Tea
Tea Description:
New Spring 2012 Harvest!
This jasmine makes us understand what jasmine is all about. It starts with a silky smooth silver needle white tea from Yunnan with notes of cinnamon sweetness. Jasmine blossoms are scattered around the tea while drying for several nights in a row, and removed in the morning to be replaced by fresh blossoms, scenting the tea in the traditional method. The result is a perfectly integrated flavor, that starts off with the textures of a white tea, and sweetness drawn out and extended by a silky jasmine aroma. Continue steeping this out, and an intriguing apricot jam flavor starts to come out and compliment the subtle spice of the yunnan white. In later steepings there is even the slightest hint of pine needle.
ICED: Perfumed florals are more potent, with an exquisite silky texture and notes of melon and banana fruit salad.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I was so pleased to sample this tea. I was surprised at the first flavor note I tasted being that of nut, rather than jasmine. Interesting because I have not really noticed anyone else picking up on that in other reviews, and it is not listed on the Verdant site as being a flavor note in the tea. Everyone experiences their tea in their own way though. I find the jasmine to be natural and light in the first steeping. A light sweetness and a slight rock mineral quality, but no one note is standing out in the first steep beyond the nutty flavor I am now so focused on. The mouthfeel is creamy, and the cup color is very pale yellow, almost beige, and quite clear. The after flavor is somewhat vegetal but only so slightly, more like a green tea than the after taste of a white, but lovely. Everything about this steep is slight, delicate, gentle. Now I am not saying I detect absolutely no jasmine in the flavor, I do, but even then it is faint and does not make me declare this a strong jasmine tea. I think however that is what is so lovely about this cup, the jasmine is so natural that it does not make you feel assaulted by its note. Toward the end of the cup of this first steep I am beginning to pick up on hints of a baked sugar confection flavor. Quite enjoyable!
In the second steep more of the notes come forward and the color of the brew is slightly darker. There are some lightly cinnamon notes but to me they come over as more like a black pepper which is delightful and awakens the senses. This note is detectable both in the aroma and flavor. Fruity notes are also coming forward which taste like red and blue berries. The sugar notes develop more as the cup cools. Jasmine is still of course a flavor note that is present but unlike many jasmine teas this one does not come over like grandma’s perfume! For those who have experienced a jasmine before and hated it – you must know that not all jasmine teas are created equal. There is a distinct difference between one that is done well and one that is not. This is done to perfection. A natural jasmine will taste, and for that matter smell far different than an artificial one. I leaned this long before my tea journey through natural perfumery and essential oil training. There is nothing quite like true jasmine.
Steep three evokes somewhat of a savory flavor palate with the citrus and linen notes in the background. There is a light drying sensation now on the tongue with grapefruit and orange notes. I am also detecting an oregano flavor. This is quite pleasing and surprising! I was not expecting the savory notes.
I am going to get many more steeps out of this tea!
All in all – a wonderful experience! I enjoyed this tea while listening to a Reiki CD and it was such a glorious way to welcome a new day!
Jasmine Tea from Byron Bay Tea Company
Tea Type: Green Tea
Where To Buy: Byron Bay Tea Company
Product Description:
This delicately flavoured jasmine tea features freshly rolled green tea leaves scented with exotic jasmine blossoms. Cool and refreshing, with a beautifully floral scent, this is a favourite among Chinese tea-drinkers.
Ingredients- Green Tea (Camellia sinensis) scented with Jasmine flowers.
Tasters Review:
This is an INCREDIBLE Jasmine! Most of you know I usually don’t get all warm and fuzzy or overly excited about Jasmine Teas! BUT… I really didn’t know Jasmine could taste like this! It’s truly amazing!
It’s very sweet and clean and SMOOTH…it’s very soothing…
There is NO stale or perfumy type after taste that lingers (in a bad way) if you know what I mean!
This is MY KIND OF JASMINE!!!! This just may be my favorite Jasmine to date! This one REALLY surprised me and was very memorable! Nicely done, Byron Bay Tea Company!
