Well Steepster seems to be back up so I can backlog this one. Sipdown, 179.
This is an old sample but it also has been heat-sealed in an airtight foil-lined pouch so I don’t feel like it would have degraded that much. I have to say that the smell of the leaf was less sweet jasmine and more bitter jasmine, like what happens if you cold steep a jasmine tea too long. Sometimes I just want to bury my nose in the dry leaf of a jasmine tea and be enveloped in the aroma; this was not one of those teas.
However upon steeping it really mellowed out. The jasmine was obviously the main event here but it was soft and slightly sweet. I think this tea made me realize that silver needles are not my favorite vehicle for jasmines; I think I prefer pearls or even just a fresh jasmine green. It’s those hayish, brothy notes really; at times this almost seemed savory, which is kind of odd in a jasmine.
All of that makes it sound like I didn’t enjoy it, but I did. I had steeped up half the sample pouch, drank it, and then said heck with it I am going to steep up the second half and have another cup. It was pleasant and tasty, and it was a nice accompaniment to the afternoon.
