I wouldn’t have ordered this tea for myself, but it was in my Harney sachet sampler pack so I thought I would give it a try. When I think of jasmine, I think of flowers. I know it is very common, but flowery tea does not sound enticing to me in any way. I like bold, black teas, and fruity teas, and green teas, and mint teas, but I have never thought to myself, “This tea needs more flowers.”
Setting those thoughts aside, I brewed up a cup at the parameters suggested by several other Steepsterites. The dry sachet had a strong scent for having only eight or nine tea pearls inside, but after a three minute soak, the sachet was completely filled with unfurled leaves. The tea smelled floral, but not overwhelmingly so, and was a pale yellow color. After waiting for it to cool off a bit, I took my first few sips. The green tea taste is there, with a very light body and a bit of a salty aftertaste. The jasmine is actually very manageable. Not too strong or overwhelming, but an interesting addition to the green tea flavor. I am the first person to mention when a tea tastes like soap, and though this clearly has the potential to taste that way, when brewed correctly it does not. To me, it smells much more floral than it tastes.
This is a very calming cup of tea. While it hasn’t made me immediately crave more jasmine tea, it is good to know that if I come across more, it’s a tea I can actually enjoy.
