Dragon Pearl Green Tea

Oh wow. Oh wow oh wow oh wow.

Due to a wedding rehearsal dinner last night, Chinese buffet take out got bumped to tonight after the wedding. I was soooo ready for it. I needed to pick a tea to go with it and wanted to choose from the selection Nature’s Tea Leaf sent me for review.

I picked up this package and thought it would be a good choice, thinking It was jasmine. Then I noticed it didn’t say jasmine anywhere on it. What? I didn’t know there was such a thing as dragon pearl tea that WASN’T jasmine! Intrigued, I stood by my choice.

I used one nice full teaspoon of leaves in my eight ounce gong fu pot. The directions said to steep for one minute. I kept checking it because I didn’t see how that could be enough time for the pearls to begin to unfurl and give good flavor. I poured it up at the one minute mark anyway. Then did a second and a third and a fourth and a fifth!

The liquor starts out pale, not a golden yellow but almost a peachy pale yellow. Subsequent steeps were a little darker. ALL steeps were really truly delicious!

This is….maybe similar to a DragonWell? But nutty nutty nutty. I have never had roasted chestnuts but if this is really what they taste like, I want some! Hubby whooped up on it, matching me cup for cup. He thought it was good, too! We got forty ounces of tea from one teaspoon of pearls.

This is PERFECT with food. I think I am in love with a new green. Smooth, but palate clearing. Hearty without bitterness or astringency. Assertive enough to go with food and really complement the meal.

Thank you, Nature’s Tea Leaf! This is superb!

Wow—my first Dragon Pearls (with thanks to Nature’s Tea Leaf)!
Wouldn’t you just love to sit and watch how these little leafy gems
are rolled? They look like little pea-sized balls of yarn. Gorgeous! I couldn’t wait to see what unraveled.

For my first taste test, I stuck to the prescribed quantity and
temperature parameters (1 tsp/8 oz at 175), and I meant to stick to
the 1 minute steep time as advised. But the cup was so pale, and the
first sip reminded me of nothing but faintly tinted water, so I bucked protocol and bounced the balls back in for another 45 seconds.

And I’m glad I did. Now we’ve got a delicate cup o’leaf with a touch of gentle, grainy (taste, not texture) sweetness. Holds up nicely to a second steep as well.

I guess I just don’t have a delicate or dainty bone in my body; too
many years of drinking boorish black teas that bonk you over the
head…so my apologies if I steeped a little too long or too harshly.
But in doing so, I coaxed out a subtle and pleasant flavor that I
think would appeal to green tea beginners. (I still consider myself a novice.)

Dragon Pearls – the Sara Lee of teas. Who doesn’t like Dragon Pearls? As amazing as they are to watch once they unfurl, the leaf is large and fluffy. Dry this smelled a bit minty to me and it did leave a nice cooling sensation on the breath. There is no bitterness, no astringency. This is simply natural flavored Chinese green tea. It is very clean and fresh with a lingering sweet aftertaste. A very good cup. Actually, four very good mugs.

Thank you to Nature’s Tea Leaf for the generous sample.

Like other reviewers, I just assumed this had jasmine in it, but when I looked closer I saw that it didn’t. Very neat.

Tea pearls are always so much fun to watch and these were no exception. Even for the 1 minute steeping I did, they unfurled ever so slightly and so beautifully. Very entertaining. 

The initial taste was very light. The package said 1 teaspoon, which I did, but I looked online and it says 2 teaspoons, which makes more sense. So, for my second infusion I brewed 4 oz instead of 8.

The tea has a nice smooth taste and it’s not too vegetal like some other greens. Maybe I’m crazy but I do detect hints of jasmine. This tea does get some astrigency if steeped for too long.

Overall a smooth green tea, especially for those that are turned off by more grassy greens.

I feel bad that I’ve had this sample for a long time now and I’ve never reviewed it. I don’t know why, I have no excuse, but that’s just how it is. It has been sealed in an airtight bag this entire time, so I’m hoping it won’t have suffered.

So, interestingly, I assumed that these were jasmine and was shocked that there was no jasmine scent or flavor in the tea. Good thing I glanced at some reviews before posting because I learned that no, these were not jasmine pearls at all, but rather just pearled green tea.

Well, in that case, my review is different. I’m still not going to rate this because it is pretty old and I don’t know how the flavor may have change over time. This is an interesting tea, but I’m not a huge fan of the flavor. Green tea, but with almost a sour note. Not really one I will reach for again, so it will go up for sale if someone wants it.

TY to Nature’s Tea Leaf for a sample of this tea for review!

DRY: Fun, tightly rolled green tea balls.
STEEPED: Savory vegetal smell, very light yellow tea.

TASTE:
First steeping – light, savory and buttery. Tastes like I should be drinking this with lunch or dinner not breakfast.
Second steeping – brighter, little sweet pea like. Still savory tasting.
Third Steeping – I think this tea is getting darker. The sweetness of the second steeping is gone, moreso a stronger first steeping.

COMMENTS: Nice, simple green that isn’t grassy or very sweet – moreso a good savory type that would pair well with dinner. Good bang for you buck with this tea – I bet I could keep on resteeping, but I’m bored after 3 small pots and want something new.