Jing Tea

Although I’ve heard it said that Nilgiri is not particularly to the taste of most English people, I’ve always been a fan. I grew up with it, and consider it to be the king of black teas (apart from Darjeeling, of course, which I really consider to be in a class of its own).

And of the Nilgiri’s I’ve tried, I consider this to be the best. I have it with breakfast every day, sans milk, of course (although it’s also fine with). It’s rich, nutty and aromatic, with a depth of complexity and several layers of tone. It’s very robust, but not at all bitter; there are no harsh tannins that one often detects from a strong black tea. Smooth and refreshing.

I’m on my second brewing of these particular leaves. This is a great everyday tea; the first brew is crisp, and becomes more and more mellow as time goes on.

I find this tea to be clean and bright with a nice floral tone but lacking in any real depth. It is however a great tea to serve to people who’ve never really adventured much away from generic tea bags; it show how naturally sweet and flowery tea can be and is unlikely to elicit any strong dislikes. It also has pretty tolerant brewing paramaters so is easy enough for the uninitiated to brew.

This morning’s tea is a very random choice from the sample basket. I wasn’t certain quite what I was searching for, and fortune brought me to this one.

The scent in the package is fresh, clean and vibrant. It seems to promise a crisp cup and so I’m aiming to find out.

I steeped slightly lighter, first at one minute, then sampled. It’s vegetal, but light. Still it’s a solid cup at two minutes less than the recommended time. The promise of the scent delivers and I’m enjoying every sip.

Still, I decided to try it at a longer steep time, so I put the remaining tea back in for another minute.

The flavor is still very developed. It is full and vegetal, very like artichokes. The scent has a sweetness to it that doesn’t really translate to the taste, but no matter, it’s still very enjoyable. I think I prefer this at the shorter steeping time. There’s a touch of bitterness at the end that lingers, but it’s not overwhelming.

Backlogging, and based on my notes and on a fairly recent tasting

Experience buying from Jing Tea Shop http://steepster.com/places/2780-jing-tea-shop-on-line—

Age of leaf: I received this tea in early June 2011 and brewed it as soon as I got it (the tea is listed as 2011 early spring harvest).

Appearance and aroma of dry leaf: Standard look and aroma of any other quality Long Jing I have seen: deep-green sword-shaped leaves, with a fresh, nutty, and some other pleasant aroma that is both hearty and light.

Brewing guidelines: Glass Bodum pot, leaf free to roam; stevia added.
……….1st: 170; 1’…….Mild, but good: sweet, vegetal, nutty
……….2nd: 175; 1.5’….Decent amount of flavor
……….3rd: 180; 2’……..Very mild flavor
……….4th: 185; 2.5’…..Not much flavor

Color and aroma of tea liquor: Very light green in color; mild, standard Long Jing aroma.

Flavor of tea liquor: My wife and I both like the sweet, nutty and vegetal flavor of this green tea.

Appearance and aroma of wet leaf: Impressive, especially for the price. This seems to be from a true Mao Feng (two leaves and a bud) pluck. Leaves on top during all steepings.

Blends well with: I have blended this with much success with at least one other green tea.

Value: About the best price I have found for a decent Long Jing, at about $2/oz.

Overall: This tea literally has a front row place on our teas shelf due to the solid position it holds in our green tea retinue: it is well priced, composed of fresh, good-looking leaf, and fairs well enough in the flavor department. Until recently (due to tasting lots of samples and getting new teas) we have been drinking this tea regularly. I plan to start brewing it more regularly again, and I will likely buy more of it if-and-when I make a purchase from Jing Tea Shop after the 2012 spring green teas become available.

The flower is very impressive and it suddenly pops up rather than gradually opening. The tea is a lovely, slightly flowery taste.

Although I normally like Chai tea, I wasn’t so fond of this one. It had a strong but unusual flavour.

I had this tea for the second time and I confirm my previous note about it, except for one thing: this time I remembered to steep the tea a second time but the second wash was not tasty at all, still a nice color but tasting so watery :(
I had other Jasmine Silver Needle teas of good quality before and I could wash the leaves for 3-4 even 5 times, still getting a good liquor.

This tea has been my very first experience with Jing Tea and I have brewed the version in the tea bag, for 2 minutes. I drunk it in a small double wall glass cup, to fully enjoy the colour. The aroma had a hint of sweet that I could not identify (fruity), the same for the pleasant after taste of the liquor. The balance between jasmine and tea was absolutely perfect. Very tasty but light at the same time, this tea has been the ideal choice for a relaxing break with hubby after lunch. I regret i didn’t try a second steep as we only have 1 more bag to enjoy!

Bright with a lively peach and honey flavor. The honey sweetness lasts forever!

Very nice quality tea and mint, blends together really well. Not like other Moroccan mint teas, that need a lot of sweetening.

It is pleasant and refreshing upfront, and has a very pleasant, delicate astringency that kicks in on the aftertaste to give it a dry finish.

I imagine that this would be really nice iced.

Deeply mellow, with a buttery mouthfeel and a light nuttiness. The liquor has a silky smooth feel, almost like a very fine olive oil.

The floral tones are delicate and play second fiddle to the nuttiness. There is also a hint of smokiness in the aftertaste.

Overall, the flavor is rich and soothing, yet light and satisfying.

Have not tried it with fried mushrooms, but I’d bet that it’s sublime.

I rec’d this as part of my HoppiTEA goody basket from the very sweet Alana237. Thanks! :) This is my first tea by this company and the first lychee tea I’ve ever had. Actually I only remember smelling lychee, so I’ve never tasted it before… it’s a day of many firsts! (OK, OK. I’ll confess. I entered “lychee” in wikipedia to see what came up: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lychee)

As soon as I ripped open the package, the fragrant and floral lychee smell hit my nostrils…and instantly calmed me. Lychee is a unique scent – it smells very floral but with a twinge of berry. Tastes more berry than floral – which is good news for you anti-floral tea fans.

I don’t have anything to compare this to, but I really do enjoy the unique flavor profile. It’s different and for that reason, fun. And because it’s black tea, it’s helping to kick my butt in high gear for the afternoon!

This is a very fresh oolong, and considerably lighter than some. A lovely hint of freshness behind the traditional earthy oolong flavours. Quite a pale gold colour, but this may have more to do with reducing the quantity of tea to two rather than the recommended three teaspoons.

Adhering as much as possible to Jing Tea’s online directions, I began by steeping two teaspoons of this tea in a cup of properly heated water for three minutes. The liquor brewed a bright and pale yellow with a myriad of little tea particles suspended on the surface (I did not use a mesh infusing basket, merely a glass one, but it gives this tea character). This tea smells earthier than other jasmine-infused white teas I have drunk in the past. Perhaps Jing Tea has succeeded in not over-adding jasmine to their tea blend? The flavours shall tell, so I pour a cup of this brew, savouring the sweet strain of jasmine scent that wafts to my nose.

As the tea cools slightly in the cup, I take a moment to clear some clutter from the desk that is my tea table this morning. This tea seems to demand the respect of simplicity and cleanliness. I move to take my first sip, not knowing whether three minutes will have been too much or too little… and the tea is delicious. The sweetness of the jasmine is neither over- or under-whelming. It complements the white tea very well, though I fear two teaspoons might steep to a brew that is a bit strong for some people’s white tea preferences.

Drinking my way through the pot of tea, I find that the tea has fruity notes that provide for a very pleasant and full finish. I enjoyed drinking this tea and feel that it would be an excellent choice for those seeking an afternoon refreshment or a tea for evening relaxation.

Thanks silvermage2000 for sharing! Jasmine is one of my all-time favorite scents and favorite teas, so this was a great fit for me. Sweet, floral, fragrant – this tea is a dream. The white tea was a bit bland, but the jasmine brought it into focus. A fine jasmine tea.

EDIT: I’m dropping the rating. After it cools there is a funny aftertaste…not sure what that’s all the about.

This is my favourite tea at the moment. I’m new to the loose tea world, but this is amazing. It’s so pretty too with the blue cornflowers. Very fragrant and delicate.

Mmm. First, this tea smells amazingly fresh as a dry tea. It’s also stunning to look at: flat, uniform, perfect. The leaves remind me of pressed flowers that someone lovingly placed between the pages of a book. These leaves were delicately handled.

160/2.5 min The tea is the palest yellow color I’ve seen yet. It’s so pretty, one of the most aesthetically pleasing experiences I’ve yet encountered with a tea. The smell is slightly nutty, but fresh. It’s deep and rich, surprising for what I was expecting to be light and airy. I can taste a hint of grassiness and wish that it were a bit more pronounced. It’s barely there. This is a wonderful cup of tea and I’ll see how many infusions I can get out of it. I’m hoping for quite a few.

“Fresh, fragrant, fulfilling?” Hmm… if that fits your description of spinach, then yes, it is! I was sooooo disappointed in this tea. First of all, it’s beautiful! There are little purplish rosebuds and rose petals scattered throughout the tea. The tea itself has long thin leaves, like silver needles, mixed in as well. It’s pretty. It smells pretty. Floral, delicate, light.

I followed the directions exactly. 175/3 min. I could tell as soon as I lifted the cup to my nose that it had turned into a spinach brew. Tasting only confirmed it. I couldn’t even taste the roses (not that it would have made it any better.) This tea just didn’t hold true to its promise.

I decided to try this one because of twing’s recent post on gunpowder. I hadn’t tried one, so I dug through my cabinet until I found something to fit the bill. The directions on this tea remind me that I really need to write down Celsius to Fahrenheit conversions and post them near my tea! It said to only heat the water to 60 C, which is 140 F, but as the Breville only goes down to 160 F, that’s what I used. (My tea thermometer is MIA and probably stashed in my daughter’s play kitchen. Hopefully.)

The dry tea smells just like leaves, fresh and grassy, too. 160/2 min. Now the tea smells slightly deeper. It looks very delicate with a very pale light yellow/green liquor. It’s very clear, too. The taste, as expected is delicate and subdued. I’m not tasting anything floral or fruity although I do sense a sweetness, but it tastes nice, just what I would expect of a green. I was concerned that at the higher than recommended steeping time, it would end up tasting like boiled asparagus, but it didn’t at all. It’s taste is fresh, too. There is no bitterness whatsoever and it’s very enjoyable.

I forgot I even had this in my cupboard – both the real one and the Steepster one. Found it while hunting for a white tea to imbibe. White Peony isn’t always what I go for. I usually skip her over for her Silver Needle sibling. Jing’s, though, was something special. And sipping it again, I was reminded of how much I loved it. Notes of citrus and raisin, as well as a general floral and fruity presentation. Glad I found this again. Like a revisit with an old friend.

Original Review Here: http://www.teaviews.com/2010/07/12/review-jing-tea-organic-white-peony-supreme-white-tea-4/

This is a very strong black tea and I’d definitely recommend a steep time of 2 minutes or less. Yes, I allowed it to steep too long at 2 min 30 sec and it is slightly bitter. I really love the crisp, fresh scent that envelops you literally upon opening the bag. This is a whole sensory experience! It’s amazing!

I used the Breville to make this. It’s outstanding. A little bitter, but not too much. That’s more my fault. I generally prefer medium to light cups of tea. The lemony bergamot is most definitely present, but you can still taste the black tea. When I think of Earl Grey tea, this is exactly what I think of! Captain Picard would be proud… :)