Jasmine Dragon Tears

These are the sweetest looking pearls. So adorable and delicate! I haven’t had much experience with pearls before but I was thrilled to give these ones a try. I’m even more impressed that they were not crushed on their long journey across the sea. They arrived in perfect condition in a lovely little pouch.

The scent of the dry pearls is calming & sparkling all at once. Soft, beautiful jasmine. I wasn’t sure how many pearls to use so I started with about 7 & then added about 7 more… didn’t seem like too many for my 8 oz cup.

Sipping this tea.. I realize that it’s just perfect for what I need this evening. I didn’t want my usual bedtime rooibos and even though I avoid teas with caffeine at night this tea called to me. There is such a nice floral taste that quickly morphs into a sweetness that truly lingers. It’s a bit like cotton candy — light, twirly sugar faintly on the tongue. There isn’t a hint of astringency or that sharp note some floral teas can have.

I’m so glad to have these pearls in my tea collection. As they are quite pricey, I think that they would be great for special occasions. Thank you to Pekko Teas for this lovely sample. It’s been such a nice cup of tea!

Thanks to queenoftarts for this tea! I got this tea since I love good jasmine tea, and it is my mother’s favorite tea. When I tried it, it feels just like jasmine. Small pearls of rolled jasmine leaves looked pretty. Nice, mild floral scent you can find in jasmine was definitely there with mild, refreshing and clean taste. I liked it! I brewed in just my usual pot but I think I wanna try using gaiwan next time and see how it goes :)

Steepster! It’s been far too long! I seem to have come across a great deal of bad luck recently. First my favorite glass kettle broke, then a stomach virus, then some common cold. Needless to say, tea has been a bit out of reach for me recently. :( But I’m back! And with a new Utilitea kettle to boot! I have a lot of catching up to do, and this sample was the first I tried when I well enough to taste “real” tea.

I thank Pekko Teas for this sample, and I must say I’m impressed. This is a tea with an awesome name and a taste to match. The jasmine flavoring is just that: it isn’t overbearing and allows the tea leaves to exert their influence wonderfully. I’m constantly sickened by jasmine “scented” teas that give me a headache and make me feel like I’m drinking perfume. This certainly isn’t one of those.

I use about 18-20 pearls in a 100mL gaiwan with very short steeps at ~175 degrees F. (5", 5", 4", 5", 5", 6", 8", 10", 14", 22", ~35") —> That’s usually the pattern I use, sometimes performing a bit longer steep for the first one to allow the leaves to unroll further.

The liquor has a medium body and a smooth and buttery mouthfeel. Prominent tastes include vegetal, steamed greens (a rotation of asparagus, green beans, and spinach throughout steeps), and honey in addition to a humble jasmine tone. In further steeps, a parsley spiciness and cool minty effect come into play. Only the fifth steep has ever been bitter to me, and it’s hardly noticeable. Throughout the ten steeps I can usually get out of these pearls, the flavor never reaches that astringent and earthy taste that I’ve noticed some jasmine greens revert to midsteep. Instead, an deep earthiness climbs out of the aromas. But with the sweet, waxy floral scents, the lid of my gaiwan smelled like planting flowers after removing them fresh from the pot. Smells of sweet, moist earth and intense florals.

The aroma of the wet leaves is top notch. It has that brilliant mixture of deep vegetal greens, sweet honey, and penetrating florals. It’s a particular scent that is essential for jasmine teas to have for me to love it. The leaves themselves are somewhat questionable to me, however. They appear a bit faded and drab, like the color was leeched out of them. The are, however, very clean: very few particles and broken leaves or stems.

Overall, a tea that is quickly becoming a favorite of mine!