No. 96 Jasmine Silver Tip [duplicate]

Sipdown #2 is this Jasmine Silver tip, sent to me from TastyBrew. It’s a delicate green with an overlay of natural jasmine, & made for a pleasant & relaxing cup while I was teaching. Thanks TB!

Steep Information:
Amount: 2 tsp
Water: ~500ml filtered, 190°
Tool: Breville One-Touch Tea Maker BTM800XL (custom, custom)
Steep Time: 3 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: jasmine flower petals
Steeped Tea Smell: jasmine flower petals
Flavor: vegetal, astringent
Body: Light
Aftertaste: grassy, floral
Liquor: translucent honey (yellow-brown) green

I love jasmine pearls and figured I would give this a try when I placed my order. I think I should have gone with the pearls. It was too grassy, and astringent, for my taste :(

Post-Steep Additives: honey, which took the edge off the astringency, it was still grassy with only hints of floral after each sip

Images: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/05/steven-smith-teamaker-loose-leaf-green.html

With one whiff of Jasmine Silver Tip, you’ve got the full floral parade. Dare I even call it… soapy? Seems to be all about the jasmine and none about the tea. Oh dear. This doesn’t disappear when steeped, but at least the odor fades a bit–just a bit, mind you, ’cause this flower damsel really doesn’t want to budge–hopefully to make way for some solid green flavor. (Though seeing as it’s called Silver Tip, it’s possible that you’ll have more of a white-y cup after all.) As with many jasmine teas, this one leaves you rubbing your fingers on the nearest napkin, trying to get rid of the oily feeling from the perfume.

Sip up, floral lovers, because this will be your happy hour. Floral haters to the back; you’ll get more out of Fez or one of Smith’s nice, twisty blacks…. Full review: http://snooteablog.com/2013/07/20/snooty-tea-review-steven-smith-tea-round-2/