Fujiian White Jasmine

ok…so I just went on the Verdant website, to remind myself of the brewing parameters for this tea, since it’s been awhile since I had a cup, & now I’m in trouble…I want to place an order!! They have a Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong!! I want it! I’m a spoiled brat! I want ALL the Teas!

Anyway, this is a lovely & pristine little tea here, fragrant & so clean tasting. It’s perfect for this moment, because it’s snowing!! It’s just pretty perfect snowflakes falling, on & off, & will not amount to anything significant, but perfect for drinking a cup of this, a major contrast to the other teas I’ve drank so far today, & this really is aromatherapy in a cup. If you like Jasmine, which I do!

The buds in this tea are not as white or as tightly closed as some Silver Needles, I’ve had and they are about the same length as Rishi’s premium organic ones. The down on them is short and fuzzy and the leaves underneath are dark giving them a dark grey green undertone under a creamy short haired down. The scent of the dry tea is fruity and spicy with hints of pineapple under the floral.

I brewed 1 heaping TSP in 200ml for about 1 min at about 78°C.

The scent of this tea is a strong and robust jasmine,not powdery or candy like as some of my jasmines have been but rather like blooms that have been picked, were bruised and are slowly drying, a little like some of the strings of jasmine strung through girls hair in India.

The colour of the brew is a pale slightly gold yellow. Taking a sip, the first impressions are of sweetness, a blend between the base tea and the floral, its almost sugarcane like. The jasmine is fruity, but before that there is a flavour like jasmine oil touched with sandalwood oil,its slightly woody and insence like, more like the thickened paste sold for puja. The aftertaste is of a green jasmine with sugarcane and apricot cream sweetness underneath it.

Nice.

The tea itself tastes smooth and creamy but leaves a cooling astringency on the tongue and a tingling at the back of the mouth.

130s. Jasmine with a bit of spice and less bruised waxy floral scent. Taste is sweet, with less sugarcane and more sweet juicy ripe pear sweetness It is once again creamy, and smooth, with apricot cream coming from the base tea. It feels smooth, thick and creamy.

140s. Still sweet pungent jasmine scent.
The scent is still very present but the jasmine is beginning to fade and blend into the base tea flavour. Still tasting very sweet with apricot cream and jasmine end note and a faint hint of citrus.

Thanks very much CrowKettle. I love jasmine teas when done well and it will be a pleasure to finish the rest of this packet!

A new jasmine tea from Verdant…how could I not try it?! The dry leaves look like green buds with silvery-white hairs on them. The smell is very dominantly jasmine, with hints of grannysmith apple and pineapple. The taste is soft creamy jasmine with notes of other florals, and hints of grannysmith apple and pineapple.

The biggest differences I’m finding between this white jasmine and the Yunnan White Jasmine (also offered by Verdant) is that this one is not quite as creamy, there are other florals in this one (almost like the jasmine is growing in a garden), and there isn’t honeysuckle notes in this one. The Yunnan is jasmine and honeysuckle. There was also a lot of fizziness on the tip of the tongue. The Yunnan jasmine felt like jasmine and honeysuckle growing wild in the humid summer; while the Fujian jasmine was a tame version of jasmine growing in or next to someones flower garden. I also found the Yunnan version to be creamier.

I know this is supposed to be just the Fujian version, but I’m finding it easier to explain it by comparing it to the Yunnan version. I hope it helps. Also, I brewed this Western-style today in my teapot. Yesterday, I had brewed it in my mug. I works well both ways, I just need to try it gaiwan style to see if it produces any differences. Either way, another excellent white jasmine tea!

What, I haven’t made a note on this yet? I’ve had this at least 3 times Western style, and it was awesome! Today, it is my second tea to christen my new gaiwan, as I actually don’t think I’ve ever brewed a white tea gongfu style, even in my little tea pot!

I have no idea how much leaf I used, I just covered the bottom of the gaiwan. I poured 175 degree water in for a few seconds, and poured it out. A few leaves in the cup, but I got them out so it wouldn’t get too strong. My goodness, this smells like JASMINE. Like soo much jasmine, in that short of time! There’s like a bouquet of it in my small cup! Oh, and the dry leaves smell very nice, a bit similar to the Yunnan white jasmine by Verdant, but there is a subtle difference that I notice, but can’t pick out anything specific about it. Just that it’s a tad different. The liquor is a very light color, just the barest hint of color.

This tastes perfect. Just perfect. I can definitely taste a fruitiness mixing with the jasmine, it is so fresh and just pure. It might be my brain wanting to taste the pear note, but I swear it’s there!! Haha, a crispness that reminds me of summer days actually, in the late afternoon with the sun lower on the horizon, and a big apple tree nearby. Sometimes I get strange associations of places that I don’t even know if I’ve been to, just a picture in my mind I guess lol.

Overall, this tea is really good so far done gaiwan style, I should eventually make a note for western. If I recall, this has a bit more flavor in the gaiwan so far than western brewed. I love jasmine teas, and this one definitely does not disappoint. Can’t wait for the bf to try it this way as well, as he LOVESSS jasmine white teas, and actually requests the Yunnan white quite often. He will probably enjoy this quite a lot.