Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Harney & Sons Tea Tasting: Dragon Pearl Jasmine

Sometimes things happen very serendipitously...

I'm working my way through the Harney & Sons Guide to Tea.  My next tea to be reviewed was Dragon Pearl Jasmine.  Angela had already given me a sample, but I drank it up so quickly, I didn't take any photos!  Tsk Tsk.

 As it turns out, just when I was ready to place an order, I received a gift of Harney & Sons Dragon Pearl Jasmine from a fellow tea-lover and friend.  What an indulgence!  I love Dragon Pearl Jasmine, and the H&S version is great.  (Note:  You can get small sample bags from the H&S website, which makes this affordable!  Disclosure:  H&S did not give me anything in return for this review.)

Dragon Pearl Jasmine is an exquisite tea.  Preparing and drinking it is, for me, equally a visual feast as well as one for my nose and taste buds. The dry leaf is rolled into those lovely balls, alternating with threads of dark and light.  (Much of this is still hand-rolled!)  It's hard to imagine that those tightly bound balls will unfurl, but they do!


I brewed my tea for 3 minutes at 180 degrees.  In that short space of time, the leaf went from the first photo to the second.  The aroma is its signature - intensely jasmine.  The flavor is hard for me to describe.  It's sweet, but not too much.  A bit floral, but not too much. Not bitter at all. I enjoyed an additional 2 steepings.

The way the tea and jasmine are merged is a beautiful story.  The tea is placed on screens or trays, alternating with trays of fresh jasmine blossoms.  The tea and jasmine blossoms are stored together for several days, until the aroma of the jasmine permeates the tea.  It takes several weeks to finish.
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7 comments:

  1. Teresa's New Life12:19 PM

    Although, I don't like Jasmine teas, this description makes even me want to run out and try it again!

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  2. Steph4:18 PM

    Not all Jasmine teas are the same, for sure. I suggest trying this one or another from a big name company. And try whole leaf vs. bagged.

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  3. Marilyn Miller6:23 PM

    I can almost smell and taste it. Yummm!

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  4. Teresa's New Life6:23 PM

    Thanks Steph. I think I will.

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  5. Jessica12:54 PM

    This tea looks so tasty! I've been big in to brewing herbal teas and making iced tea to keep around to drink in the afternoons.

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  6. 陳哲毓念阿彌陀佛往生西方極樂世界9:43 PM

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  7. BloomingtonGirl1:34 PM

    I'm on my second day of the Jasmine Tea adventure and I figured out what the delightful aroma reminds me of! It is the same fragrance I have on my hands after pitting hundreds of fresh peak sour cherries for jam. It is fruity and floral but entirely subtle and addictive.
    The Jasmine pearls I use are an inch in diameter and have chamomile inside.

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