Primula Tea

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Recent Tasting Notes

63
drank Guilded Lotus by Primula Tea
377 tasting notes

Brewed this up at work. Freaked out my co-workers :) Not a bad tea. French Pressed it. It’s just ok to me.

TeaBrat

I have one of these at home somewhere, I still need to try it!

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84
drank Guilded Lotus by Primula Tea
1719 tasting notes

Not sure why this is called Guilded Lotus as Primula lists the ingredients as green tea, marigold, and jasmine.

I prepared this in my French press using 12oz of boiling water. As with all the green tea pods in the Primula variety pack the dry bloom smells strong of jasmine. The bloom was completely intact after adding the water. As it began to open it quickly sank to the bottom and began to release trapped air bubbles. The air had enough force that it knocked several petals of the flower loose. It eventually expanded into a massive yellow flower. Quite pretty.

I let it steep longer than intended as work got in the way. The brew was bright golden in the press and much deeper in the cup. The taste is primarily jasmine at the front of the sip. This is followed by a bit of bitterness and then a rush of sweet floral goodness in the aftertaste. With the following cups I was careful not to over steep. They had the same jasmine followed by sweet floral without the bitterness in the middle. This is maybe the sweetest tea I have tried. An interesting cup.

Preparation
Boiling

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85
drank Wild Flowers by Primula Tea
1719 tasting notes

Prepared this in my French press with 12oz of boiling water. Having it today with peanut butter fudge and crackers coated with a generous wash of garlic and red pepper (lots of red pepper!) Also have some kind of crumb cake squares covered in lemon icing. Wow. I have tried my best to avoid the holiday snacks but they keep finding me. I have no choice. It’s not my fault. Ok, I’m just weak but I did try to resist… briefly.

Tea report – For all I know, all the blooming teas in China could be made in the same factory. The craftsmanship in all of them is pretty high and frankly they taste way better than I expected. The Primula pods are slightly smaller than the Teavivre ones. What they lack in size this one made up for in jasmine flavor. This one is especially good. The bloom was not as amazing as some of the others but made a pretty display. There is globe amaranth in this but for once I don’t really taste it. Just a lovely mild jasmine tea. I thought all the sweets and spices in my snacks would wash this out but it actually stands up for itself pretty well. Bring on cup two and three, hold the goodies. I notice my experience with this tea was completely different than TeaEqualsBliss. Possibly my pod was fresher?

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec
CHAroma

Yay for holiday snacks!!! I’ve been eating really healthy for the past couple weeks to try to offset the holidays, where I’m sure I’ll splurge on buttery, sugary baked goods. My mom has already informed me that she’s making 6 types of holiday cookies!

K S

My wife made white chocolate cookies with macadamia nuts. Major Yum!

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80
drank Camellia Joy by Primula Tea
1719 tasting notes

Used a 6 cup pot. The bloom is very pretty, a combination of white and red flowers rising up out of the nest of green tea leaves. It is huge spanning nearly the width of the pot and ¾ of the height.

The smell of jasmine is a bit strong, but in the sip it is a light taste (pleasant). There is also a hint of cinnamon (interesting) and unfortunately a bit of a sour taste that was in the summer bouquet (eewww). It is not undrinkable. It is just a little off. The liquor is dark for a green.

I left the water in the pot steeping, close to an hour, until I was ready for the second cup. It was very good. A blast of cinnamon followed by jasmine at the back of the sip. The sour nasties have left the brew. Perhaps this is the secret to these teas – let them steep.

Excellent center piece at a table with friends. The bloom rates a 100. The first cup was a 40. The following a solid 70+. Since you don’t really drink these for the tea, I will skew the rating on the bloom side.

Preparation
Boiling

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48
drank Summer Bouquet by Primula Tea
1719 tasting notes

Boiling water. Steeped about 4 minutes. The packet said summer bouquet but the bloom looks like Noble Madam so I am not sure what this is for sure. The pod on this one is oblong. All the others so far have been round. Couldn’t find any willing helpers in sipping this so I used my 4 cup press, which is really two mugs in super-sized America. And before you ask – no I did not use the plunger. The bloom is exquisite. All those long wonderful green tea leaves surrounding a literal bouquet of red flowers. As you can tell I thought this was quite attractive.

The liquor was deep orange-amber. The jasmine smells very strong in the dry pod, so I was a bit nervous. In the sip it is as light as it has been in all of these so far. Unfortunately it was accompanied by a nasty sour taste. Not candy sour – milk sour, eeeeew. I thought maybe I didn’t get all the puerh washed clean from the last use of the press. Poured out the pot. Washed the press. Started over. Steeped about 3 minutes until the liquor was golden amber and poured. The jasmine is still light and the green tea would be pleasant if not for the soured taste. Less prominent but still present. Apparently it is the flowers. On all the other blooming teas I have used a used a six cup pot. That might have helped here. Glad I didn’t try this one first. I would not have tried more. I am going to rate this higher than the tea deserves because the bloom is so pretty.

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85
drank Butterfly Floret by Primula Tea
1719 tasting notes

It still bothers me there are no real brewing instructions on these teas. H2O + pod = tea are not real steeping instruction in any language. I continue to experiment one 36oz pot at a time. This is a green tea so boiling water should probably not be used. The however is, the first blooming green I tried was very slow to open. So boiling water it is. Didn’t make the tea the least bit bitter IMO. The pod bloomed beautifully. I haven’t had any problems with the pod coming apart. Not sure why others would have problems. The display is so pretty I almost hate to pour it… almost.

This is another very mild Jasmine. It is the predominate flavor but not overwhelmingly so. It blends well with the green tea. I can’t tell that the flowers are adding anything to the flavor of the cup. If they do it is very subtle. Very pale amber brew with a natural sweetness. Honestly I can’t tell the difference between this and the lovers leap I brewed a couple days ago. That’s ok with me because I like it.

The second pot I steeped long and strong on purpose. I was curious to see what would happen. The brew, of course, was much darker. The scent of jasmine was present wafting off the cup. Still no hint of bitterness. Interestingly, the flavor of jasmine seems to have moved to the background and I get just a hint of the flowers now (that could be my imagination). I am also noticing a dryness in my mouth. I prefer the way I steeped the first pot.

I am always leery when someone who does not like Earl Grey recommends an EG to me. So let me make clear, I do not normally like jasmine tea, but I am enjoying these blooming teas by Primula.

Preparation
Boiling

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75
drank Earl Grey Black Tea by Primula Tea
1719 tasting notes

This morning was awesome. Our praise band rocked. There couldn’t possibly be any dust left on the rafters. Not bad for the former frozen chosen. lol

Came home and fixed bacon, egg, and smoked Gouda sandwiches. More awesome.

I needed tea so I brewed a cup of this. Then the power went out. It was white out conditions as the winter, I mean spring :( storm rolled in. I had to wait until the power came back on to say this was pretty tasty. Healthy dose of bergamot and floral notes. Not bad for a flowering tea I have had for two years!

Lala

At least you got the tea made before the power went out.

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75
drank Earl Grey Black Tea by Primula Tea
1719 tasting notes

The friend that gave me this said he really liked it for the bergamot and some kind of berry notes. That sounded excellent. The dry pod does smell nicely of bergamot, not overwhelmingly so, but in a pleasant way. The display opened up nicely. It is a bit drab compared to the colorful Lovers Blossom. Still it is cool.

The clarity is good. The brew a golden amber. In the sip I get the berry notes my friend mentioned. I can’t quite put my finger on it. I will call it plum for now, maybe a little grapeish. The bergamot takes a major backseat here. It is more on the level of bergamot in Ahmad’s No 1 tea, its there, but way in the background. As an EG this is more than a bit disappointing. If the package only said London Fog I would not have a preconception that is a bit hard to overcome. Ok, if this is not EG, how is it? It is not brisk, bold, or astringent. It is very smooth like Prince of Wales but to my tastes, with the fruitiness, it takes on a Keemun/Ceylon afternoon blend quality. Works well with a little sweetener, which gives it some depth. This is really not bad. While I doubt I will buy this one (cause its not EG), I would definitely drink it if it were offered to me. One pod made two 6 cup pots (36oz each) or 7 medium strength 10oz cups.

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85
drank Lover's Bloom by Primula Tea
1719 tasting notes

My first blooming tea. This was a most thoughtful gift from a friend.

There are no real instructions on the packaging. I looked on the website and could not find a statement on how large a cup/pot to use. The canister said 12 blooms, 36 infusions, over 250 cups. Doing the math that is about 7 cups per steep. How big do they think a cup is? Is it 4oz, 6oz, – 8oz? I am sure it is not the 10oz I normally use. My kettle came with a 6 cup pot, or roughly 36oz. I figured that was close enough.

The bloom opened up nicely with minimal debris. The broken off leaves were due to me pouring the water over the pod in a bit of a brutish manner. The artistry in these things is truly amazing to behold. There is a beautiful tiny red flower at the heart of the bloom. A wonderful conversation piece around a table with friends. Highly recommend for the visual appeal.

Now I have always heard blooming teas are less than spectacular in the taste department. That may be true, however in this case I must say I was thoroughly surprised. You see, I don’t or didn’t like Jasmine. I have never liked the smell, the taste, or how it settles on my stomach. This tea has the Jasmine smell but the taste is very mellow and subdued. It is so sufficiently sweet on its own that even I was tempted not to add the yellow packet.

I made two pots out of this. Didn’t try the third Primula claims. I suspect it would have worked. If you like an in your face Jasmine, this is not a tea for you. If you think you don’t like Jasmine, you may well enjoy this. I poured and finished 4 cups myself. That’s more Jasmine than I have been able to finish in my whole life. A pleasant cup. Looking forward to more.

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50
drank Guilded Lotus by Primula Tea
11 tasting notes

I love the way blooming teas look and taste, however I do find them difficult to drink because I hate the way the leaves and flowers tickle my lips. Or maybe I’m supposed to remove the bloom first? Am I doing it wrong?

Preparation
160 °F / 71 °C 4 min, 15 sec
Laura Amundson

I think you’re supposed to filter out the flower, like loose-leaf tea…

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68
drank Floral Passion by Primula Tea
377 tasting notes

This was in the sampler with the teapot my wife and I received as a wedding gift. Not a bad tea flavor wise but bloom looked like a old tattered flag. Not bad though dark for a green tea.

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75
drank Earl Grey Black Tea by Primula Tea
570 tasting notes

Not bad. Very pretty when it was brewing – I wish I could get a decent picture of a flowering tea. Damn you, refraction. On my third cup and it is getting a little bitter, but I enjoyed this more than the green tea flowering teas, but I am totally biased towards Earls. Thank you to atuinsails for send it to my wifey!

Preparation
Boiling 8 min or more

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86

I decided to have some fun with a flowering tea tonight! It was lots of fun. It was also a nice earl grey too. Especially if you are like me and aren’t really into a heavy bergamot flavor.

I posted a full review with pictures and everything on my brand new blog, if you want to check it out!!

http://apurpledress.wordpress.com/2011/03/13/dont-smell-the-roses-drink-them/

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec
Tabby

Hmm, a flowering Earl Grey. That’s not something you see every day.

Caitlin

I know. I don’t know if I have ever seen another one besides this one.

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100

So delicious. If left to steep long enough, the bitter afternote isn’t as strong, in my opinion, and it’s just thoroughly pleasing. The little bits of tea leaves that break off the main pod during brewing are my absolute favorite part – they’re so sweet and robust. Delicious!!

Preparation
180 °F / 82 °C 5 min, 45 sec

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98

Unlike other teas with Jasmine in the name (I’m lookin at you, Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime Green Tea with Jasmine), this tea actually tastes like Jasmine. I love that about it.

Preparation
Boiling 6 min, 0 sec

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82

Utterly fabulous. This one smells great the moment you open the container. Sweet and earthy and tastes good all day. I can keep pouring water into my Teava Rhapsody, looking at my lovely flower and steeping the tea four or five times in a day before need to even consider getting a new ball. Absolutely the best new addition to my work desk.

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 7 min, 45 sec

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17

The flower is very pretty. The color, even after seven minutes is very light. I tried shewhoreads’s suggestion and followed the directions at the link she gave me on a comment to an earlier tasting note involving raspberry green tea. After navigating that sentence, I think it might be cool enough to sip.

First cup: Smells very pretty. The tea tastes very floral and sweet, but still need to cool. After taking the flower out, I can see the tea has a very light yellow green color. Still smells pretty, and I can really taste the jasmine. There is some astringency that might be tea behind it but it tastes kind of like hot jasmine water.

Second cup: Still smells pretty. Definitely more of a traditional tea taste in this one. First thing you taste is jasmine, then as you swallow, I’m guessing the green tea kicks in. Just not sure if it supposed to be this weak. It still tastes mostly like hot water.

Third cup: Still smells pretty, but with less jasmine taste. If that is what green tea tastes like, why do so many people like it? This is not the same tea note under the raspberry green tea from celestial seasonings. In fact, this is pretty much unpalatable. It leaves my mouth kind of dry from the astringent nature of the tea. I knew this flowering tea was most likely old since I recieved a huge amount with the flowering tea set that I ordered from woot.com, but this is just kind of ridiculous.

No more green tea experiments until I can find something that is like real green tea. Or at least not something that I don’t know when it was prepared.

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 7 min, 0 sec

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67

The first cup smells light and delicate, while the first taste is really bland. I’m going to leave the tea flower in for just awhile longer. By the way, the flower is very pretty.

The second cup is much darker and the smell is less floral and more tea like. The taste is more vibrant. Having never had earl grey before, I can only say the taste is not like any of the tea I currently own.

The third cup is darker, I can see now that some tea got left behind in the teapot. The color is darker, and the tase richer. Definitely liking this now. I’ll have to try some real earl grey tea.

Preparation
Boiling 7 min, 0 sec
SheWhoReads

I’m not a fan of Earl Grey. I think it’s the bergamot flavor — I just don’t like it. When I was in college, I kept trying it every time I went to the dining hall for a while there. I was determined to like it, because that was what Captain Picard drank! Being older and hopefully more sensible now, I no longer make my gustatory choices based on the palates of fictional characters.

atuinsails

Maybe it is just this flowering tea, but the taste was woody, slightly astringent, but also light. I think I could get behind earl grey if most of it tastes that way.

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84
drank Guilded Lotus by Primula Tea
1137 tasting notes

This was a free sample that came with a teapot I ordered. Man was this a treat – reminded me of the liquid sugar drink they give you at the end of a Japanese meal.

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50
drank Summer Bouquet by Primula Tea
1812 tasting notes

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69

No notes yet. Add one?

Preparation
180 °F / 82 °C 3 min, 0 sec

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67

Um….yeah…Apparently my water was too hot and the flower BLEW UP! ZOINKS! I have never seen anything quite like it! LOL

Smells like Jasmine and tastes like Rose.

Has a semi-bitter aftertaste tho.

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec
Rabs

’Sploding flower! Run for your liiiiives!!!!!

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82

I had my iced version of this and I think this tea makes a great iced tea. The peach flavor really comes through! It is really refreshing and light.

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82

So this was my first experience with flowering tea… overall I think it went pretty well minus some water spilling and some flower floaties in my tea.

My wonderful boyfriend just bought me this teapot set that came with 30 something servings of flowering tea (white tea with peach, green tea with jasmine and earl grey I believe). I just picked it up from the post office today so I was really excited to try it out!!!

The raw tea smells really yummy and peachy like a fresh juicy peach or maybe just peach rings candy but any way it smelled delicious. The wet leaves smelled kind of like sea water which was a little weird.

The first cup I had was almost clear after steeping for 5 minutes and it tasted like hot water with a faint peach taste. The second cup however was much stronger. It was a little more yellow and tasted more like white tea with a hint of peach.

For the second infusion I have a pot cooling in the fridge. I think that it will make an absolutely delicious iced tea and I could use some iced tea in this weather.

Cofftea

That is an awesome set. I almost got it myself, but I didn’t need the pot. Way to go wonderful boyfriend:)

Caitlin

It is. Have you tried any of the teas yet?
I actually didn’t have a teapot yet so this set was perfect for me!
And yes he knows how much I love tea and always gets me little tea presents – it’s awesome.

Cofftea

No. I have not. As I said I “almost” got it. This is a brand name I haven’t tried at all yet.

Caitlin

Whoops – sorry missed the “almost” there. I had never heard of this brand but I was pleasantly surprised.

Cofftea

No prob:) Glad they’re good! Sure beats regular flowers;)

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