3 Tasting Notes
I am working my way through my first box from Golden Moon Tea. I thought about the sampler but there were a lot of teas I thought I wouldn’t like, so I made my own. I couldn’t resist anything with temple and orchid in the title, so here I am.
The instructions say freshly boiled, so that’s what I did. And since I just used the higher end of GMT’s range on a jasmine and it turned out bitter, I set a time for 2 minutes (range 2-3) and steeped it exactly that long.
The scent is a pretty, light floral, rather jasminey, actually, more like a very, very soft lilac. A little soapy, like another reviewer mentioned, but not unpleasantly so. Just like really good soap is lightly fragrant, not fake. It’s good cold, too. Not so amazing that I have to buy a pound of it, but it’s nice. Really nice. Might sample it again.
Preparation
I’m in search of the ultimate jasmine, and I like art teas, although the ultimate doesn’t have to be one. This one was far too vegetal for my tastes. Too much like fresh-cut grass. I tried it three times to make sure it wasn’t just a mood. Meant to return it but didn’t in time. I’m going to take it to school so others can enjoy the individually wrapped little packets.
I adore jasmine tea (hence the screen name), and I am in search of the ultimate one to bribe myself to answer my inbox each working day. This has a nice scent but it’s too bitter for me. I waited about 15 seconds after boiling (instructions say just under boiling, something like that), exactly 1 teaspoon per cup of water (got 2.5 out of the sample), and steeped for about 4 minutes, which is on the long end of the range they recommended. I could try to steep it for 2 minutes, the short end, to tone down the bitterness, but the jasmine wasn’t strong enough to make me buy another sample. Plus, I don’t need that kind of pressure to make a perfect pot. I may not even finish the 2.5 cups I brewed.
