Yikes, I spent waaay too much money on these after the clerk ‘accidentally’ poured a little too much and asked if that was okay. Then she did the exact same thing with my boyfriend’s purchase. And THEN she had the nerve to try to sell us some big overpriced tin to go with it. The atmosphere made me uncomfortable.
Getting over that aspect, the pearls are quite nice. They smell sweet and delicate. I love to watch them float and sink and slowly unfurl. The tea itself is nice, but it takes a longer steep than recommended, and closer to two teaspoons to get it strong enough for my liking. I am also trying to warm up to Chinese green teas, and I’m trying to put my finger on what makes them different from Japanese teas and why I don’t like the roasted ones as much as steamed varieties.
This tea also makes me feel sleepy because of the floral-yness. Definitely save this for the evening.
I felt exactly the same regarding a longer steep. I’ve been steeping mine closer to 3:30 or 4 just to get to a point where there’s legitimate flavor.