Jasmine Snow Dragon

Used this in some truffles for the tea party today. They tasted really strongly of jasmine and it was a nice addition to the dark chocolate. I steeped about 2 tablespoons in 1/2 cup of cream for about 6 minutes. This is a very strong jasmine and I could see it giving a good jasmine flavor to anything you might want to put it in.

Pictures from tea party: http://s1165.photobucket.com/user/dagony/library/Tea%20Parties?sort=3&page=1

Jasmine is definitely not a favorite of mine so I set out to try this with some trepidation. It came in my Shang sampler pack but is definitely not something I would have bought as a stand alone item.

Yeah the jasmine in this blend is pretty strong, although it smells great the aftertaste is a tad bit bitter and soapy for me. However the aroma is very natural and I can tell this is a high quality tea, very clean and flavorful but I’m not totally feeling the love. Someone who is a true jasmine fan could probably make a better review than this one…

Hrm.

I was at Whole Foods the other day, getting some Rishi tea in bulk, and the sales girl started telling me about Shang Tea and it sounded lovely. So, I picked some up and thought I’d try it. I am at work, and that means uncontroled steeping variables. And I think it’s hurting its tea. It’s bitter, but it’s not a extra tannic bitterness. It’s more a too-much Jasmine bitter. So I need to go and try this again at home where I can make sure I’m controling the parameters better.

I’m holding off on rating this for now. Has anyone else out there tried this tea?

I don’t want to give this one a BAD rating because I think if someone REALLY likes Jasmine they would adore the fact that it’s intensely jasmine. BUT…I can take or leave Jasmine MOST times. Doesn’t really get much of a rise out of me…so…when I tasted this I was thinking WOW that’s a lot of Jasmine…I wasn’t necessarily in LOVE with the taste because there was a bold bitterness left over from the intense jasmine taste that lingered. BUT…like I said if you like Jasmine you will probably like this…just a little TOO MUCH Jasmine for my taste buds.

According to description claims, quality, aroma, and accuracy to the product description I would probably base my rating…of an 80 but since it’s not really for me…I would say more like a 55-60 based on my own tastebuds. I will meet in the middle for ratings sake here.

This is delightful! But, I will acknowledge that it isn’t for everyone – it has a STRONG jasmine flavor to it, so if you’re not particularly keen on jasmine (I am!) this may not be the tea for you.

For those of us who do love jasmine – this tea is such a treat! The aroma takes my breath away! The flavor is beautifully jasmine, and the white tea is very, very delicate here. But it is so lovely.

Been awhile since I’ve done any Steepster-ing. Figured the best tea to break the hiatus would be a Shang Tea offering I almost completely forgot about. I looked at other reviews for this, and some complained it was too strong. I think part of that might be the brewing instructions. Shang recommended a 195F water temp and a one-to-two-minute steep. I did it for three minutes in 165F – a white tea typical. What I got was a subtly-scented, jasmine-kissed white with a nuanced and delicate flavor. I’m usually not a jasmine guy, but this more than made up for my bias against its type.

I thoroughly enjoy the scent of jasmine as well as the flavor it brings to oolong, white or black tea. (Notice I omitted green tea from my list). I appreciate the producers and vendors who provide true, scented teas using only jasmine blossoms and eschewing the addition of any flavoring to enhance the jasmine aspect.

That means I often end up with lots of tea that smells like jasmine but tastes like nothing much at all. Not this time – this is the real deal if you enjoy jasmine teas. If you don’t enjoy jasmine teas, please send your leftover Jasmine Snow Dragon stash to me.

My new openness to jasmine lead me to buy a sample pack of this when I was in Sheng’s last. I followed the instructions on the sample pack and I probably should have just ignored them. This is a very strong Jasmine. I steeped 3.5g in 8oz of water for 1.5 mins. That was a little strong for me. The next infusion was much nicer I did the same but only steeped for 30 seconds. This was a sweet jasmine tea, but not as sweet as I have had in the past. I like this, but I think I have enjoyed a few others a bit more.

After a disclaimer that I do love a strong jasmine, this is a winner for me. I’ve certainly found other stronger versions, but I like that I can still taste the tea here as well, and that this jasmine has a warm, sweet quality to balance the perfumey aspects. Will have to compare it with their Jasmine Silver Needle later today.