Huang Shan Dried Chrysanthemum (Gongju)

These are so beautiful _ pic.twitter.com/I3N2eGEjMw

I didn’t know what to expect but as I opened the sample sachet lots of white/yellow chrysanthemum flowers came tumbling out as if by magic. They are whole flowers too that have been dried and preserved. They have a sweet, floral and herby scent.

The loose flower petals sink straight away and then the flowers themselves start to slowly sink as they absorb the water. Very peaceful to watch.

Once steeped this tea is very light yellow and smells very herbal. I can’t narrow it down other than to say general herbal fragrance.

Flavour is light and sweet with a slight herbal after taste which matches the smell. Very refreshing and pleasant.

The second steep is much sweeter and floral and less herbal. So elegant and beautiful.

Very happy I found these, placing another order for some more.

Long live chrysanthemum tea.

A big thank you to Teavivre for allowing me to sample their teas again! I always love having the opportunity!

Now, I have had a chrysanthemum tea once, and that was several years ago. I know I enjoyed it, but I don’t remember much else. (Besides the fact that it was much lower quality than this one.)

The tea itself is beautiful. Delicate, pale flowers with green buds at their base, almost like little daisies. They smell sweet and sort of spiced. I’m instantly reminded of spring. They seem to have been dried very gently, as there is no trace of bruising or brown spots anywhere. Very interesting! As it steeps, the flowers fluff up and expand, making me wish for a glass teapot to prepare them in. It would be so lovely…

The tea brews up to a light shade of greenish yellow, as I expected. It smells a lot like fresh chrysanthemums, but also kinda like chamomile. But not exactly. It’s a little hard to describe. The flavor is light as well, and very clean tasting. It’s soothing and very floral, of course. The description mentions it being slightly bitter, but I’m not getting that. Perhaps I would if I added more flowers.

This would be a great tea to end a summer night with.

I was very curious about this tea. So I had to order a sample.
I used 15 flowers for this cuppa.

This tastes very floral (obviously!) and very similar to chamomile. It is actually very comforting and calming. I am not sure if I would drink it all the time, but it would be nice every once in awhile.

I resteeped for 3 minutes, and it was quite similar in taste.

It is ok chilled, but I much prefer it hot.

Water: 8oz at 185 degrees

Leaves: light yellow flower w/ green base

Steep: 3m

Aroma: floral chamomile spice

Color: yellow

Taste: The scent reminded me of chamomile but with a bit of spice added. I must also say this is a very pretty tea,I used 25 pieces. Considering I’m not a fan of chamomile tea,this tea was quite nice.The aroma my be a bit strong for some when drinking.

Sipdown! (25 | 25)

Warm, cozy chrysanthemum tisane. The little sample packets were stuffed to the brim with small white blossoms.

The main flavor note for me is somewhere between chamomile and musty hay. It has a very soothing gentle and sweet herbaceous flavor. There’s a touch of sweetness that reminds me of licorice root as well. And of course, that signature pepperiness that I always find in chrysanthemum. Perhaps a touch of cooling, menthol-like flavor at the end of the sip?

It sounds like an odd combination, but it comes together in a somewhat complex yet easy-drinking tisane. There’s a brothiness to it that just feels so restorative to me, perfect for winding down at the end of the night.

Herbal and Decaf TTB

I haven’t had enough chrysanthemum tea to judge the quality of this, but I liked it. It has a pleasant, lightly floral flavor. Chrysanthemum always reminds me a bit of chamomile, although it’s different enough that eventually I would like to keep both on hand. I find this to be a very relaxing tea, which is nice today since it’s been a stressful week and the boys are a bit cranky.

Note: Brew this at 190˚F. This is my go-to pre-bedtime drink especially after a heaty dinner or desserts.

The flowers are ultra-perfumed, almost to the point of stinging. It tasted bitter when brewed at 195˚. They definitely need the half-teaspoon of sugar to counter the intense florality*.

*not a word, but it should be!

I drink this both Western and grandpa-style.

This chrysanthemum is lovely all-around. The flowers come to life when steeped. Vibrant creamy yellow. The infusion has a gentle feel in the mouth and is very mild in floral strength. Clean and bright. I drink this in the evening.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BA0miwwQNog/

Decaf and Herbal Tea TTB. This is quite good. It’s very mild tasting as chrysanthemum goes. I have had stronger but I like this tea. It has a certain sweetness to it an an earthiness to it that is different from the earthiness of ripe puerh, hard to describe. I had to guess as to the amount of leaf to use. I used about 4.5g leaf for a 16oz teapot. It came out quite tasty.

I brewed 4.5g leaf in a 16oz Teavana Glass Perfect Tea Maker/Gravity Steeper for 7 min with boiling water.

A sample from KittyLovesTea. There are few teas as beautiful as this one. The small packet belies the contents, because as soon as it’s opened out tumble whole dried chrysanthemum flowers. There are so many, and they’re so large and springy, it’s hard to imagine how they all fitted in the little sample pouch! There are some loose petals, but in the main these are whole flower heads; creamy yellow in colour, and beautifully preserved.

For my first cup, I gave 2tsp of flowers (about half the sachet) 2.5 minutes in water cooled to around 175 degrees. The resulting liquor is a pale yellow-green, and smells very lightly herbal. To taste, it’s a subtle flavour. It’s hard to pin down exactly, but it mostly reminds me of chamomile, with the tiniest touch of mint. I was expecting something much more heavily floral, but it’s not like that at all. It makes me think of daisies.

It’s a very light, refreshing cup. I reckon it would be particularly perfect in spring/summer, or as a relaxing pre-bedtime cup. Definitely one I’d consider purchasing with a future Teavivre order.