Tea Reviews | It's All About The Leaf

Posts Tagged ‘Downy’

Well, these pearls certainly are downy…I felt one of the little balls of tea and it was soft and fuzzy. The jasmine smell is sharp and sweet in the dry leaf, and makes me wonder if the taste will be the same.

I used approximately two teaspoons of pearls, in two cups of water, for three minutes (give or take ten seconds, as I initially forgot to start my timer, oops). At the end of three minutes, the brew was very watery, so I let it sit for two minutes more. At this point, I’d like to take a moment to say that while I enjoy the challenge of matching up just the right steeping time with just the right amount of leaf and water to make a delectable cup, I do wish that more companies would give what they believe the ideal steeping conditions to be, even if it’s a rough estimate, since not all teas are created equally, and generalizing conditions does not always work out. Regardless, the extra two minutes seems to have helped immensely, as there is greater unfurl to the leaves and more colour to the liquor.

The jasmine scent is just as sharp in the completed cup as it was in the dry leaf. And the taste….Wow…that’s incredibly…mediocre. Thankfully, the sharpness of the jasmine hasn’t come through in the taste of the liquor, yet everything about it is very average. The flavour is smooth, and light, and has a nice jasmine scent and taste, but, all in all, it just seems to be lacking something in a big way.

I enjoyed drinking it, but Jasmine Pearls are one of my favourites, so that could bias me a bit. I give it a 65 out of 100 on my personal enjoyment scale.

You can purchase the Downy Pearl Jasmine directly from the Mark T. Wendall Tea Company website.

I love the smell of jasmine, and a good jasmine tea can be an absolutely wonderful thing. The aromatic quality of a good jasmine takes the normal scent profile of tea and ramps it up to an amazing place. Additionally, I really like pearl-style teas. Watching them slowly unfold as they brew is always a relaxing activity (which is why I tend to keep them at work, I need all the relaxation assistance I can get).

So being both jasmine and a pearl tea, I was really looking forward getting to try this sample. And it does not disappoint. It is definitely on the delicate end of the spectrum (the brew is almost colorless), but the aromatic qualities of the jasmine come through without tasting like you’re drinking perfume – a definite possibility for some of the not-as-good jasmine teas. The green buds forming the base of this tea are very subdued, but do provide the backdrop for the rest of the tea. Overall, it’s a great light flowery tea. Yum.

You can purchase the Downy Pearl Jasmine directly from the Mark T. Wendall Tea Company website.

Ok, so as I embark on my first official tea review, I realize that I have been procrastinating because I felt so much pressure to write a meaningful review that will educate, enlighten and fully describe my experience as I tried this tea. I had to remind myself that even though I have had the pleasure of experiencing hundreds of different teas through my training to become a Certified Tea Sommelier, in the end, my review is still subjective and may be totally different than someone else’s experience with the same tea. I have decided to lessen some of the pressure and just write a straightforward and honest review that hopefully will be useful to others who may be interested in trying this particular tea.

When reviewing a tea, I feel it is important to comment on multiple aspects of the sensory experience, including an analysis of the dry and wet leaf as well as the steeped liquor. I have kept the “technical terms” to a minimum, but I have used some standard industry terminology in describing my experience.

I was very excited to try this tea because I love China green teas and this one is beautiful. The name alone makes it sound quite exciting – Jade Sword – it conjures up images of ancient China and fearless warriors. As it turns out, Jade Sword is Mao Jian, one of my favourite China green teas. One thing I noticed with this sample from Canton Tea Co. is that many of the leaves are quite a bit longer than is usual with this style of tea. The leaf is twisted and the colour is medium to dark green with some downy leaves in the mix. The dry leaf has a mildly floral and sweet aroma.

I used 2.5g of tea to approximately 4 oz of 175 deg water and steeped it for 1 minute intervals. The wet leaves were a beautiful medium green colour and were only partially open after the first steep. The leaves had a sweet and slightly vegetal aroma. The liquor was a pale yellow shade and also had a faint sweet aroma. The taste was beautifully smooth, mildly sweet and coated my pallet with an almost creamy aftertaste that lingered. After one sip of this tea, I was feeling relaxed, calm and at peace.

I was able to steep this tea three times and probably could have gone a little further if I had increased the steep time to 1.5 or 2 minutes. The astringency (dry mouth feel) came through a little more with subsequent steepings and there was even a very slight peppery taste detectible. I am usually a “first steep kind of gal”, and this tea was no exception as the first steep was heavenly. However, I always get as much mileage as I can out of any tea, and this one did not disappoint.

This is definitely a tea I would recommend and will continue to drink myself. On a scale from 1 to 10, I would rate this tea at 8.5. Mao Jian is best enjoyed clear and although it could be paired with something simple like a white cake or even certain cheeses, I prefer to take it all on its own so I can truly indulge in the tranquility that comes with that first sip. Visit the Canton Tea Co. website for more information or to order Jade Sword: http://www.cantonteaco.com/green-tea/jade-sword-green-tea-mao-jian.html.

You can purchase the Jade Sword Green Tea | Mao Jian directly from the Canton Tea Co. website.