Tea Reviews | It's All About The Leaf » Favourites

Tea Review: Mark T. Wendell Downy Pearl Jasmine – 2

Spencer E — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 00:19:25 +0000

Category: Green

Tea Company: Mark T. Wendall Tea Company (website)

Ingredients: not listed

Vendor Suggested Preparation: not listed

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.

Tea Review: Mighty Leaf Organic Earl Grey

Tamara — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:44:44 +0000

Category of Tea: Black

Tea Company: Mighty Leaf Tea (website)

Ingredients: Organic black tea, essence of bergamot, essence of jasmine

Vendor Suggested Preparation: Boiling water, 4 minutes

The Mighty Leaf Organic Earl Grey tea is quite a delight. Opening the package to find a silk tea bag is very impressive and allows the customer to use the loose leaf tea without the usual mess and effort. I definitely love the tea pouch style.

The smell of the Organic Earl Grey tea from Mighty Leaf is very pleasant and has a warming aroma; nothing too overpowering and it has a nice blended smell. This makes a great afternoon relaxing tea – nice and light, not too rich in flavour or aftertaste. The smell and taste fit flawlessly in a great cup of tea, mixed with a splash of milk and a cube of sugar.

I truly enjoy my black teas. I love rich blends and light blends; this one from Mighty Leaf is most undoubtedly a great light blend and the colour matches the taste – “Mighty Leaf perfects the classic tea with an elegant, balanced and full flavored cup. Earl Grey himself would be proud”. The classic earl grey tea is one one of my favourites. I love the essences of bergamot and jasmine that is blended in this particular brand.

I steeped this tea a litte longer than my usual standby classics, but the taste and colour did not become too dark or overpowering. It was steeped for about four minutes as recommended on the Mighty Leaf pouch package.

I loved the presentation and the aroma. Some teas you try are great to start with but you can not finish the entire cup as it becomes bitter or the taste changes near the end of the cup, but this is not the case with the Earl Grey Mighty Leaf. Basically, great to the last drop as they say.

You can purchase Mighty Leaf Tea Organic Earl Grey directly from their website.