In the early days of my loose leaf tea drinking, I first encountered jasmine green tea pearls. I was working evening shifts at the college library and we had a small, varied supply of tea, mainly our favorite tea bags. But one night, one of my coworkers had brought in loose leaf teas they were looking to share. I was fascinated by these little green pellets in one of the tea canisters and dropped a few in mug even though we didn’t have tea bags or filters. I watched the balls of tea unfurl and fill my mug with flavor. Turns out they were jasmine green tea pearls, and I’ve had a nostalgic affinity for this kind of tea ever since.
The Jasmine Dragon Pearls from Enjoying Tea are beautiful little tea oddities. Tightly rolled pellets of tea, twined with both grey fuzzy buds, and olive green leaves. Brew them gently, despite their tight shape, these leaves are still green tea at heart, keep the temperature of your water a little cooler than normal.
The dry leaf was already heady and fragrant with jasmine blossoms. Brewed, the flowery notes continued to be pronounced, full and luscious like a bouquet of flowers in your hand. Beneath all that flower-power, the tea has a buttery base, with slightly earthy and savory undertones. The less sweet notes paired well against the powerful jasmine. The overtones of each sip carry the floral flavors, so sweet they are almost fruity.
Jasmine Dragon Pearls from Enjoying Tea lived up to my fond first memories of trying jasmine pearls from many years ago. Give this tea a try and make your own jasmine-scented memories!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Enjoying Tea
Description:
This green tea has a unique shape of a pearl and comes from the Chinese province of Fujian. These hand rolled pearls consisted of both leaves and bud. This tea has a sweet flavor with a flowery jasmine aroma. Researchers in Japan found that people who drink green regularly have a lower chance of getting cancer or developing heart diseases. Dragon Pearl is a great tasting healthy tea to drink regularly. We highly recommend it.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
An Early Taste of Spring with Mountain Oolong Spring. . . . .
Mountain Oolong Spring from Mountain Tea Co. is truly a springtime tea. In the spring, everything blooms and bursts into life, and you can evoke this feeling by brewing a cup of this tea in your kitchen at home. I’ve had quite a few teas that smell like jasmine or rose, but this tea lights up with the fragrance of less typical flowers, soft and feminine like baby’s breath or lily of the valley.
Putting your nose into a cup of this tea will envelop you with this relaxing, perfumey sensation.
Beyond the flavor of flowers, there are nutty and buttery tones to help fill out the brew and give the tea a smooth, rich mouthfeel. The more I steeped these leaves, the brighter and greener the undertones became.
The most unique and memorable part of this tea is its forward floral accents.
If you’re a lover of flowery oolongs, Mountain Oolong Spring will be a perfect fit for your tastes.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Mountain Tea Co.
Description:
The character of a pot of tea tells a story about the leaf it originated from. Good tea is a mixed blessing for tea farmers; in general, the harder the tea plant struggles to grow, the more flavorful and tempered the finished brew becomes. For this reason higher elevation with colder temperatures and thinner air produces outstanding leaf.
The 2016 spring harvest of Mountain Oolong withstands high temperature water longer without introducing dryness to the flavor, producing a forgiving and well-behaved pot of tea for the busy brewer. The steeped cup reflects a beautifully clear yet deep honey gold color; the nose is creamy sweet over a faint, nostalgic scent of rice flower bud. Notes for this crop are sharp and floral, paired with a robust body. Expect flavors of citrus blossom mostly, nasal and high in the mouth. Properly brewed we found that this tea has even greater re-steep potential than past flushes, up to six or seven.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Petal To The Metal from Ruby Lion. . . .
We always used to joke with my sister that she was the one in the family who ‘put the pedal to the metal’ or ‘had a lead foot’ because she enjoyed being the little speed demon on the highway. Sorry “Spud” if you are reading this! HEY! At least it’s not as bad as the time I announced on the radio that you could eat Twizzlers with your feet! Anyhow…that’s my little ‘tea word association’ with the tea of the moment I will be reviewing now Petal to the Metal from Ruby Lion Tea.
Ruby Lion is a newer tea company from what I have seen and their Petal To The Metal is my first taste of their product. Let me tell you it was a good first impression!
The loose leaf mixture was mostly (or completely) tighter winded black tea with hefty rose buds from what I could see. The black tea was of medium strength and had a nice even taste. It really didn’t take you for a wild ride or anything. The rose buds were marvelous! They certainly didn’t skimp on those! They were of top quality and the colors present in the dried petals were beautiful! This all contributed to the aroma and flavor of the mighty flower. It was delightfully floral.
This being my first encounter with Ruby Lion I have to say I’m intrigued and hope I have try more of the teas in the near future. This was a tasty one! I wish the very best as they continue to construct their website and presence in the tea world!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Ruby Lion
Description
We’ve all had our fair share of floral, Rose herbal Teas. This time, Rose is taking a back seat as the scent and taste of freshly peeled cardamom pods infuse this Black Tea with a nostalgic, grounding flavor profile.
We’re all complicated people, so we’ve invented a drink for the complex soul.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Royal Blend from Full Leaf Tea Company.. . . .
I’ve been on a Black Tea and Green Tea Blended base kick the last couple of weeks so I figured I would share another goodie with you…Royal Blend from Full Leaf Tea Company!
Royal Blend from Full Leaf Tea Company is described as a tea for a Queen! Dry and to the eye it contains vibrant colors and has a rich aroma that come together to create a beautiful loose leaf tea with a sweet floral flavor.
Ingredients include Black tea, green tea, lavender flowers, rose petals, and vanilla. Both look and taste like “royalty”…their words, not mine…but I can’t help but agree! It’s beautiful to look at with the black and green tea base and the specks of lavender and rose!
It’s a delight to the nose and to the tongue! The black and green tea blended base are about 50/50 to each other. One doesn’t really over power the other. Then the additional flavors come into play. The floral notes are potent – but again – not over powering. The vanilla seems to bring everything together. It’s floral, creamy, a bit sweet, a bit earthy, and well rounded, overall!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black/Green Tea Blend
Where to Buy: Full Leaf Tea Co
Description
A tea for a Queen! Vibrant colors and rich aroma come together to create a beautiful loose leaf tea with a sweet floral flavor.
Black tea, green tea, lavender flowers, rose petals, and vanilla both look and taste like “royalty”.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Blueberries and Blossoms in My Cup! Rooibos Blend From The Kettlery
As much as I love pumped-up black teas and spicy chai teas, I do need an herbal comfort now and again. Enter: Blueberry Blossoms Rooibos Tea from the Kettlery. Unsurprisingly, the overall the focus of this blend is blueberry. You can smell the berries in the dry leaf, and their flavor is very forward in the brew. This tea is not too juicy, or fruit-heavy, like other blueberry blends with hibiscus or apple pieces. This is more subdued and toasty, like a blueberry scone.
I can understand why rooibos teas might be a hit-or-miss for some people. Red rooibos can taste like medicine if oversteeped and green rooibos can be bland if you are not in the mood for it. This tea feels like a happy medium, an easy-going rooibos, strong enough to add some nuttiness underneath the blueberry flavors, but far from overpowering. I didn’t experience any sour or bitter tones when brewing this tea, only warm and gentle blueberry.
There are marshmallow blossoms listed in the ingredients list, which I found intriguing. We all know what marshmallows taste like, little clouds of pure sweetness in cocoa or Lucky Charms, but they’re not quite the same as marshmallow blossoms. My internet research tells me that mallow blossoms should taste a bit sweet, like their sugary counterparts. Any additional sweetness in this tea gets wrapped up in the blueberry flavor, and I didn’t notice any unusual herbal tastes in this tea. Perhaps the mallow blossoms are in this blend for their visual appeal. The little lavender blossoms certainly are a nice pair with the deep purple blueberries.
If you’re looking for a gentle, nutty, blueberry tea without too much sour fruit or in-your-face hibiscus, I recommend brewing up a pot of Blueberry Blossoms Roobios from the Kettlery.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: The Kettlery
Description:
This tea is better than dessert. Indulge into a healthy guilty pleasure with this rooibos tea blended with blueberry and smooth marshmallow blossoms.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!