Review: Two easy-to-find “jasmine” teas

I’m categorizing these teas as “easy to find” since I found them, and teas that *aren’t* easy to find are pretty scarce in this part of Wisconsin.

The first one I picked up from my local Asian grocery store. You’ve maybe seen it–it’s the one that looks like this:

(Picture shamelessly stolen from a defunct site via Google image search)

Now, I could’ve *sworn* that I’ve heard good things about this low-grade tea on a mailing list. I have a tin of green tea of the “Joy Luck” brand sitting on my desk at work, and it’s low-grade (tightly-rolled, gunpowder style) but is tolerable if brewed correctly. I was hoping this black, jasmine scented tea could join it there–when I want tea but haven’t the time or concentration to appreciate good tea properly.

And I brewed it carefully–water just off the boil, a normal ratio of tea-to-servings (I made this in a big pot with the standard “1 tsp/6oz” ratio), a reasonable steeping time (only about a minute, maybe a bit more–I don’t even like to let blacks go for long unless I trust their character), etc.

Still, the result was absolutely toxic. Bitter, scrapey-tasting, and almost shrill, with a bottom-dropping-out insipidness underneath and the cloying, sickly-strong scent of jasmine on top.

Ick. I gave some to Pete, who says he took about a sip and threw the rest out. I unknowingly took the rest in my thermos to work and was awfully saddened when I tried it. Still, I didn’t feel like coffee, so I choked down about two cups of it before I felt a little dizzy, flushed, and nauseous.

I’m certain it was psychosomatic, but, still…ick.

Did I do something wrong? I’ll give this stuff one more shot just to see if even more careful brewing can save it. For now, though…not on my “good” list. Do check out the stuff you’ll likely find right next to this on the shelves, though, in the green tin. It’s bitter and a little shrill, too, but still somewhat tolerable for a thoughtless, careless, drinking-in-lieu-of-water-at-work tea.

The second tea I wanted to write briefly about was a sort of “Random Encounter” tea. As I had a meeting this morning that I knew I wouldn’t be able to brew tea before, I stopped at an “Aspen” tea & coffee shop on my way in. (Try the spiced biscotti with the cream-cheese-ish frosting–they’re amazing.)

There, I had to choose between a slew of “Numi” teas and a slew of “Republic of Tea” teas, all in bags. I wanted green, so I picked this and went with it. It’s Numi’s Jasmine Green, and despite being brewed in too-hot water in a too-heat-retaining styrofoam cup and being brewed too long since I had about three minutes before I could dispose of the tea bag, the stuff wasn’t half bad.

The green tea base was nothing to write home about, being a little flat and character-less, but it was mild and not at all bitter. The jasmine was faint and not overpowering, and the tea was very forgiving of the terrible brewing conditions.

Check out Numi’s website for a lesson in incredibly slick marketing/packaging–the stuff is lovely, especially the completely impractical and most likely blah-tasting “Flowering Teas.” I wouldn’t buy any of their stuff for myself, but if I were out to eat and wanted hot tea, I wouldn’t turn my nose up at Numi’s bags.

That’s all for now! Later this week–my first shipment from Jing Teashop, some sheng puerhs, and silly pictures of me making my first attempt to break into a tuo cha.