iTeaworld has been knocking on my owl house for months for a review. I figured other writers had it covered. However, iTeaworld approached me with a Jasmine Tea Sampler that I’d never seen before – four jasmine teas with different levels of scenting. This is educational, but also interesting as not too often tea vendors cite how much scenting is done. Even though I don’t like green tea I want to experience the jasmine levels.
A good jasmine (or any floral tea) tea is scented with fresh flowers over time. I often see jasmine teas getting their floral essence from added fragrance oils or dried jasmine buds. In my opinion, quality jasmine tea should also resteep with jasmine flavor intact. Teas with added fragrance or herbals are mostly only foral on the first infusion and do not resteep well. iTeaworld has a nice infographic showing the process of scenting teas.
Dry Leaf and Steeping Method
Jasmine Bi Luo Chun (scented 3 times) has a light jasmine scent. The Jasmine Mao Jian (scented 5 times) is a bit more jasmine, but leaning sweet. Jasmine Zhen Wang (scented 7 times) leans a bit earthy and jasmine. Finally, the Jasmine Bai Hao (scented 9 times!) is JASMINE. I have perfume allergies and this set it off just smelling the leaves.
For all teas, I used 2.5grams in a 100ml gaiwan (1g per 40ml). My water temperature is 80c, following iTeaworld’s recommendations, but a few I went off book.
Tasting of iTeaworld’s Jasmine Tea Sampler
Jasmine Bi Luo Chun – Scented 3 Times
iTeaworld’s Jasmine Bi Luo Chun is a Yunnan large leaf varietal from Lincang prefecture in the Yunnan province. This tea has a couple of jasmine petals. Enough to add some visual charm to the tea without lowering the quality and cheating the floral flavor.
After an infusion, the leaves are sweet, grassy, and somewhat zesty.
Flavor wise, Jasmine Bi Luo Chun cut grass, and juicy corn stalks, with a hum of jasmine at the end of the sip, with the lingering aroma of jasmine.
2nd infusion has less jasmine and more of a buttery bitter grass flavor. The astringency hits tickling the back of the throat. 3rd infusion of Jasmine Bi Luo Chun just holds onto the jasmine leaving a sweet jasmine aroma, with the green tea slipping a bit more bitter and grassy.
Jasmine Mao Jian – Scented 5 Times
Jasmine Mao Jian is also a Yunnan Large Leaf varietal from Lincang, but specifically from Mengshen Town. This is my favorite scent of the bunch, it’s so sweet and floral. It seems most of the jasmine teas I enjoy have this scented intensity.
After a steep, Jasmine Mao Jian tangy jasmine that’s almost smokey.
Jasmine Mao Jian is a more gentle green tea. It is a mellow and buttery thick texture with sweet grass notes. The jasmine aroma sticks in the aftertaste that still is that sweet tangy floral. 2nd infusion is more jasmine as this tea opens up. The flavor tips into bitterness as the floral and green grassy flavors open and collide. 3rd infusion is just as jasmine as the first infusion, though the green tea has hit bitter levels and some astringency drying the tip of the tongue.
Jasmine Zhen Wang – Scented 7 Times
Jasmine Zhen Wang is a Jinngu Large Leaf varietal from Minle Township in Jinngu part of Yunnan Province.
In the hot gaiwan, Jasmine Zhen Wang is still not as jasmine scented as the others. If I get my nose right in there, I can smell it seems concentrated. After a steep and BOOM lots of jasmine. Potent! This one steeps a white peach color.
Jasmine Zhen Wang is just jasmine notes upfront. The aroma is strong as I sip, and the flavor is waves of jasmine, sugar crystal candy, crystalline amber minerals, and a bit of earth. This tea is subtle in the tea flavor, definitely leaning like a white tea profile. The 2nd infusion is much like the first with the delicate notes.
For the 3rd infusion, I boiled. I think this tea can take it, and I’m the person who boils their white tea. Zhen Wang boiled just fine. It’s still delicate amber, rock sugar, and somewhat grain/bready/malt flavor. The jasmine flows freely and potent aftertaste. This is a touch astringent, but holding up great for 3 steeps and boiling.
Jasmine Bai Hao – Scented 9 Times
Jasmine Bai Hao is quite different from the rest, being a Fujian tea made of Fuding Big Peoke variety.
Bai Hao tea on its own is decently floral, and they scented it 9x to just take it to crazy levels.
As I do the first pour, the jasmine is strong. The steeped leaves are even more jasmine than dry and again attacking my sinuses.
Taste wise, Jasmine Bai Hao is not that bad. It’s another delicate tip tea that tastes minerally but somewhat buttery. The aftertaste is aggressively floral, like drinking jasmine glue. Similar to the previous tea, the 2nd infusion is more jasmine and that’s all I can taste. It’s enough jasmine to scent the entire digestive tract.
Jasmine Bai Hao is similarly bombproof, so I boiled the next infusions. The 3rd and 4th infusions were the best steep out of every tea in the set. It’s a very sweet, zesty, super throat clogging sticky thick body, with a contrasting aggressive slap of jasmine that scents the sinuses. I left the tea table to get water and I’m leaving a trail of jasmine in my wake. 5th infusion is bitter and stewy, but still jasmine flavored which is impressive. I don’t think it’ll quit, but it’s stewed out for me.
This shows the scenting power of jasmine vs faking it – this tea tastes like it was genetically spliced to contain jasmine in its DNA.
Comments
I’d say most would love the first tea teas, Bi Luo Chun and Mao Jain. These would be great teas to show new drinkers to wow them on actually good jasmine tea. The last two, Jasmine Zhen Wang and Bai Hao would either be too delicate or too much jasmine for most drinkers. Experienced tea drinkers who love jasmine would dig it. Owl’s pick is the Jasmine Zhen Wang followed by the Bai Hao.
I finished drinking all this jasmine tea at 2pm. At 7pm I had jasmine burps. The next day I could still smell jasmine at my tea table.
Either way, iTeaworld’s Jasmine Tea Sampler is quite fun. If you love floral teas, this is an opportunity to see how much floral you like or just try some good jasmine teas. You get five 5 gram packets of each tea, 100 grams total in the tasting set.
(tea provided for review)
