Stash Jasmine Blossom Green Tea

When people tell me that they love tea, I tend to put on my snob glasses and judge them because too many people I know who say they "love" tea just drink Lipton bagged black tea (there is nothing wrong with that, but I would inform you that there are better options out there).  Well, one of my friends is a tea snob equal to my snobbishness but without a blog, and when we got into a discussion on Jasmine teas, she recommended this one to me because she said it tasted similar to dragon pearls but at a fraction of the price.   I then got this tea when it was on sale and now I have three bags of this stuff so I hope she's right. 

Also sorry for the crappier photos, especially my stained cup.

Outsides:  I got the 3 pack of the 3.5 oz loose leaf and they come in these foil pouches and the ingredients are just green tea and jasmine blossoms.  Much like any jasmine green, it smells strongly of jasmine.  I brewed a teaspoon in 8 ounces of 170 degree F for 3 minutes.  It has a more golden color to it and smells like sweet jasmine.

Insides:  My friend was almost right about this tasting like jasmine pearls.  The tea isn't as sweet as the ones I've tried but compared to other green teas I've tried, there's a more prominent sweetness and less astringency than normal.  The jasmine is very fragrant but you never get the feeling that you're drinking a flower.  Honestly, this is just a well-balanced tea that gives you a good feeling of zen. 

Tilt:  I bought the 3-pack on Amazon which is normally priced at $19 but since there was a 20% off Stash coupon, it would have cost $15.20, so a little more than $5 for 3.5 oz of tea.  Even at the regular price, it isn't too bad as another tea which is comparable is Adagio's Jasmine Chun Hao which is $8 for 3 oz plus cost of shipping (I will say that the Jasmine Chun Hao is better though).  This is a good everyday jasmine green that's quality is between "I don't care, I just want something floral and cheap" (Sunflower Brand Jasmine Tea) and "Oh god, this is too expensive so I'll just drink it for special occassions" (pretty much any Jasmine Dragon Pearl from a shop, Jasmine Chun Hao).  I'd save Sunflower for iced tea but this one would probably be good too and is just a nice tea to have around. 

Overall:  I like it and it will be consumed.

My Rating:  Buy it!

Stash Tea is a popular American tea company.  Also, they're having a 20% off Friends and Family Event until 11/12/13 by using the code FAMILY13 at checkout. 

Zen Tea Jasmine Dragon Pearl

So, my last 4 days have cinsisted of 7 to 9 hours of baking cookies (we have at least 13 different kinds right now) and honestly, I need a break.  NO MORE MOM, I'M GOING ON A DIET!  Anyway, I need some jasmine tea to relax and this one looked interesting. 

Outsides:  The tea is just chinese Jasmine Green tea buds, but it's shaped like little spheres.  The instructions say that you can use 3 to 5 of these per cup, so I put in 4 big ones and one derpy looking bud in 8 oz of 80 degree Celsius water and just kept them there (I want to see if they bloom, which they kinda do).  The fluid is a very light orange (it almost looks pink to me) and have a nice fragrant scent of jasmine.

Insides:  This actually works pretty well without an infuser because the leaves are very tender when brewed.  What really surprised me was how naturally sweet the tea is without sugar.  It has a light body and a delicate green tea flavor with a pleasant jasmine scent, but there's a sweetness to it which makes this extra special to me.  Plus, it's so fragrant that you can probably get away with using 3 buds.  Anyway, this is a fantastic tea to help introduce people to floral tea and for people who don't want to consume as much sugar.  I image that this is great cold.

Overall:  Apparently you can get this cheaper at the Asian markets, but this sample size gives you good bang for your buck and it's darn tasty!

My Rating:  Buy it!  

Zen Tea is a canadian tea retailer that specializes in mid to high quality tea.  

Tazo Orange Blossom Tea

  

So, I got this tea from my secret Santa on my Jumpstart team who said that she liked tea and knows how much I love it.  I didn’t tell her that I hated Tazo teas and only got them by stealing them from random places, but thankfully, this comes in a pretty sweet metal tin that will hold some of the pound of Davidson’s Tea Spring Fruit and Flowers I got (I found that I’m addicted to blueberry herbal tea and I really should just get the pound).  Anyway, this particular tea appears to be a blend of jasmine green tea, TANGERINE PEEL (as opposed to, you know, orange) and goji berries with all kinds of spices such as orange essence, chamomile flowers, fennel, tarragon and more stuff that I don’t even care about.  

Outsides:  So, I got this tea in a cool metal tin.  Sadly, it is not loose-leaf but in cornsilk sachets that are not individually wrapped.  I actually kind of think that’s a giant waste of space because you have this big freaking container and you only get 15 bags of this stuff, but I digress.  Since this is green tea based, I used 6 oz of slightly below boiling water and about 2 oz of room temperature water and steeped it for 3 minutes (but the temp was so low that you can get away with longer).  The color is similar to a lot of chamomile teas and this one smells both citrusy and flowery. 

I also need to note that the tea in here seems to be at a much higher level than the normal bagged Tazo.  For one thing, it’s whole-leaf and the bigger the leaf, the better the tea.  It’s also very pretty to look at in the cup, almost like blooming tea.  And they used corn-silk instead of paper so I’m guessing this is some fancy stuff.

Insides:  The jasmine is a bit strong, but it’s still a nice citrusy herbal blend.  The base of green tea and chamomile gives this a bit of a sweet taste while the jasmine and orange are both relaxing.  The weird thing is, I don’t know if all of these flavors are overpowering the green tea or if they just didn’t use a very flavorful kind but I’m guessing it’s a bit of both.  If you add sugar, I feel that it does a good job toning down some of the citrusy and floral flavors while bringing out the green tea and I also imagine this being nice as an iced tea.  It’s a bit of a weird blend for me, but overall it is still enjoyable.

Overall:  I’m sure that for the pricepoint, it is not worth it but this is a nice tea overall and I’m glad I got it as a secret Santa present.

My Rating:  Try it!

Tazo can be found pretty much anywhere that sells Starbucks related stuff but I'll have to check with my team leader where she got it.  I do hope that it wasn't too expensive.

TasTEA Time! Lipton Green Tea with Orange, Passionfruit and Jasmine

Alright, we have the final tea in the Lipton Green Tea sample box.  I saved this one for last because Orange, Passion Fruit and Jasmine sounds like it would be the best of the bunch (however, I'm probably going to be proven wrong) and I like tropical flavors like passionfruit. 

Outsides:  Your standard Lipton bag.  It looks like a slightly darker version of the normal green tea and smells like orange. 

Insides:  Eh, it's not bad.  Definitely has one of the better balances in the bunch, although I wish it had more passionfruit flavor.  The orange and jasmine actually go really well together, making this sweet and bright, floral and fruit combination.  However, you can still taste the green tea through all of this, making this a nice tea as opposed to lemon drink with some tea flavoring in it.  I guess this and the Honey green tea are my favorites, and this would be a crowd-pleasing iced tea.

Overall:  If you see a bunch of different Lipton Green Teas and feel the need to have one, this is a good choice to make.  It's slightly fruity, has a little dimension and a good amount of balance and is just a nice tea to drink.  It's not good enough (for me at least) to justify buying on its own, but if you feel like something bright with a hint of tropical flavor, then check this one out. 

My Rating:  Try it!  Here's the site:  Lipton Home

Summary of the box:  Overall, I think most of the teas were a good value for the money.  Oh sure, none of them were outright amazing, but if you want to try a few different flavors to see what they're like or want to get someone a cheap box of green tea to amuse themselves with for a few days, this isn't the worst one you could get.  I personally liked the Honey and OPJ the best while I found the berry to be terrible.  Personal opinion aside, I think you should get the mint if only for those people who get tummy aches.  I still don't care that much about Lipton's tea, but I'm a snob and I'll admit to it. 

Also, now i have to find other tea sampler sets.  Preferably cheap ones that are widely available. 

TasTEA Time! Mount of Olives Jasmine Green

What:  Jasmine Green Tea

Where:  Israel

Why Should I Care:  Jasmine tea can be tricky.  I know it's one of the oldest ways to flavor tea, but it seems a lot of companies really have trouble balancing a good jasmine scent and good green tea.  I've had a couple where the jasmine was nonexistent but also a good number where it felt like you were drinking perfume.  Does Mount of Olives have what it takes?

Packaging:  The tea is in these paper envelopes, which is annoying but the tea is fairly cheap so it's ok.

Non-Taste Senses:  It has the same yellowish-green color that most green tea has and there's a slight jasmine smell to it.

Taste:  You know what?  Mount of Olives really did this right.  You have a foretaste of green tea and a bold but not overpowering aftertaste of jasmine.  It's refreshing, calming and doesn't taste like you're drinking a bottle of body spray.  It's nice with or without sugar and although I don't think it's traditional drinking this iced, I'm drinking it cold right now and it's fine.

Overall:  For a relatively inexpensive brand, this is some great green tea.  If you've never tried jasmine-flavored green tea and are curious, check this one out.

My Rating:  Buy it!  Here's the real site and here's what Amazon has to say on all this.