Photo: Adagio Teas |
The dry leaves had the appearance of a typical silver needle but the jasmine aroma was very apparent. I made this tea in a porcelain gaiwan using 180 degree water and one minute infusions. I also made it in my Breville One-Touch Tea Maker with 185 degree water for four minutes. The liquor was a very pale yellow. I find the smell of jasmine intoxicating so I spent several minutes just taking in the aroma of this tea.
I was pleasantly surprised at how delicate this blend was. The subtle flavor of the silver needle was there as was the jasmine. Jasmine is a tricky thing because it is very easy to overpower your base tea. It was naturally sweet with no astringency. My second infusion was a bit more vegetal but just as delicious. There wasn’t very much difference when I tried this tea in the Breville Tea Maker instead. This versatility is one of the things I love about silver needle. I would definitely recommend this tea.
I too think of Jasmine as a strong aroma (I actually just finished a cup of Jasmine tea myself) that can easily overpower the base tea. I have yet to try a Jasmine silver needle. I'm not a huge fan of silver needle tea, as a general rule, but I am curious to see how it could be scented with Jasmine in a balanced way.