Jasmine “Dragon Pearls” Green Tea-Teavivre

I guess you would say I’m double fisting Teavivre style this morning. I enjoy jasmine teas quite a bit. They are not everyday teas for me but there is a comfort that jasmine brings to me. It reminds me so much of summer and going on vacation. Dragon pearls fascinate me as well…as do other artisan teas. Yes Hollywood has corrupted me because every time I hear pearl I think Pirates of the Caribbean. If you saw my previous post about pirates and drinking tea. Arrr! I think there is a beauty in watching the pearls open up like watching a Ti Kuan Yin open up. I really like this version of pearls because the jasmine is a little more subtle and not overpowering. This would be a great after dinner or afternoon tea. Thus continuing my high esteem for Teavivre.

Origin: Fuding, Fujian, China

Ingredients: Made from one bud and one new leaf, with obvious silver tips, hand rolled into a pearl shape

Harvest time: Hand-picked in March, 2011

Taste: A bold sweet tea, with a subtle jasmine aroma

Brew: 1 teaspoon for 8oz of water. Brew at 176 ºF (80 ºC) for 1 to 2 minutes (exact time depends on your taste – a longer time will give the tea a stronger taste and color)

Health Benefits: Jasmine Dragon Pearl is a premium green tea, and so gives you all the great health benefits of any green tea. In addition it is also widely believed in China that the jasmine flowers themselves add some additional benefits, helping reduce depression and also helping with natural detoxification of the body.

True Love Flower Tea-Teavivre

Let the festivities continue. There seems to be a pattern. Teavivre seems to be the tea of choice for the evening. Other flowering teas that I have sampled have been jasmine flavored. So this is a new experience for me. The green tea is not a very strong scent. The liquor is a little darker yellow. Slightly nutty not bitter. However it took a second steep for the flower to really open up. It’s a decent green and a good one to share with friends over for New Years Eve. I kinda like having a flowering tea that’s not all jasmine. However the flower itself blooming is not as dynamic and just seemed to not want to open up.

Chun Mei Green Tea (Zhen Mei)-Teavivre

Here is another sample from the lovely cornucopia sent to me from Teavivre. This reminds me of the Yunnan Emerald buds that I sampled from Teavana. Definitely different leaves from the the Dragon Well. The dry leaves are tightly rolled and have a slightly smoky aroma like charcoal. First steep a pale yellow liquor. Slightly smokey and slightly bitter. The wet leaf kinda reminds me of cooked greens and one of my favorite Christmas songs from Run DMC

The second steep is where it gets interesting. The the liquor this time is a bright orange hue. Definitely smokier and more bitter. Reminds me a lot of green pu-erh. I have not been a fan of green pu-erh so far but this is not as bad as my previous experience with the green pu-erh. Decent cup though.

Yunnan Emerald Buds-Teavana

I have no idea why I thought it was a black tea when I got it. My mind must have been thinking Yunnan=black, but not the case. Needless to say I let this one steep for longer than you should let a green steep for. Preparing for a massive dose of bitterness that I thought I would be dumping down the sink… surprisingly not bitter at all. I like the hint of smokiness in this one. It almost has an almondy oolong finish to it. I have not been much of a green man myself. I mostly like black and oolongs, but I’m starting to think my tea pallet might be expanding. Not bad at all.

Premium grade Dragon Well Green Tea (Long Jing)-Teavivre

Thanks again to Angel for sending me this sample. So out of the packaging I notice a smell of a field. Hay, alfalfa, grass like you are in the country. Not a bad thing considering that I am surrounded by farmland at my house. The leaves look like blades of grass too. Now I must admit that Chinese greens have not been my thing in the past. I tried one before and didn’t think it was too good. So with that I just a bit pensive trying it. I also shared it with a co-worker because I knew if I let it sit in the french press….ho boy welcome to bitterness city. It brewed up a pale liquor. My co-worker said it smelled like chicken broth. MMM I got that too maybe a little nutty, however I thought noodles. Insert Kung Fu Panda!!

I do believe I had the noodle dream! Personally I like teas that have more body to them. So drinking a chinese green or a white tea I feel like there is something missing. Very good though.

2011 Menghai Dayi 7542-China Cha Dao

I’m really trying to like this one but so far is not happening. There’s is a touch of Oolong and darjeeling in it, but I’m thinking green pu-erh is not for me. It was bitter to me…lacked the smoothness that I like from black pu-erh. By the end of the of the cup I felt like scratching my tongue like Tom Hanks in Big. I am normally not one to rate a tea low but this one just isn’t doing it for me.

Harney & Sons Matcha-iri Genmai-cha

I received a sample of this from Batrachoid so I decided to start the day with it. The pot was ghoulishly green like a bucket of slime. The likes of left behind by a famous ghost. That the likes of Dr. Peter Venkman, Dr. Egon Spangler, Dr. Raymond Stantz, and Winston Zeddmore take on. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2nYqyfDMnQ I’m excited to try this since my resume of Harney & Sons is quite small. Pretty good overall but I was a little disappointed to not have that toasted rice flavor really come out. It’s seems to be more prevalent in the blends that I have found at the Asian market. Not bad but not spectacular either.

Dr. Tea Matcha La Tea

So I have had this one a while and wanted get a week in of tasting it before my review. Trumpet fanfare….or not so much. This tea has very similar indgredients that the good Dr’s coffee tea has but with white chocolate instead of the vanilla. When brewed the matcha is not that noticable. It is a deep brown liquor(like the coffee tea) with oddly enough a green ring around the top of the mug. Not gonna lie that’s cool. The aroma is pleaseant a little roasty…a little sweet too. However I think that there is some sweetness in the aroma when you roast something. The sip. MMMM There is that roasted oolong and hojicha coming through…and the white chocolate. That’s the difference between the coffee tea, and BAM! KA-POW! WHAM! or my favorite KABONG! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Os6ptSZFNOk&feature=related The Matcha. What the Matcha gives this is more texture. It’s almost like the consistency of hot cocoa. This is a fabulous tea. It’s definitely a great morning starter after a cup of JavaVana Mate. This adds to why more of my tea money goes to the Dr