For me, every single cup of tea is a treat. A luxury. Whether it be a delicious Earl Grey or a creamy milky oolong. But there is a particular type of tea that really is a EXTRA special treat. A treat I rarely have as it's quite an expensive tea. A tea which every single sip is truly tasted, savoured and enjoyed.
That tea is Jasmine tea. It's often sold as Jasmine Pearls or simply as Jasmine oolong.
Today I have a wonderful Jasmine Oolong from Chash Tea.
According to Chash Tea's website, this tea consists of hand rolled oolong tea that is scented with freshly picked Jasmine flowers. Just reading that is mouthwatering enough for me!
I will admit that I've had several cups of this tea to get a real feel for the blend and to be able to review it in the best way I can. And with each cup this delightful blend just gets better and better and lovelier and lovelier.
Upon first inspection of this fantastic blend I just about fell in love. The colour is absolutely awesome. And it's quite amazing to think that this tea has been hand rolled by someone with such care and respect for the tea. The tiny pearls are just lovely to feel, too. It's a gorgeous looking tea, with a light, aromatic quality. First impression's were extremely positive.
Last Friday evening I was chatting to a very nice person from Chash (not sure who they were!) on Twitter and was given a brilliant tip in the preparation of this tea. Normally, I would boil the kettle and let it cool, but was advised that the better way to make this tea was switch the kettle off just before it reached boiling point. See, you learn something new every day!
So I have perfected the art of preparing this delicate tea. As you can see when the tea is fully infused it brews to a light golden colour which is just so pretty. I love how transparent it is. To look at it you'd think this tea would be lacking something because of it's pale colour, however, it's a tea packed full of flavour. Healthy, glorious flavour.
As a general lover of floral tea and as someone who is getting to know oolong a lot better this is a tea made in heaven for me. I just love jasmine as much as I love rose or lavender flavoured tea.
I have tried several jasmine tea's, mainly all of them being a hit. However, I've also tried some terrible jasmine tea's and it all relies on how the tea is prepared. Some jasmine tea's are actually scented with real flowers, as this is, others use a jasmine flavoured oil and this is where you can go terribly wrong.If it's scented from fresh flowers then I'd advise you to try it. If it's oil, then don't! Oil can taste fake and rather acidic. So please don't be tempted to try a really cheap jasmine tea as I'm pretty sure it won't taste anything like this tea!
I love the fragrance of the jasmine in this tea. It's light and refreshing. And once you've infused this tea it really does fill the whole house with it's fresh floral scent. It's also very natural to taste and there is a light sweetness to it which is slightly addictive and incredibly moreish.
Underneath that wonderful taste of flowers there is a delicate flavour of green tea which is both satisfying but discreet. I think the tea is rather happy to let the jasmine shine in this tea.
One of the things I love about this jasmine tea is that you're able to take it at any point of the day because it makes for a warming, satisfying cup of tea. It does set me up at the start of the day and is especially lovely (for me anyway) to have in the evening as I find it is a tea that totally relaxes me. It's just beyond gorgeous!
Jasmine tea is the most luxurious tea going. There is absolutely no way I'll change my thinking of that. If you're be able to drink it as your "every day" tea then you're very lucky indeed. For me though, this is a treat and I'll only allow myself a couple of cups a week. However, when it is a treat, you appreciate the tea even more!
This is just a pretty tea. It's pretty to look at, pretty to smell and certainly pretty to drink! But it's also solid enough to leave you feeling as though you've had a thoroughly decent cup of tea.
As we approach the warmer summer days, this is light and refreshing so perfect for this time of year. And certainly perfect for a lovely afternoon tea in the garden!
If you love floral flavoured tea's this is certainly for you. But also, if you are stepping into the green tea world but can't face drinking it unflavoured, again, I would recommend this gorgeous blend. It's tasty and delicate.
Chash Tea have an incredible amount of tea on sale on their online store. Do have a browse. I've easily found at least twenty tea's I'd love to try and certainly will be over the next few months. Till them, I'm off to treat myself to just one more jasmine tea!
No comments:
Post a Comment