Jasmine Dragon Pearl Green Tea

Jasmine flowers in China represent one of the first natural elements that were used to flavor tea. For a long time, in fact, it has been noticed how the combination of tea and jasmine has several advantages both from the point of view of production and flavors.

For the production of Jasmine Dragon Pearl green tea, in fact, two intrinsic characteristics of these products are combined, namely the aromatic intensity of jasmine and the strong tendency of the tea to absorb the surrounding aromas. Thanks to these properties it is possible to blend the flavors of both elements, cyclically exposing the tea leaves to jasmine flowers and obtaining more or less intense results depending on the exposure cycles of the latter. Often this practice takes a few days: this is why some producers prefer to skip it, using the concentrated jasmine aroma directly, which in many cases covers the flavor of the tea. Certainly this is not the case: these small spheres of green tea have in fact been flavored naturally by contact with the flowers and this can also be found in the flavor of the infusion.

Tasting the product you can immediately feel the floral presence of jasmine that will gradually be supported and supplemented by a very fresh vegetable flavor similar to that of a meadow early in the morning sprayed with dew. The floral essence of jasmine will persist for a long time on the palate and will be perceived even in the leaves not yet infused, thanks to their balled shape useful to preserve the freshness of the tea.

Tasting – Sight and smell

Jasmine Dragon Pearl green tea leaves are green and silvery, which confirms the presence of numerous buds. The shape, as the name of tea suggests, is balled and looks like small pearls. The aroma of jasmine, which already feels great smelling the dry leaves, explodes once they are infused, followed by notes of white flowers, orange blossom and cotton candy. In the cup the liquor is a delicate yellow, very clear: there is no astringency and the body is light and silky.

Tasting Notes

GONG FU CHA

The first infusion of jasmine Dragon Pearl green tea is characterized by floral notes that open in an intensely scented bouquet: we find jasmine, but also magnolia and lily of the valley, in addition to orange blossom and a sweet hint of orange honey With the second infusion the leaves slowly open and notes of beeswax emerge in addition to the floral hints that certainly remain the dominant. With the third infusion and the following ones, there is a decrease in intensity of the floral notes and a very slight herbaceous freshness and a slight citrus acidity are perceived, which contribute to the sensation of cleanliness of the palate.

WESTERN

The first notes of jasmine Dragon Pearl green tea have an intense floral fragrance: jasmine and more generally white flowers (wisteria, lily of the valley) pleasantly invade the taste receptors and envelop the palate. Secondly, there is a very slight vegetal scent reminiscent of fresh grass and immediately after the floral notes return, which are now orange blossom, accompanied by the sweetness of honey. The persistence is magnificent, very long and floral.

Place of origin

Fuding, Fujian – China

Production

Jasmine Dragon Pearl green tea undergoes a very classic processing process, which involves, after a first drying outdoors, the cooking of the leaves in large woks heated to temperatures around 180 ° C to block the enzymatic activity and prevent oxidation of the same. After these phases, the leaves are cyclically exposed to jasmine flowers so that they absorb the aroma by contact and finally balled up to maintain all the freshness and aromas.

How to prepare

We highly recommend infusing Jasmine Dragon Pearl green tea in the traditional Chinese method (gong fu cha) to enjoy these leaves at its best Following this preparation, 5 grams of leaves (about 3 teaspoons) can be used in a gaiwan of about 150 ml to make several infusions with different tastes. After a quick rinse of the leaves in water at 80°C, one can proceed with an initial infusion of 20 seconds, and after that, keeping the water at the same temperature, proceed with multiple infusions, each time increasing the time by 10 seconds (20 – 30 – 40 …).

This tea has a longevity of about 6 brewings.

For a classic preparation according to the Western style, we recommend 3 grams of leaves (about 1 teaspoon and a half) in a 200-mL cup with water at 80°C for an infusion time of 2-3 minutes.

Jasmine Dragon Pearl green tea can be filtered for greater ease at the time of tasting and also the infusion times indicated above want to be purely indicative so you can also adjust according to your personal taste.

Store in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight.