Jasmine Dragon Phoenix Pearls (Teavana)

One of Teavana’s biggest sellers is actually one of their more orthodox green teas from China. Their Jasmin Dragon Phoenix Pearls are almost always on the featured teas list when you enter one of their stores. Let’s see what I think.

Some teas are neat to think about. How the leaves are rolled and twisted. The process of producing the right flavors consistently from the leaves and buds. This Jasmine scented tea from Teavana is put through eight to ten rounds of scenting with Jasmine blossoms, oil and petals prior to being rolled into these neat little balls.

Visually these tiny pearls appear as a mixture of light and dark green twists. They’re rolled so tight they almost look like little marbles in the bag.

The aroma is lighter than expected for a tea basically wading through a couple weeks of Jasmine flowers, oils and petals. It’s clearly Jasmine, but it lacks some of the hints of nectar sweetness some other Jasmine teas have.

The flavor from these little marbles is also weaker than expected. That’s not necessarily all bad, it’s a matter of taste. I happen to like my Jasmine teas on the stronger side. The Jasmine is clearly notable in the flavor with floral tone which hint more toward gardenia than the Jasmine this tea is known for.

There’s some bite in the finish of this tea. Not enough to make a lasting impression, although the Jasmine flavor lingers in the mouth for a bit it seems to dissipate rather quickly.

I would recommend this tea to fans of more floral teas and flavored teas. Fans of Earl Grey varients may be likely to enjoy this brew. If you like your Jasmine teas on the stronger side, brew for four minutes instead of three as you’ll get more flavor that way.