January 28, 2005
Dragon Pearl Jasmine
Name: Dragon Pearl Jasmine
Kathy's Rating: 8.0/10.0
Company: Tealuxe
Origin of tea: China
Price: $20/50g (~1.8oz)
Tea form: Loose jasmine-scented green leaf in gunpower form
What they say: An extraordinary jasmine tea. Two leaves and a bud scented with the finest jasmine flowers and then tightly rolled into pearl sized balls.
Preparation method: Steep 3 minutes at water temperatures around 180F (below boiling).
Review: A while back, I wrote a review on TenRen's Jasmine Pearl Green Tea, which is exactly what this tea from Tealuxe is. So, I brewed TenRen's blend again along with this new tea so I can do a taste test.
The verdict? There's no difference whatsoever between these two teas. In fact, I don't think I could tell the difference in a blind taste test. Both teas are wonderfully fragrant, although not cloyingly so. I infused both teas for four minutes and there's no bitterness at all. The 'pearl-rolled' leaves even unfurled the same way. I wouldn't be surprised if both of these tea suppliers got this tea from the same source. I rated both teas 8.0/10.0, which is a great score.
That said, when I need to restock on this tea, I will be going to TenRen instead of Tealuxe. Why? TenRen's price is more reasonable. At the price of $26/113.4g (TenRen) vs. $32/100g (Tealuxe), I can see where the better buy is. Please note that in my review of TenRen's Jasmine pearl Green Tea, I have $80/lb as the price. If you go to TenRen's page now, you'll see that the price has gone up. I used the current price (January 2005) rather than the price I had on my older review to make comparisons on these teas.
If Tealuxe's price was higher because of Fair Trade practices, or because it is a certified organic product, I would consider paying more for it. But since the higher price doesn't appear to be the result of those factors, I have a hard time justifying buying this particular tea from them.
Posted by Kathy at January 28, 2005 08:18 PM