Customer Reviews

Twinings Jasmine Green Tea, Loose Tea, 3.53-Ounce Tins (Pack of 6)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

A Ming Dynasty (AD 1368 - 1644) creation believed to lower cholesterol and promote longevity, jasmine tea consists of Chinese green tea leaves - usually green teas from Fujian province, which is also home to the semi-fermented Oolong and smoky Lapsang Souchong - scented with jasmine flowers. Traditionally, the flowers are harvested during the day and stored in a cool place until nightfall, when they develop their full fragrance. They are then layered over the tea leaves, which have previously been steamed or heated to prevent their oxidation. The tea's quality is determined both by the quality of the green tea used as its base and by the effectiveness of the scenting process. Brewed, it has a delicate, silvery color and a rich fragrance reminiscent of a flower garden in bloom.

I have heard this described as a "starter" green tea. One of its general selling points is that it has a sweet, floral flavor that sits on top of and "does away with" some of the things about green tea that drive some first time users away: the grassy flavor and bitter aftertaste. I like it, but I am not really crazy about it.

To me, this is a tea to have in moderate amounts. Though it makes a nice alternative to try some new flavor, it is not actually a blend I favor keeping too much around (the pound or so you get in the "Amazon six-pack" will probably last me for a couple of years and I drink 8-12 cups of tea a day if not more). I would recommend making it sort of weak because if you approach any real level of tea strength the jasmine flavor will become the opposite of its intention: cloying and bitter. It mixes well with Twining's Gunpowder Green (half and half, some allowances for the differences in textures) if you are interested in a slightly more appropriate "starter" blend that allows the natural taste of green to shine but still clips off the more leafy flavor on the back of the tongue.

The best time to drink this, it seems to me, is a relaxed moderate day where you can get something of a natural breeze to go with the absolute best bit of this blend: its aroma.

Loose leaf tea is nearly always better than the smaller grained tea bag sort, and Twinings Jasmine loose tea is no exception. Sometimes Jasmine tea can taste a little bitter, though, so be sure the water is hot, but not too hot (i.e. not quite boiling--give it a little time to cool before adding to leaves). It may take the slightest bit more of work, but gaining the full flavor and aroma of the larger leaves is well worth the effort. If you like the flavor and/or benefits of green tea, this will be a nice addition to the collection.

There isn't any advantage to buying in bulk when the tea you buy is stale and bitter from the first time the can is opened. I'm going back to buying this otherwise-delicious tea one can at the time from the local grocer. At least I know the stuff hasn't been sitting in a warehouse for months (which is what this tea tastes like).

For Jasmine tea, Twinings is my favorite. Don't steep it too long or it will be bitter. Nice fragrance. Really nice with Asian food. Hard to find in stores.

I don't know if it was just that I got a bad batch or if all their tea is like this, but no matter how I made it (I did the proper steeping - water was not too hot) it never had a good fragrance - it either tasted burnt or had very little taste. To make matters worse, when I finally located their hard-to-find contact info. and told them, they simply apologized. No offers for reimbursement, return, or anything. Then when I made clear that I wanted to return it, they told me how, but I had to pay for shipping, which was expensive (of course I was only able to return the unopened tins). Never buying from Twinings again; even the bagged stuff I get from my local Trader Joe's is way better and I'm used to the loose-leaf stuff.

I love Jasmine Green tea, hence I wanted to give this Twinings Jasmine Green Tea a try. I am disappointed. Yes, there are some jasmine petals and there is a weak jasmine smell when you open the tin, but the jasmine aroma is very very weak in the resulting brewed tea. Yes, one can use more tea than the usual amount trying to get some jasmine flavour, but this time the resulting tea ends up very bitter. I have had far more flavorful jasmine green teas from tea stores, or even the jasmine green tea I recently got at a Peet's Coffee & Tea store was far more aromatic.

If you like your jasmine green tea with 'jasmine' flavour (like me), I would not recommend you buying this tea. On the other hand, if you are looking for a jasmine green tea with very very weak jasmine flavour, then this tea might be a good choice for you.

Now that stores rarely stock Twinings Jasmine Green Tea, Amazon or Twinings are the only sources where we can get it. Other brands of Jasmine just don't taste the same. We keep coming back to the Twinings brand. Amazon offers it at a great value.

This tea is really good- just the aroma- without even brewing it is wonderful. The taste, when you do brew it, is even better. This tea is not a bunch of ground up leaves that are like dust- you get nice tea leaves and flowers. One word of warning- steeping the tea too long will result in a less jasmine taste as it will start to get bitter. This tea is so good and doesn't need any added milk or sweetener. I love it so much that I use it every day and have signed up for the subscribe and save program so I will always have it. Plus, it is less expensive than at the grocery store and saves me gas money and I don't run out.

Wonderful tea. A little goes a long way as well. Twinings tins are also a nice thing for loose tea. No extra jars to keep.

This is a green tea. Remember, boiling or very hot water will give it the 'burnt' bitter taste. 175F is best, just pour the water in, wait 5 minutes or so, then add the leaves.