Without Green Jasmine Pearls in sachets, there would be no JoJo Tea. Since 2011, when we first started sharing our teas, Jasmine Pearls have consistently impressed even the most pessimist tea cynics. It’s also available in loose leaf format.
Most of the time, the first thing our guests say when they taste our Jasmine Pearls is, “Wow, there’s no bitterness at all!” And that’s not by mistake. So, let’s break this tea down so we might understand why there’s no bitterness, and why it stands so high above most other green jasmine teas.
The infusing infusing of aromatic jasmine flowers into green tea has a very long history. While some claim that this practice goes back to the 6th or 7th century, historic evidence makes it clear that by the Ming Dynasty of the 1200’s, the practice was already common throughout Eastern China.
This traditional infusion process is done by mixing dry, finished tea with fresh jasmine flowers. The flowers are blended with the tea and stored together for a day. At the end of the 24 hour period, each petal is removed, by hand. The higher the grade of jasmine tea, the more times this process is repeated. Ours is repeated three times.
Of course, even the best jasmine infusion won’t save bad tea. And teas that are naturally bitter will have their bitterness magnified when combined with that strong floral aroma. With this in mind, we choose the same 大白茶 (Dà bái chá) bushes from Fuding County that we use for our white teas. Since their buds are so big, and their leaves are so thin, they always give us round, soft sweetness. They’re very patient, and need to be really pushed hard before they start tasting bitter.
Green Jasmine Pearl sachets are probably the easiest way to get started with a simple tea drinking habit. If you pour hot water into your cup, toss a sachet in, and come back much later, even after ten minutes, you won’t find the same tannic, nasty bitterness that’s so common in green teas in general, and green jasmine teas in particular.
