Brewing with pearls...

Owes its flavors to oxidation levels between green & black tea.


User avatar
Aug 28th, '06, 17:52
Posts: 98
Joined: Sep 16th, '05, 01:29
Location: Texas
Contact: teamuse

Brewing with pearls...

by teamuse » Aug 28th, '06, 17:52

I have some #12 and also some jasmine scented green tea pearls...

When brewing do you still measure the tea by the teaspoon or is there a "pearl per cup" recommendation.

I tried doing a measured teaspoon with the green and it was too strong (and I like my tea strong enough to wake the dead...so that's saying something). :P

I know the #12 oolong is devine and I would appriciate some recommendations on how to get the most out of the tea.

I've also been debating trying it iced.

Thanks in advance

Teamuse, enjoying the scents of jasmine

edited: because i can't read my sample tins! :roll:

User avatar
Aug 28th, '06, 20:18
Posts: 402
Joined: Jun 15th, '05, 21:35
Location: Norristown, PA
Contact: jogrebe

by jogrebe » Aug 28th, '06, 20:18

Personally being allergic to jasmine I've never had any of the pearl tea but I did have gunpowder which I guess is somewhat similar in shape. For gunpowder always I use a 2/3 teaspoon which works fine for me.
John Grebe

"You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me."
~C. S. Lewis

User avatar
Aug 28th, '06, 21:23
Posts: 212
Joined: Feb 12th, '06, 22:30

by Warden Andy » Aug 28th, '06, 21:23

You could either use less leaves, or a shorter brewing time.
Super elite tea facist....

User avatar
Aug 28th, '06, 22:18
Posts: 383
Joined: Mar 16th, '06, 20:53
Location: Colorado

by daughteroftheKing » Aug 28th, '06, 22:18

I LOVE Jasmine #12! In the IngenuiTea, I use 12 pearls. So if you're only brewing for an 8 oz. cup, 5-6 pearls should be plenty. And they're good for 3 really nice infusions. First infusion: 4 minutes at about 180 degrees, 2nd & 3rd infusions add another minute (5 & 6 min., respectively), and higher temperature.

Please DO try it cold -- yummy! And even lukewarm or cool, it's very soothing if you're a singer or do alot of speaking.
For me, just a tiny bit of sweetener intensifies that lovely scent/taste.
"Top off the tea... it lubricates the grey matter."
(Jerry Ledbetter, "Good Neighbors")

User avatar
Aug 28th, '06, 22:46
Posts: 98
Joined: Sep 16th, '05, 01:29
Location: Texas
Contact: teamuse

by teamuse » Aug 28th, '06, 22:46

daughterofthe King... thank you so much for your reply. I will certainly be trying it out with the numbers you suggested very soon. And with the heat...I will definately try it cold and after I've been reading to the baby. And we'll be using them for multiple infusions for sure.

John - I'm making mental note of how you've measured out the Gunpowder green, I have one of those as well but have yet to try it. Bummer to have issues with jasmine though.
"Life is too short to drink bad tea!"

User avatar
Aug 29th, '06, 16:44
Posts: 113
Joined: Oct 12th, '05, 11:05
Location: Floating In a Teacup
Contact: Madam Potts

by Madam Potts » Aug 29th, '06, 16:44

Great Question!

I hadn't thought about it, but as I just received some pearl tea in the mail, you've just rescued what might have been an otherwise wasted cup of tea!

Is is any wonder why I love this board so much?

:lol:
Madam Potts

Custom Tea Blends and other Mad Ideas...
www.madpotsoftea.com

User avatar
Sep 1st, '06, 14:36
Posts: 17
Joined: Jan 23rd, '06, 20:06

by mijako10 » Sep 1st, '06, 14:36

Poop....

I just threw some gunpowder out.

is hit by a barrage of rotten tomatoes

I deserved that...

Anyways! I used a full teaspoon (175, 2.5 minutes) and it tasted like crap. It was from teavana and I've had at least two other bad experiences from them so I figured that maybe it was just bad tea.

I'm usually not so ignorant as to just ditch tea but there was only about 2-3 teaspoons left anyways (I used a bit in tandem with spearmint but it ended up just tasting soapy.)

But thanks for the advice about the Jasmine Pearls. It should make my short supply last even longer than it has. My water's heating so I'll enjoy a cup in a few minutes. ^_^

User avatar
Sep 1st, '06, 14:48
Posts: 402
Joined: Jun 15th, '05, 21:35
Location: Norristown, PA
Contact: jogrebe

by jogrebe » Sep 1st, '06, 14:48

mijako10 wrote:Poop....

I just threw some gunpowder out.

is hit by a barrage of rotten tomatoes

I deserved that...

Anyways! I used a full teaspoon (175, 2.5 minutes) and it tasted like crap. It was from teavana and I've had at least two other bad experiences from them so I figured that maybe it was just bad tea.

I'm usually not so ignorant as to just ditch tea but there was only about 2-3 teaspoons left anyways (I used a bit in tandem with spearmint but it ended up just tasting soapy.)

But thanks for the advice about the Jasmine Pearls. It should make my short supply last even longer than it has. My water's heating so I'll enjoy a cup in a few minutes. ^_^
Don't feel too bad about that, gunpowder tea actually isn't that good compared to many other green teas so it might not have been your fault that you found it to taste bad. Personally after buying it a few times I decided to stop buying it in favor of other greens. Personally in my opinion unless its gunpowder black tea (it exists but is difficult to find) which has a nice smooth taste that loosely resembles golden monkey but it a bit more delicate, its not really worth your while to buy anymore gunpowder unless you consider smoky green tea a good thing.
John Grebe

"You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me."
~C. S. Lewis

User avatar
Sep 1st, '06, 14:53
Posts: 402
Joined: Jun 15th, '05, 21:35
Location: Norristown, PA
Contact: jogrebe

by jogrebe » Sep 1st, '06, 14:53

teamuse wrote:John - I'm making mental note of how you've measured out the Gunpowder green, I have one of those as well but have yet to try it. Bummer to have issues with jasmine though.
I'm just guessing that I might be allergic to jasmine. The three times I had any I developed a sore throat shortly after having a cup of it so after that I sort-of blamed the tea even though in at least one of the cases it later became clear that I was developing a cold. Regardless I personally wasn't that impressed with the taste of jasmine and it was just an ounce of a cheap loose non-pearl jasmine tea that I picked up at the tea shop at my local farmer's market so I was glad to give it away to another friend that drank tea that liked it more than I did.
John Grebe

"You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me."
~C. S. Lewis

+ Post Reply