★★★★★
Lovely scent and taste of jasmine. This tea holds up to multiple steeps.
Perfumy hand-rolled tea from Fuding, in Fujian, China. Each pearl is just one leaf and a bud. When added to hot water, the pearls majestically unfurl, releasing a delicate scent and flavor. Sweet and almost sugary.
Customers use these reviews to describe their experience with Jasmine Phoenix Pearls, including flavor, aroma, preparation preferences, strength, and how the tea fits into daily routines. Browse the full review history page by page to compare tasting notes, steeping tips, and favorite ways to enjoy this tea.
Lovely scent and taste of jasmine. This tea holds up to multiple steeps.
I really enjoyed this green tea. Steeped at the recommended 180 degrees for 2 1/2 minutes, it tastes just like munching on the walls of grandmother's house, very perfume-y. Yes, this is a good thing!
This tea smells wonderful and is a joy to watch unroll in the hot water. However, it is a good tea for those who like floral teas.
Very nice green tea with beautiful jasmine aroma. Really enjoyed watching the pearls unfurl. Was great for multiple infusions.
195 degrees for 2 minutes. Perfumy jasmine tea with strong floral bouquet. Leaves unfurled beautifully, but the taste is so cloying that I’d rather wear this one as a signature scent than drink it in my cuppa.
Cracking open today's CommuniTEA packet released the floral scent of jasmine! Inside were curled up balls of tea leaves, and what looked like small off-white flower petals... these must be what jasmine petals look like.
Steeped as suggested at 195ºF for approximately 2 minutes in the VelociTEA maker with a tweak: awakening the phoenix pearls! To do this, I just pressed the 195ºF button, then waited for the water to boil and the first couple spurts of water to get pumped up into the basket. I pulled this out after a couple seconds and held it so it hovered over the water. Then I just set a timer for the difference (2mins) of the Oolong steep time (4 mins) and the target of 2 minutes. While waiting for the timer to elapse, I noticed all the flower petals dancing about on the top of the water in the brewing basket, while the jasmine pearls started soaking up water to expand and eventually unfurl. After about 30 seconds, they started swelling up a bit larger, and after about 45 seconds to a minute the first ones started to unfurl. I tilted the basket to let some water out in preparation for the full steep time. After the timer went off, I put the basket back in for the remaining 2-ish minutes (I got distracted by watching the leaves, so not perfect, but good enough).
The first taste was actually surprisingly smooth and free of much astringency at all! I'm not a big fan of most jasmine teas for the reason that they can be quite heavy on the astringency. Not so with these phoenix pearls! I kept to the shorter recommended steeping time for the first brew just in case. The scent is still marvelously floral which brings jasmine flavor to the forefront of the first sip. The tea's body is very smooth for a green jasmine tea, with very slight astringency at the finish. I'd venture to say that the mouthfeel is similar to a good milk oolong: smooth full and almost creamy. Yet unlike a milk oolong, the milky touch of flavor is replaced by jasmine floral accents.
Curious as to what the second steeping would be like, I put more water in the kettle and repeated the steep procedure minus the awakening step. The phoenix had already been awakened! The second brew at 2 minutes was just a bit less floral and weaker in general, so I re-brewed for another minute to make 3 mins total. This brought back more of the satisfying full flavor but was slightly less smooth yet still not overly astringent.
Overall I'm impressed by these almost magical Jasmine Phoenix Pearls. They've managed to convince me that a jasmine tea doesn't have to be so astringent, and can be quite smooth and pleasant after all. If you don't like the floral aspect of jasmine teas, this one has a load of it so it may not be for you. However, if the astringency aspect is what usually puts you off, then you might want to give this one a try.
(2 min @ 195ºF) 2nd steep: (3 min @ 195ºF)
I’ll start by saying I don’t love really floral teas. When I steeped this, it had such a punch of flower I was worried it would be like snorting a plant. That said, it’s not too strong! There’s a light fermented-honey undertone underneath which is pleasant as well. Pretty nice.
Jasmine Phoenix Pearls is my absolute favorite green tea. It's incredibly delicious. I decided to brew this particular packet hot for a change, but I normally make it a cold/ice brew. It's very refreshing as an iced tea!
Standard green tea flavor with a hint of jasmine. enjoyed it with a small amount of honey
I steeped just the pearls from today's CommuniTEA packet, ignoring the crumbled flakes. Each steep was 2.5 minutes and the pearls did not fully unfurl the first time. It smells lovely. The flavor was lighter than I thought. It's definitely a bit perfume-esque but since the flavor is so light, it doesn't bother me. It's very smooth with no grassiness. It resteeped well but I found out it gets slightly bitter when it's barely warm. The 2nd resteep was very light on flavor but still enjoyable.
Pleasantly surprised by this one, the Jasmine was not too strong so it was a nice green tea! Did not need any sweetner!
I'm learning that any Jasmine tea just may not be my thing. The aroma of it dried was really wierd and super funky floral. I got two sips down before it was too much like drinking over grandma's perfume bottle. I don't like floral wine either so I may just pass on anything Jasmine from now on.
Jasmine is such a lovely flavor in tea and watching these pearls bloom makes for an even more enjoyable experience.
I steeped for 2 minutes at 190F to make a gorgeous golden cup. The jasmine is floral and sweet, but not too strong. The green tea provides a gentle smoothness and rounded mouthfeel without any of the typical grassy tastes.
This tea is just a joy to sip. I could drink it every day (hot or iced!) and never get sick of it.
The aroma and taste is very floral, though the taste is much less pronounced than the scent. I also get a tiny hint of grape hiding under the jasmine, and there was a pleasant light sweetness. This tea is delicate, and mildly astringent on the finish. I did not get any grassy notes in any of the three steeps, and found each steep to be equal in flavor. (reviewed through CommuniTEA; 2 min @ 190F)
I've said it before and I'll say it again: Jasmine tea never fails me. I received this tea in my communitea box for February. The moment I opened this bag of tea, the naturally sweet and floral aroma of this tea told me I was going to love it. Sweet, mellow, refreshing and calming. Jasmine is always a welcome pause in cup of tea. These pearls unfurl beautiful as the tea steeps and makes a lovely second steeping! 5/5 stars. I can never get enough of Jasmine tea.
I love jasmine tea overall and this one was no exception. Super heavy (but not cloying) jasmine flavors with a milder green flavor. My one 'complaint' is that there was a good amount of what appeared to be pearl fragments - as though some of the pearls had been battered - in the CommuniTEA packet. I feel like this is sort of a lesser quality jasmine than others that I've had, for that reason.
When I think of jasmine tea, this is the flavor profile I think of. While jasmine is not my favorite, it is definitely my husband’s, and his approval is where the five stars come in. This tea is light, floral forward, with a slight honey taste. This held up well for multiple steeps. It was absolutely delicious with a squeeze of honey and a drop of almond milk!
I received this tea as part of the CommuniTEA box, so keep that in mind. However, as this is not a blended tea, my review should be fairly reflective of the tea as a whole. On with the review.
Opening the pouch revealed a tea that had a few beautiful pearls, as well as a smattering of leaves or such lose alongside it. It smelled strongly of jasmine flowers, much as expected for any jasmine tea. As this is a tea that unfurls from a pearl, I opted to pull the basket from my travel mug instead of using my tea strainer ball instead.
195 is a little bit of an awkward temperature for me to reach, however I did what I could to try and steep the tea for three minutes at 195. It came out as a yellow-green tea, stronger in color than many of the green teas that I've had in the past. The smell is just as floral as the tea leaves, which is reflected in the taste. A highly perfumed tea, the there's some more green tea flavor that helps to pull the floral tones from overpowering to strongly flavored. It's good, though! I enjoy it.
I added some sugar, to see what would happen, and the floral tones were further tempered, pulling out the green tea flavors alongside. It tastes nice, and while it doesn't necessarily require the sugar, it's good to know that this is a tea that plays well with it. The only downside to this tea is that it grew somewhat bitter as it cooled, however I have a feeling that is because my water was slightly too hot and so I oversteeped it. However, as it took cooling to almost room temperature before I could taste the slight astringency, I cannot fault the tea for that.
Overall, a delicate tea with strong floral notes. If you like floral scents and tea, then this is a good choice, and the pearls would be beautiful to watch unfurl in a clear teapot.
Although heavily perfumed from the jasmine, this green tea is mild with very little astringency. You must brew at a lower temp, however. An added bonus is watching the pearls unfurl into a refreshing green tea.
I have a lot of love for jasmine teas that carried over from my time living in Asia. This is a good offering -- it's light and fragrant.
This is a wonderful, smooth, floral mildly green tea tasting, tea
This is a really good jasmine tea. Light, and floral, without any bitterness, as long as you don't over-steep. I made that mistake, and the tea did impart a little bitterness, but still not undrinkable.
This tea was a very nice and mild floral! When hot, the perfume scent was somewhat strong but that faded away quickly. I would say it is a milder version of the jasmine chun hao. I love that it comes in pearls, which is just an aesthetic preference.
My first impression of the dry jasmine phoenix pearls was beautiful craftsmanship. Then, once steeped, this tea had a VERY floral aroma. I think this is the most strongly floral tea I've tried, and luckily I do like floral tea. There's a pleasant (very) soft mouth feel, strong floral flavor notes (though not as strong as the aroma), a very slight astringency with a slightly savory green tea taste at the end of each sip, but that's immediately followed by another very floral hit of lingering jasmine. To me, the floral notes are a very natural floral, but very strong, like sticking my nose right into a hyacinth or another very strongly fragranced flower. To drink this tea, you *must* like floral tea. The second steep was a bit less floral, a bit smoother, with the same dreamy softness which makes me think of being on a tropical vacation. I'm happy to have a chance to try this tea today through CommuniTEA and would try it again, but based on what I've tried so far I would buy Jasmine Chun Hao instead. I see why it's a favorite for some people, but it's a bit too floral for my taste buds on a regular basis. (2.5 mins @195º; 2 mins 2nd steep; no additions.)
I'm not normally a jasmine lover, but I found this one to be delicious! Very floral and lovely. The astringent grassy flavor was a lot more subtle than I'm used to and I didn't need to add any sugar, like I usually would. If you're new to jasmine teas, I would definitely give this one a shot. Plus, watching the pearls unfurl is always fun!
Soft buttery green tea that can withstand multiple infusions. Simple yet elegant.
Part of the February 2021 CommuniTEA box. This tea makes me nostalgic for an Asian restaurant I used to frequent. Jasmine tea just feels so elegant and peaceful to drink. I wish I had a clear pot and filter to watch these pearls unfurl.
Jasmine green tea has grown on me over time even though I don't tend to enjoy overly floral flavors. This one is definitely a fragrant, perfumey floral. I steeped at 180°F for about 2 minutes in a gaiwan to try to avoid any bitterness from the green tea, and it resulted in a very smooth and toast base with a light natural sweetness. The jasmine aroma and flavor is very heavy, but great if you enjoy that flavor. The pearls unfurl slowly and are good for multiple infusions. I enjoy this one as an afternoon pick me up and when I want to be transported to the spring time.
Yet another tea that smells and tastes the way I would imagine Desitin Diaper Rash Ointment would taste. It must be Jasmine that I simply cannot like. I can even tolerate some green teas, but there is something about Jasmine that's far too perfume-y to make it smell and taste like something you probably shouldn't ingest.
Meh! the correct steep temp and time is crucial. strong fresh floral scents; If you love jasmine, this is a tea for you. It was beautiful to watch steep and unfurl but overtly floral tells my nose its perfume. It tasted like perfume to me. There are other rolled teas I like better for their flavor. Even so, happy to have had the opportunity to sample this Tea as part of the CommuniTEA February Box.
Feb 25, 2020 The aroma is heavenly! I found the flavor mild and sweet, it tastes like it smells. You have to pay special attention to your temp. Pearls are always a delight to watch steep.
Feb 24, 2021 CommuniTea review update: While I still enjoy this tea, I took one star away. (It is not a favorite of mine) It is 'perfumy', mild and sweet. Delightful!
I like this tea! The jasmine flavor is a nice accent. Not super astringent like some green teas. Added sweetener
Great tea with lots of jasmine flavor without being too perfumey. It’s a pleasant floral taste. If you don’t like jasmine you won’t like it, but I do. Although there are some jasmine teas that have a weird, artificial flavor. This tea doesn’t.
Rating along with the CommuniTEA today: I enjoy perfumey teas and this one is very strong in jasmine floral. When I take in a whiff of the steeped tea in my cup, I receive a strong earthy jasmine essence. Upon taking a sip, the floral jasmine continues to show up along with a sort of minerally/salty sensation reminiscent of tasting Chablis wine, balancing out the roundness mouthfeel of the green tea. Jasmine and mineral continue long into the finish.
A very nice and pleasant jasmine tea! I steeped for 2.5 mins and feel that this tea would do better with a shorter steep. It's really lovely and you can easily resteep it, which is nice.
I would say that there's nothing 'remarkable' or unique in this but that's not necessarily a bad thing!
Three stars might be a bit polite as I don't like jasmine tea, but acknowledge others who will. It seems this is a stronger tea than the last jasmine I had in the Communitea box. It is easy to clean once you have dumped the leaves. I'll give it that. The smell is strong enough to where I could wear the stuff. I can see the slogan for the ad: 'The new Jasmine Phoenix Pearls by Adagio.' (Cue shot of handsome couple dressed for the evening).
What an amazing aroma! I love floral teas for the smell more than the taste, but if you like jasmine tea, this won't disappoint on either front. The taste is floral, rich and smooth.
PHEW! This tea is like drinking straight essence of jasmine. The green tea really only shows up as a very drying astringency in the tongue and throat, and a whole pile of dust in the bottom of my cup. I'm impressed by the obvious craftsmanship here, and if you're someone who enjoys being whacked in the face with a big handful of flowers, you'll love this one. (Looking at you, Mr. Fusion, whose first bulk purchase on my account was rooibos jasmine, and who took a sip of my communiTEA just now and got very excited and happy.) I prefer a more sedate, green-tea forward experience in my jasmine greens, so I'd skip this one for my collection, but I am very happy to have had the chance to sample it! (2m30s @ 165 F, no additions)
I cheated and looked through the tea box and this was the one I was most excited to try. It did not disappoint. I have had a lot of Jasmine tea and this was the best! The scent and taste is a pleasure I will be adding this to my next order!
Today’s communiTea was a floral yet fun green tea. Jasmine Phoenix filled my kitchen with a very floral aroma mesmerizing me as pearls unfurled in my glass teapot. Love that part. It seems these young leaves created a softer flavor, than other recent Jasmine teas, but aroma still a bit gagging. Each sip left a floral note with a kind of sweetness on my tongue. Surprisingly if wasn’t so perfumery smelling I might have actually enjoyed my morning tea. Interesting how these leaves kept unfurling with each re-steep, for me I noted a even soapy bite or perfumery flavor by the end of steep. Personally I don’t think I would buy this intentionally, but if you love Jasmine teas, it will not disappoint. (steeped 3mins @190F)
My daughter read me the Roots Campaign interview with one of the farmers who grow and manufacture this tea, and I particularly enjoyed the part where they talked about staying up until midnight to pick the freshest and most fragrant jasmine flowers. I grow jasmine flowers myself and am very familiar with how much stronger and better the scent of the flowers is at night! We drink a lot of grocery-store jasmine green tea normally, and compared to that, this is very strongly scented with jasmine. It might be too perfume-y for my husband, but I love it! The flavors come through better for me as the tea cools, just like Mr. Lin advised. If the price were more comparable to any of the other really excellent jasmine greens, I'd definitely buy this; but for me the extra work of making the poor farmers roll the tea before I buy it isn't worth it to me. (2m @ 170 F, no additions)
This tea smelled lovely, but the flavor was far too mild.
I’m not into heavily floral teas, but sweetened this isn’t too bad. It’s light drinking but heavy on the jasmine scent and flavor.
Smelled and tasted like perfume. Jasmine was too strong for me.
My daughter loved the floral flavor and scent. I did not. There was a lot of little broken pieces. Loved the pearls blooming open.
Wonderful tea! The jasmine flavor is delicious and strong and the beautiful smell hits your nose when you lift the cup to your mouth. Love it!
I adore jasmine tea. This one has a lovely floral scent and flavor that I really enjoyed.
Softly and gently; Jasmine, the Phoenix, rises; from her nest of pearls. (Haiku review)
One of my favourite teas. So happy to see it in my CommuniTea this morning. This is my relaxation tea. When I need to sit and savour, relax, mellow out. Wonderful tea.
jasmine phoenix pearls is one of my go-to teas. love the simple taste and smell.