Primula Tea, Oriental Beauty

Primula Tea Description:
Primula Flowering Teas are made by aritsans in China. The flowering teas are comprised of hand sewn AA grade Green Tea with all natural flowers.

My Review:
I often see Primula Tea in kitchen supply stores in the area malls. I did an online search trying to get a better description and an ingredient list. I pretty much could not find either. The flowers in this one appear to be all jasmine.

The blooms come individually sealed. Opening the bag releases a pleasant but slightly strong jasmine scent. The bloom itself feels solid and at the same time very light, given its size.

I heated water to boiling and poured it into my 15 oz clear glass teapot that I bought specifically for such teas. I then placed the ball in the water. This was an attempt to prevent the water from damaging the bloom. My results suggest knocking a few leaves off would have been preferable as this bloom did not want to sink to the bottom.

Eventually I lightly tapped it to get the open bloom to glide to the bottom. Amazing how much lift is in a tiny little air bubble. As it slowly submerged it became apparent that my beautiful little teapot isn't tall enough for this tea bloom to be properly displayed.

The cream colored flowers are prettier and more delicate than they appear in my picture. It would have been nice to see the full display. I hesitate to use more water (this is listed at 15 oz) as I don't want it to spill. The 12 oz I used is enough for a couple small western cups.  

The tying of the green tea leaf is not the best job I have ever seen. I know I couldn't do it but normally the leaf is a lot more attractive.

As you can see the tea is quite light in color. It has only a light jasmine scent once brewed. The taste is really light. I have had primula tea before and it was a lot more bold. Perhaps this one is past its prime. What flavor is present is of course lightly jasmine but there is also another note present that reminds me of globe amaranth. I really don't like globe amaranth. It is the little red ball of petals often seen in flowering teas. I don't see any here but that flavor note is present. It isn't unpleasant enough here that I won't finish the pot.

Flowering teas are really neat as a table decoration and a conversation piece with friends and a meal. If you are looking for a great cup of jasmine tea... I would suggest dragon pearls.

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On a completely unrelated topic: I just built a light box in an attempt to take better pictures. I wish I had a more attractive den with lots of natural light as I prefer pictures with more natural settings. Trust me there is nothing natural about the cramped chaos that is my den. Leaf picture previously were framed on top of my laptop - not the best idea. For now the light box seems my best option. I learned a lot from my first pictures. The main thing is the light box is not wide enough. I had to crop the pictures to remove exposed side seams. When I build light box 2.0, I'll try to snap pictures along the way just in case you might be interested in how simple it is to put together.