Primula Tea, Noble Madam

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:
This is another of my reviews written without internet access. While it doesn't matter that my reviews are posted a week later (or more) after they are written, I don't necessarily like not being able to check the tea companies website for an ingredient list. In this case it isn't important as I have been to Primula Tea's website before and they offer no real information about each blooming tea they sell.

My son and I have been discussing how we went over our WiFi data plan limits leaving us without internet. Neither of us did anything particularly different this month. They tell us we actually went 6 GB over our limit before we were shut down. There is no way we blew through 7 GB in two days after we were warned of high usage. So, we are changing our passwords and hopefully that will ensure this house is not left in the cyber darkness at the end of July.

Today I have come to the bottom of my Primula Tea assortment. I pulled the bloom out of the mylar envelope and was amused by its shape. It is sort of a short fat peanut looking thing. I tried standing it up on end to get a picture of it but it would not balance. I kind of chuckled while thinking about Weebles and how this definitely wasn't one. You know - Weebles wobble but they don't fall down.

Into the crystal teapot with 209 F water it went and steeped until it was open. As I poured water on the bloom there was a lot of tiny debris bouncing about the water. The good news is it quickly settled and no big pieces came loose. It was interesting to watch as the pod quickly jumped open and the red flowers sprang through the top.

There were a lot of air bubbles forming and rising out of the pod. The pod bobbed and spun a little before sinking quietly to the bottom. As you can see the arrangement pretty much filled my little teapot. I have no idea what the red flowers are but they are kind of cool looking.

The liquor was fairly dark for blooming green tea, turning a deep honey color. I used a strainer when pouring to the mug. The strainer only had one leaf of green tea in it. This held together really well.

The taste is OK, but not my favorite. The jasmine is too light compared to the red flowers taste addition. It is not globe amaranth sour but it isn't much of an improvement to my way of thinking.

Final analysis, this is one of my favorite displays from Primula but nowhere near a favorite for its taste.    

Primula Tea, Juliet's Kiss

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:
As I write this, I have no internet connection, so I will be posting after the fact. Losing your internet is one of the realities of living in the boondocks where no cable is available. Another reality, at least in our area, is trees. I am surrounded by them. Or at least I was. Yesterday I had a couple of chainsaw masters come and drop 2 persimmon and 3 oak in my front yard, because after 24 years, I am finally adding a porch to the house. They also dropped 27 ash trees because the ash borer beetle destroyed them this winter.

My 2 acres now looks like a tornado or bomb went off in the middle of it. I have friends coming to chop it up for firewood but my guess is this is a way bigger project than they realized. We'll see. Not two worry, I still have 100 persimmon trees as well as a number of oak, pine, and many others, including a pecan which I did not even know grew around here.

OK tea, so this is another of the Primula teas that come in a carboard tube with a variety of different flower arrangements. Each bloom is sealed in its own mylar bag. Opening it, the pod is solid and completely intact. It has a light scent of jasmine.

I used my crystal teapot and 12 oz of just under boiling water (about 209 F). The pod steeped in the neighborhood of five minutes. I did not really time it. I simply waited until the bloom dropped to the bottom.

When you first pour water over the pod it begins to open pretty quickly. Then it slows down while occasional air bubbles escape. The final opening and dropping happened suddenly.

The bloom is kind of neat but small. The green tea blades surrounding the blooms fold outward and remain mostly intact. A cascade of cream colored jasmine flowers form a background arch around the globe amaranth bloom. A few of the petals came loose but it is almost entirely intact.

The liquor is quite clear and light yellow in color. The taste is pleasant. It is mostly jasmine flavored with a light touch of globe amaranth. I personally do not like globe amaranth. In a larger dose it has a very soured dishwater taste to me - OK, what I imagine soured dishwater would taste like if you were foolish enough to try it. Here it is not a main component and is really not a distraction after my initial response.

Mostly you buy these as conversation starters, or they come your way from friends trying to encourage your tea addiction. They are pretty, and fortunately tasty enough to actually drink after you have enjoyed the display.

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.

Primula Tea, London Fog

Primula London Fog Tea Includes:
Green Tea , Tropaeolum , Aristolochia debilis Si , Jasmine

My Review:
Today's review is a blooming tea from Primula. Each bloom comes individually sealed. The pod is solid and fair sized, though certainly not the largest flowering tea I have seen.

I placed the pod in my new glass teapot that I bought especially for display teas - to be reviewed later. Filtered just off boiling water was added and then I watched and waited.

About three minutes later the pod had opened allowing the pretty bloom inside to be revealed. This is not a spectacular or overly colorful display, but it is pretty. It filled up my teapot nicely.

The bloom is a creamy yellow tropaeolum otherwise known as nasturtium. The tea brewed to a very light green. It is nearly clear in the teapot but turns much darker in the cup as it cools.

The scent is faint floral jasmine. The taste is likewise a light jasmine. The flower itself may add some background notes but I cannot single it out. The green tea that is gathered around the outside of the bloom is also quite light but pleasant. 

This to my tastes is one of the more delightful of the Primula teas. There is nothing really outstanding about it but then again there is nothing off tasting either. I know that doesn't come off as a rousing endorsement, so let me say my wife and both finished our cup and enjoyed it.

Primula Tea, Earl Grey Nobel Madam

I have had this flowering tea a long time. Sorry to say I am just now getting around to preparing it. Let's see how well it has survived being ignored.

I have had a Primula Earl Grey black tea before and I have a Nobel Madam green tea. This one says Earl Grey black tea and Nobel Madam on the package. Cool.

I opened the envelope and removed the pod. The scent of bergamot is highly present and it is nice. The pod is round and solid. I heated the water to boiling and poured It into the press, then dropped the pod into the water. I steeped this for five minutes. The pod bloomed and looked just like the photo, except imagine it surrounded by the golden brew scented with bergamot.

As I prepared to take my first sip, the power went out. I am writing this on March 24th. It is spring. It is snowing like crazy with near white out conditions. This is supposed to be a 100 year event according to the weather man. At least I have a warm cup of tea while I'm riding the storm out - REO! - sorry 70's flashback.

As I finished my cup the power came back on so I could write my tasting note. Looks like I won't freeze to death tonight - Sweet! This tea is pleasantly earl grey flavored along with floral notes. I am not sure what type flower this is but it is pretty and I like the flavor. Globe amaranth is often used in flowering teas much to my dismay  I don't care for their taste in tea. This however is very drinkable. There is no bitterness and no astringency.

The snow storm quickly drizzled out.  Despite the vicious beginning, we only ended up with a small amount of accumulation. I am not disappointed we did not set a record. Just turned on the morning news and apparently as close as 30 miles north and beyond, they did set records. Sorry guys - fix some tea and stay warm.

Primula Tea, Fairy Lily

It has been a while since I steeped a flowering tea. I thought today it was time I did another review. The Primula teas can to me as a gift from a thoughtful friend. There were originally 12 blooms or pods in the round canister that is fashioned to look like bamboo. Each pod comes wrapped separately. They are round and smell lightly of jasmine.

For this one I prepared 24 ounces of boiling water and poured it into my press. Then I added the pod. It bubbled and slowly settled to the bottom opening graciously as it did. The bloom revealed a lovely red lily and lengthy string of jasmine flowers surrounded by the green tea needles. The bloom stayed perfectly intact with no broken floaters.

The liquor turned darker quicker than I anticipated. You only get one shot with a blooming tea, fortunately they are very forgiving as long as the water was hot enough at the beginning. For a green tea the brew was pretty dark. There was no bitterness in the taste and only a bit of dry mouth feel. The taste was lightly jasmine but mostly the lily flavored the drink. I could not taste the tea leaf in this one. This one is not the most wonderfully flavored flowering tea I have tried but it certainly isn’t the worst. I had two cups and it would have re-steeped, I just ran out of time today.

Flowering teas are never something I grab because I crave the taste. I brew them because they are pretty to look at. The novelty and entertainment value of this one is high and as a bonus the taste is not bad.

Primula, Floral Passion

The pod on this on is different. It is kind of mushroom shaped. I added the pod to the boiling water thinking this would help protect the bloom. Even with the precaution there was a large amount of debris floating in the press. That is not typical of my experience with flowering teas. The scent of the brew is lightly jasmine. The bloom is actually quite lovely. Surrounded by the green tea is a red lily. I steep for about 3 minutes and the brew is light amber in color.

I actually like the taste of this quite a lot. The lack of globe amaranth is a big plus as I don’t care for it. The lily does add to the flavor, though I can’t really describe the taste. It is not a heavy floral taste. If you think of the jasmine as carrying the high notes and the green tea being the low, then the lily kind of fills in the mid parts.
Flowering teas I usually have to be in the mood to drink, but this one I think I could brew up on a regular basis. I enjoyed sipping it and found myself gulping it a few times. I had three - 12 oz mugs of this today and it was still going strong.

Primula Tea Guilded Lotus

Not sure why this is called Guilded Lotus as Primula lists the ingredients as green tea, marigold, and jasmine.

I prepared this in my French press using 12oz of boiling water. As with all the green tea pods in the Primula variety pack the dry bloom smells strong of jasmine. The bloom was completely intact after adding the water. As it began to open it quickly sank to the bottom and began to release trapped air bubbles. The air had enough force that it knocked several petals of the flower loose. It eventually expanded into a massive yellow flower. Quite pretty.

I let it steep longer than intended as work got in the way. The brew was bright golden in the press and much deeper in the cup. The taste is primarily jasmine at the front of the sip. This is followed by a bit of bitterness and then a rush of sweet floral goodness in the aftertaste. With the following cups I was careful not to over steep. They had the same jasmine followed by sweet floral without the bitterness in the middle. This is maybe the sweetest tea I have tried. An interesting cup.

Primula Tea Wild Flower

Prepared this in my French press with 12oz of boiling water. Having it today with peanut butter fudge and crackers coated with a generous wash of ranch dressing and red pepper (lots of red pepper!) Also have some kind of crumb cake squares covered in lemon icing. Wow. I have tried my best to avoid the holiday snacks but they keep finding me. I have no choice. It’s not my fault. Ok, I’m just weak but I did try to resist… briefly.

Tea report – For all I know, all the blooming teas in China could be made in the same factory. The craftsmanship in all of them is pretty high and frankly they taste way better than I expected. The Primula pods are slightly smaller than the Teavivre ones I’ve tried. What they lack in size this one made up for in jasmine flavor. This one is especially good. The bloom was not as amazing as some of the others but made a pretty display. There is globe amaranth in this but for once I don’t really taste it. Just a lovely mild jasmine tea. I thought all the sweets and spices in my snacks would wash this out but it actually stands up for itself pretty well. Bring on cup two and three, hold the goodies.

This works steeped 12 oz at a time. However, it also works a pot at a time. If you go the cup route and only do three steeps it works out about $0.41/cup. Compared to restaurant tea that isn’t bad but seems a bit steep (pun intended) by loose leaf standards. By the pot it is more reasonable at $0.20/cup.

Primula Tea Camellia Joy

Used a 6 cup pot. The bloom is very pretty, a combination of white and red flowers rising up out of the nest of green tea leaves. It is huge spanning nearly the width of the pot and ¾ of the height.

The smell of jasmine is a bit strong, but in the sip it is a light taste (pleasant). There is also a hint of cinnamon (interesting) and unfortunately a bit of a sour taste that was in the summer bouquet (eewww). Turns out the taste is the globe amaranth. It is not undrinkable. It is just a little off. The liquor is dark for a green.

I left the water in the pot steeping, close to an hour, until I was ready for the second cup. It was very good. A blast of cinnamon followed by jasmine at the back of the sip. The sour nasties have left the brew. Perhaps this is the secret to these teas – let them steep.

Excellent center piece at a table with friends. The bloom rates a 100. The first cup was a 40. The following a solid 70+.

Primula Tea Summer Bouquet

Boiling water. Steeped about 4 minutes. The packet said summer bouquet but the bloom looks like Noble Madam so I am not sure what this is for sure. The pod on this one is oblong. All the others so far have been round. Couldn’t find any willing helpers in sipping this so I used my 4 cup press, which is really two mugs in super-sized America. And before you ask – no I did not use the plunger. The bloom is exquisite. All those long wonderful green tea leaves surrounding a literal bouquet of red flowers. As you can tell I thought this was quite attractive.

The liquor was deep orange-amber. The jasmine smells very strong in the dry pod, so I was a bit nervous. In the sip it is as light as it has been in all of these so far. Unfortunately it was accompanied by a nasty sour taste. Not candy sour – milk sour, eeeeew. I thought maybe I didn’t get all the puerh washed clean from the last use of the press. Poured out the pot. Washed the press. Started over. Steeped about 3 minutes until the liquor was golden amber and poured. The jasmine is still light and the green tea would be pleasant if not for the soured taste. Less prominent but still present. Apparently it is the flowers. On all the other blooming teas I have used a used a six cup pot. That might have helped here. Glad I didn’t try this one first. I would not have tried more.

Primula Tea Butterfly Floret

It still bothers me there are no real brewing instructions on these teas. H2O + pod = tea are not real steeping instruction in any language. I continue to experiment one 36oz pot at a time. This is a green tea so boiling water usually should not be used. The however is, the first blooming green I tried was very slow to open. So boiling water it is. Didn’t make the tea the least bit bitter. The pod bloomed beautifully. I haven’t had any problems with the pod coming apart. The display is so pretty I almost hate to pour it… almost.

This is another very mild Jasmine. It is the predominate flavor but not overwhelmingly so. It blends well with the green tea. I can’t tell that the flowers are adding anything to the flavor of the cup. If they do it is very subtle. Very pale amber brew with a natural sweetness. Honestly I can’t tell the difference between this and the lovers leap I brewed a couple days ago. That’s ok with me because I like it.

The second pot I steeped long and strong on purpose. I was curious to see what would happen. The brew, of course, was much darker. The scent of jasmine was present wafting off the cup. Still no hint of bitterness. Interestingly, the flavor of jasmine seems to have moved to the background and I get just a hint of the flowers now (that could be my imagination). I am also noticing a dryness in my mouth. I prefer the way I steeped the first pot.

I am always leery when someone who does not like Earl Grey recommends an EG to me. So let me make clear, I do not normally like jasmine tea, but I am enjoying these blooming teas by Primula. Just thought you should know.

Primula Tea Earl Grey Black Tea

The friend that gave me this said he really liked it for the bergamot and some kind of berry notes. That sounded excellent. The dry pod does smell nicely of bergamot, not overwhelmingly so, but in a pleasant way. The display opened up nicely. It is a bit drab compared to the colorful Lovers Blossom. Still it is cool.

The clarity is good. The brew a golden amber. In the sip I get the berry notes my friend mentioned. I can’t quite put my finger on it. I will call it plum for now, maybe a little grapeish. The bergamot takes a major backseat here. It is more on the level of bergamot in Ahmad’s No 1 tea, its there, but way in the background. As an EG this is more than a bit disappointing. If the package only said London Fog I would not have a preconception that is a bit hard to overcome. Ok, if this is not EG, how is it? It is not brisk, bold, or astringent. It is very smooth like Prince of Wales but to my tastes, with the fruitiness, it takes on a Keemun/Ceylon afternoon blend quality. Works well with a little sweetener, which gives it some depth. This is really not bad. While I doubt I will buy this one (cause its not EG), I would definitely drink it if it were offered to me. One pod made two 6 cup pots (36oz each) or 6 medium strength 12oz cups.

Primula Tea Lover's Bloom

My first blooming tea. This was a most thoughtful gift from a friend.

There are no real instructions on the packaging. Water + bloom = tea, is not instructions. I looked on the website and could not find a statement on how large a cup/pot to use. The canister said 12 blooms, 36 infusions, over 250 cups. Doing the math that is about 7 cups per steep. How big do they think a cup is? Is it 4oz, 6oz, – 8oz? I am sure it is not the 12oz I normally use. My kettle came with a 6 cup pot, or roughly 36oz. I figured that was close enough.

I used boiling water. The bloom opened up nicely with minimal debris. A few broken off leaves were due to me pouring the water over the pod in a bit of a brutish manner. The artistry in these things is truly amazing to behold. There is a beautiful tiny red flower at the heart of the bloom. A wonderful conversation piece around a table with friends. Highly recommend for the visual appeal.

Now I have always heard blooming teas are less than spectacular in the taste department. That may be true, however in this case I must say I was thoroughly surprised. You see, I generally don’t care for Jasmine. I have never liked the smell, the taste, or how it settles on my stomach. This tea has the Jasmine smell but the taste is very mellow and subdued. It is so sufficiently sweet on its own that even I was tempted not to add the yellow packet.

I made two pots out of this but did not try the third pot Primula claims this is capable of going. I suspect it would have worked. If you like an in your face Jasmine, this is not a tea for you. If you think you don’t like Jasmine, you may well enjoy this. I poured and finished 4 cups myself. That’s more Jasmine than I have been able to finish in my whole life. A pleasant cup. Looking forward to more.