Another sample from Velvet Sky Bakery in Jenkintown. Wow wow wow, I wasn't prepared to get blown away but I was.

Aroma of the dry leaf, which is quite beautifully formed, is intensely of jasmine, perfumey, and typical for jasmine tea. But it's not until I brew it that this tea shows its true colors.

Upon brewing, produces a light golden cup with an interesting (and rather bold) cinnamon note in the aroma. The jasmine scent is present but much more moderate, and balanced with other aromas. Unusually complex for jasmine. A minty character emerges as I drink more of the cup.

Flavor is relatively strong, with considerable bitterness, but in a very pleasant way. The flavor is strong but well-rounded, melting into a light and clean finish.

But it gets better...when I resteeped this tea. Wow. I've never had a Jasmine tea resteep so well. The second cup not only retained the aromatic complexity of the first cup, but also its potency. Using a 3-minute steep followed by 5 minutes, both the fragrance and flavor of the second cup were stronger even than the first, but it was never too bitter or astringent. I didn't experiment with brewing, but we did use low-temperature water, probably around 170F.

I shared this with a bunch of people in the cafe when I brewed it and there was a consensus that it is a VERY good tea. And the price is surprisingly low--not rock-bottom cheap, but one of Octavia's lower-priced teas. I highly recommend this one.

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