I'm not entirely sure how to understand Chinese branding, but "Fujian Tea Import & Export Co., Ltd.," itself a subsidiary of "China Tea Co., Ltd." seems to be a state-run company that handles international trade for a number of smaller Chinese tea companies in the Fujian province. This jasmine tea is further branded with the "Sunflower" brand with the number 1030. There's a similar tea, number 2060, in a red tin that appears to differ only in the address of the specific producer or business unit.

The tin says that it's a green tea, but the leaves are quite dark. The steel tin has a double closure with a round inner lid made of plastic and a steel outer lid. Dry, the tea is mostly dark green with a few light green or grey pieces. It smells strongly of jasmine and only slightly of tea.

I've brewed this tea both with boiling and cooler (170°F) water. Brewed hotter, the jasmine is strong, astringent, and moderately bitter. The flavor of the tea is mostly overpowered by the jasmine, but a bit of fruity melon comes through. The astringency gives it a dry quality that's thirst-quenching. I tried the cooler water to temper the bitterness a bit, which it did, but I also completely lost the flavor of the tea under the jasmine. The jasmine is more mellow and itself slightly fruity with the cooler water, but the tea itself becomes rather insipid. I prefer the hotter water and the stronger flavor.

Overall, this tea tastes OK, but is rather mediocre. There are better jasmine teas, but they're more expensive. I paid $4.79 for the 120g can, so about $1.20 per ounce. It's probably worth that, but certainly not a bargain.

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