Not as good as they look.
Scented tea » Jasmine » Modern, ★★★
Maybe I didn’t brew these right. They have very little taste.
Jasmine Pearls (Buddha’s Tears) are tight, hand-rolled ‘pearls’ that open when brewed. The ‘pearls’ looks beautiful when it’s dry (when you can see their two-tone colour—a mixture of tender buds and young leaves), and wet, when they extend their long, spindly leaves vertically in the glass.
Brew around 3 grams of this tea (that’s about 25 pearls—I weighed them) in a tall glass. Don’t obstruct the leaves (with a filter or tea infuser); just brew them directly. These leaves won’t float because they’re packed so densely—so they’ll stay away from your lips when drinking! Do not follow T2‘s directions, who recommend “4-5 pearls per cup”.
Jasmine Pearls (Buddha’s Tears) is similar to Jade Ring Jasmine in that it looks good but is uninteresting to drink. I’d prefer to drink Rolling Clouds (a green tea) or, better still, Organic China Jasmine, whose leaf isn’t rolled, but tastes better than all of the above. Maybe I care too much about taste. ★★★
Related articles
- Scented tea: Organic China Jasmine (jameskennedymonash.wordpress.com)
- Green tea: Jade Ring Jasmine (jameskennedymonash.wordpress.com)
- Green tea: “Rolling Clouds” (jameskennedymonash.wordpress.com)
James Kennedy 
Im really glad i found this. I thought it was just me. They’re still selling this and yes, it’s still really very disappointing. Especially when the staff talk it up SO SO much as far to even say its their most PREMIUM tea (also was told 3 to 4 buds AND you could rebrew it at least twice). Definitely not worth the price.
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I must say I think you might have been unlucky with your buy. I use 4 or 5 balls for a normal sized cup and there is plenty of flavour. Relatives of mine tried it at didn’t really like it due to a too strong jasmine aroma! Comparing it to my other green and oolong teas I find it has an equally strong aroma.
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It may be that the sample is had wasn’t fresh, or that the brewing temperature was too low.
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I’ve been experimenting with Jasmine pearls over the past 6 months and have found a major obstacle to the flavor of Jasmine tea which wasn’t immediately apparent to me – Tap water is high in mineral content which really knocks down the Jasmine in my experience. Using filtered (low-no mineral content) water opened up the flavor a lot.
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I love Buddha’s Tears, and I think a person’s Jasmine pearl preference is a question of palate. Buddha’s Tears are much more floral and soft, whereas other types of Jasmine pearls that are more on the green side will have a more earthy undertone. I have found about 8-10 pearls are needed for 1 mug of tea to brew a good flavorful cup.
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