Jasmine
Recently, we've become aware of just how popular Jasmine tea is. We've extolled its praises for quite a while and said repeatedly that the Silver Needle Jasmine is the best jasmine we've ever tasted (pictured here with jasmine pearls). But it's now finding its way into blends that are surprising. One of our regular customers just wrote to me in a Comment in our previous blog, 'Season's Greetings' that she blends it with Rooibos. Rooibos? I never even considered that! I've blended it with a Darjeeling to make a wonderful tea called "Remembrance" that's in our tea catalogue. And our Rickshaw Oolong is a lovely Oolong with a hint of jasmine - our version of a Chinese restaurant tea.
Even more surprising, one of our wholesale customers is hard at work launching a new line of teas called Fruton. He sent us one of his first sale kits for our feedback. The concept is alluring. They've turned Iced Tea on its head by packaging only the tea - you add the water. But this isn't powder. This is real tea, real fruit and real jasmine. And not just any jasmine - these are jasmine pearls. When steeped, they unfurl in the water and even after a day, there isn't any bitterness, just sweetness and fragrance. It was wonderful and I hope they do well. Look for the label.