I am writing up this tea review after an indulgent Chinese takeaway. While I love to test my culinary skills with authentic Asian recipes, sometimes you can’t beat a good Chinese takeaway. After reviewing Thes de la Pagode jasmine green tea in the morning, I decided to brew up yet another cup to have with my dinner.
Thes de la Pagode are a French tea company, but they sell their teas in the UK too. Jasmine green tea is a classic and one of my favourites, so it’s always a good test for a new brand. If they can meet my high expectations for jasmine green tea, then they’re in my good books!
In this full tea review, find out what this tea tastes like, how to brew it, and where to buy it.
Thes de la Pagode Jasmine Tea at a Glance
- Blend: Green tea with jasmine
- Flavour: Clean, smooth and light jasmine green tea
This is a really wonderful jasmine green tea. The jasmine is subtle and soft, while the green tea is clean and smooth. It’s very revitalising and refreshing. If the leaf quality was higher, the score would have easily hit 4.5 out of 5.
Full Review – Thes de la Pagode Jasmin
- Type: Loose leaf
- Tea: Chinese green tea
- Additives: Jasmine (infused)
- Flavour Notes: Clean, smooth, light, warm, gentle jasmine, refreshing
- Aroma: Refreshing, green grass, airy jasmine blossoms
- Milk or Lemon: Neither
- Where to Buy: Amazon or Thes de la Pagode
Opening the packet, the immediate aroma is so refreshing. The green tea is grassy but quite mellow, with no tannin or bitter note. Jasmine blossoms provide a light and airy aroma on top, but it’s not overpowering or too floral. You can tell that it’s scented with real jasmine rather than essence or flavouring.
You can brew this tea for a little longer than usual (see brewing notes below) to achieve a soft golden-yellow and slightly cloudy tea. It’s beautifully fragranced too, with soft jasmine green tea notes. Everything about Thes de la Pagode Jasmine Tea so far has been very subtle and gentle.
The flavour is perfectly balanced too. Green tea can often be bitter or slightly astringent, but this one is clean and smooth. It’s mellow and almost warming, like some Chinese green teas are. Despite that initial aroma, it’s more of a hay flavour than a grass flavour.
Jasmine is one of those tea flavours that hits all your senses. In your mouth, it’s gentle and light (definitely not soapy) and it also hits your nose with every sip. The overall sensation is incredibly refreshing.
After you swallow each sip, the tea becomes drying in your mouth which creates a clarifying and revitalising effect. That’s why jasmine green tea is so popular in Chinese restaurants – it balances out and refreshes the cuisine amazingly well.
How to Brew Thes de la Pagode Jasmine Green Tea
My regular readers will already know that when it comes to green tea, you don’t want to brew in water above 80°C. This holds true for this jasmine tea as well, but Thes de la Pagode take it a step further.
They recommend brewing in 75°C water for 3 to 5 minutes – usually it’s only 2 to 3 minutes for jasmine green tea. You should also use a generous 2g teaspoon for just 200ml of water. If you’re brewing a pot, it’s easy to scale up. A half teaspoon per 100ml.
I like to drink this tea in the evenings or with food. It’s always relaxing and refreshing for your mind and palate. Thes de la Pagode recommend it with milky foods, like a custard tart, for food pairings.
Why Thes de la Pagode Loose Leaf?
I’d vaguely heard of Thes de la Pagode before I tried this tea, but I certainly know much about the brand. Thes de la Pagode are all about the tradition of the grand masters of Asian tea. They are primarily a French tea brand, but they do have an international website.
There’s a button link to the website below rather than an Amazon affiliate link, as I believe this tea has been discontinued. Sad news, as it really is quite lovely!
As you can see from my photos, the tea leaf quality isn’t amazing. It’s very broken and there is a little dust too, which explains why the tea is cloudy in your cup. However, to flavour this tea, they’ve infused the leaves with real jasmine blooms. This is a lengthy process, as they only open their blooms during the night.
Another sign of quality is the fact that there are no jasmine blooms left! Jasmine flowers may look pretty, but when brewed they produce a bitter edge. That’s why the best jasmine green teas are scented with the flowers, then are sifted to remove them.
Summary
This tea is delightful and more than good enough to be an everyday kind of tea. The package comes with a sticker to reseal it, so if you only drink jasmine tea occasionally, it’s also a good option. At the time of writing, I am struggling to find this tea anywhere but on Thes de la Pagode’s website and Amazon. You may be able to track it down on eBay, however!
Tea Recommendation
If you’re looking for a jasmine green tea that’s always available, then try my all-time favourite. Whittard Jasmine Green Tea is available in pouches and caddies that can be refilled in store for a discount and keeps your tea collection plastic-free.