Finding the right words to describe my love for this tea was difficult. But here we are, my Whittard Jasmine green tea review is ready!
My first taste of jasmine tea was from a tiny blue porcelain cup during a meal in a Chinese restaurant. I haven’t had Chinese food without it since. There’s something about this classic, delicate and refreshing drink that pairs so well with the sticky sweet, salty and savoury dishes we order from the Chinese takeaway. Now I buy it loose leaf from Whittards of Chelsea and drink it mostly in the evenings. It’s a soothing drink; aromatic and light.
Green tea leaves, like those used in Whittard’s jasmine tea, are fired or steamed soon after they’re picked. This preserves their freshness and creates a grassy, revitalising quality. Black tea, on the other hand, is left to oxidise before it’s fired or steamed, creating a robust body and warm, rich notes.
You’re going to love it.
Whittard Jasmine Tea at a Glance
- Blend: Sweet green tea infused with jasmine oil from fresh blooming flowers
- Flavour: Sweet and smooth with a light floral jasmine aroma
A delicious tea for all the jasmine green tea lovers – it might cost a little more than your usual tea budget, but in my opinion; it is definitely worth it. You should have this stashed in your cupboard.
Full Review - Whittard Jasmine Green Tea
- Type: Loose leaf
- Tea: South China green tea
- Additives: Jasmine oils (infused)
- Flavour Notes: Sweet, lightly grassy, smooth and very slightly musky
- Aroma: Light floral jasmine
- Milk or Lemon: Neither
- Where to Buy: Whittard or Amazon
Opening the tin is exciting. It smells wonderful as the jasmine and fresh green tea aroma swirls into the air. Jasmine tea is traditional – not to be messed with. I don’t add any milk or lemon to my cup simply because it’s already complete.
I like it because it’s gentle and aromatic. The kind you can hold in your hands while it’s still warm and breathe in the sweet steam. It’s easy to brew and delicious to sip.
In the flavour notes I’ve started by describing this tea as sweet – but don’t expect a sugar rush when you drink this! When describing tea, sweet doesn’t mean sugary. It’s a natural sweetness that’s subtle, like the sweetness of a carrot rather than vanilla. You’ll notice it clearly if you alternate sips with a “savoury” tea, like Assam.
How to Brew
For reviewing purposes, I checked the water temperature was at the recommended 80°C but usually I just let the kettle sit for a minute or two after reaching boiling before pouring.
1 teaspoon of loose leaf in a simple mesh infuser for 2 minutes and 23 seconds was perfect. This isn’t a tea to brew strongly as you only want to bring out delicate aromas.
This is my evening drink, like a chamomile. It cleanses the palate, calms my stomach and gets me in the mood for sleep. You could just as easily use Chinese jasmine tea as a light morning drink, or as a light drink to cut through heavy, salty and savoury dishes. Try it with your next Chinese take-out to see what I mean.
Why Whittard Jasmine Green Tea?
Whittard’s tea is priced just a bit higher than the usual supermarket tea brands… and the quality of tea is noticeably improved. They also care a great deal about the tea process. The green tea in Whittard Jasmine Tea is harvest in spring from remote tea gardens in the South of China. It’s then stored until summer when the jasmine comes into season.
Once picked, the young buds of jasmine start to open at dusk; they are then layered over the tea and carefully turned to release their essential oils, a process repeated up to six times overnight with fresh batches of flowers.
– Whittard of Chelsea
This tea tastes as delicate and beautiful as the process.
You are going to love buying loose tea from Whittard. I absolutely adore the Tea Discoveries caddy (a tea tin) I have to store my loose jasmine tea leaves! It’s both beautiful to look at and perfect for storing tea. It has two lids to keep the leaves airtight in the dark – essential for keeping it fresh.
There are a variety of colourful caddies in the Tea Discoveries range, plus some plain caddies with changeable labels you can buy separately.
You can purchase refill pouches of loose tea to refill the caddy. It’s not the most eco-friendly solution (I wish I could refill the caddy at Whittard stores with no packaging) but it sure beats buying a new caddy each time.
Summary
This is a delicious tea and a classic. I believe it’s a great introduction to green teas in general as the sweet jasmine mellows out some of the grassy green tea notes that can take a while to get accustomed to. I actually prefer it to black jasmine tea which has a heavier body – it’s equally aromatic but less refreshing.
So, why is my Whittard Jasmine green tea review 4.1 out of 5? It comes down to price. This tea is easily twice as good as supermarket alternatives… but the price is 5x per cup instead of twice the standard supermarket price. For me, a huge lover of green jasmine tea, Whittard quality and cute tea caddies, it is so worth it.
If you’re not a big green tea drinker, consider buying the smaller pack of Whittard Jasmine Tea bags, or choose another brand. Keep your eyes on this blog, there will be more jasmine tea reviews (including a Sunflower jasmine tea review) coming!
Use the button below to buy the tea directly from Whittard (they have international delivery options) or check if it’s available on Amazon.
About Me
Just like you, I love tea! When I’m not exploring all the new and exciting teas I can get my hands on, I’m writing reviews for the Immortal Wordsmith blog. It doesn’t matter if this will be your first cup of tea or your 10,000th cup – everyone is welcome to browse my reviews to find a new cuppa to fall in love with.
If you’ve tried this tea or have a favourite I should review next, leave me a comment below!