Oct 03
Vanessa’s Teaview Snapshot
 | "This is a great tea for those just starting to get into green tea or those that like their floral components a bit muted. In all, beautiful packaging of a decent tea."
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Heart of Love is a blooming tea offered by Hong Kong's Grand Tea. My sample consisted of a gold foil pouch with two blooming tea balls in it. Just when I had reached the point where I thought "You've had one blooming tea, you've had them all", along came Heart of Love to prove me wrong. Until now, all of the blooming teas I have sampled have been spherical in shape. As its name suggests, Heart of Love blooming teas are shaped as hearts, and perfect, tightly wound hearts at that. My first reaction was "how'd they do that?". The blooming tea is made from green tea leaves and flowers and has a soft jasmine aroma. When hot water was poured over the tea heart, the unraveling process took approximately one minute from beginning to end. The tea unfurled to reveal a base of green tea leaves with white and red flowers in the middle. This bloom was a decent size by the time it was fully opened, and it sat amidst a pale yellow liquid. The flavor of this tea is that of a subdued green tea that has no vegetal or bitter flavors whatsoever. Grand Tea uses the phrase "gentle and delicious", and I think that they describe this tea accurately. The jasmine that contributed to the aroma is also present in the flavor, although again in a subdued manner. I infused my bloom for a second time and the liquid was sweeter and with less jasmine flavor detectable. I also let the tea cool on the second round and found that this tea was quite refreshing because the ever-so-light jasmine flavor. This is a great tea for those just starting to get into green tea or those that like their floral components a bit muted. In all, beautiful packaging of a decent tea. This tea is sold in a variety of quantities and packaging options, making it ideal for giving as gifts. A single bloom in a gift box costs $1.80, but of course as you buy more, cost per bloom goes down.
— To purchase Grand Tea Heart of Love, or for more specific information on ingredients or the story behind this particular blend, click here to go directly to the manufacturer's web site.
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October 3rd, 2009 at 9:24 am
I tested on of their blooming teas, and had much the same experience, except that the sweet green tea flavor was overlaid with something like artichoke. Very strange. But the tea itself sure had staying power and got better with every steeping.