Y’all, I love pearl tea. It’s so delicate, so jasmine-y, and overall, just my favorite thing in the world. It’s with pleasure that I bring you this week’s tea:
Those tiny pearls expand to fill the pot almost completely with leaves, which is, to me, completely magical.
Pearled tea is hand-rolled. I’m going to pause to let that sink in. Every tiny pearl is a long, lightly oxidized green tea leaf that a human being rolled into a ball. This boggles the mind! As we’ve covered before, green tea is an antioxidant, helps with weight loss, improves circulation, and is generally a wonder drug. I love this particular tea because it is so fragrant, so light, and so perfectly floral.
The downside of a lightly processed, delicate tea with a high degree of human involvement is that it’s a little pricey- about $10 an ounce. The good news is a little goes a long way; six pearls will make you a nice pot of tea, and you can resteep the leaves several times. The variations in the flavors are delightful. Just delightful.
My favorite pearl teas come from my work ($24 for 2 ounces) and, honestly, from Teavana ($12 for 2 ounces). You CAN tasted the difference if you’re discerning, but if you’re new to tea and want to get your feet wet before investing, the less expensive option is still great.
Have you tried pearl teas? Do you like them? Do you love them? Let me know what you think.
