About Jasmine Tea
Jasmine tea is made by blending tea leaves and fresh jasmine flowers together to allow the tea leaves to absorb the floral fragrance.
Jasmine flower tea has a long history in China. Although it is a relatively niche category among loose leaf tea in China, there are many varieties available, like jasmine green tea, jasmine black tea, etc. The tea leaves commonly used for jasmine tea are loose leaf green tea, with occasional variations using loose leaf black tea, loose leaf oolong tea, and loose leaf white tea.
High-quality jasmine tea is characterized by its enduring aroma, rich and refreshing taste, bright yellow-green infusion, and tender, uniform, and soft leaf base. When selecting jasmine tea, it is recommended to use a tea sampler to discover the jasmine tea that suits your preferences.
Jasmine tea can be enjoyed on its own or used to make delicious beverages such as jasmine milk tea. Jasmine teas can also be delightful choices for gifting as tea gift sets to family and friends.
How is Jasmine Tea Processed?
So, how to make Jasmine tea? Below, we will share the detailed process of making jasmine tea.
The key to making jasmine tea is to extract the aromatic substances from fresh jasmine flowers and then allow the tea leaves to absorb these aromatic substances through certain physical processes. The main steps include:
1.Picking Flowers
Typically, on the afternoon of Yinzhi (scenting), fresh jasmine flowers needed for Yinzhi (scenting) are harvested.
The picking involves selecting pure white, large, and plump jasmine buds. Already opened jasmine flowers are not suitable for this process.
2.Flower Care and Selection
The harvested jasmine buds undergo careful care to ensure even physiological maturity before releasing their fragrance.
The physiological changes of the fresh flowers are controlled through a repeated process of piling and spreading the flowers. When the temperature is low, jasmine flowers are stacked together to raise the temperature, prompting them to bloom. In higher temperatures, jasmine flowers are spread out to dissipate heat, preventing the occurrence of the "burning jasmine" phenomenon.
Finally, most jasmine flowers are in a semi-bloomed state. At this point, a sieve is used to remove unopened buds, bracts, and petals, obtaining the fresh jasmine flowers needed for Yinzhi.
3.Mixing Tea and Flowers
Blend fresh jasmine flowers with dried tea leaves in a certain proportion. The purpose of this step is to ensure direct contact between the tea and flowers, allowing for full absorption and blending of the fragrance.
The key to this step is to thoroughly and evenly mix the jasmine flowers with the dried tea, preventing situations where only the flowers or the tea are visible.
4.Yinzhi (Scenting)
After the tea leaves and fresh flowers are evenly blended, they enter the phase of static Yinzhi (scenting).
During the Yinzhi (scenting) process, the flower and tea mixture is piled with a lower center and higher surroundings to facilitate ventilation and heat dissipation. This prevents an excessively high temperature in the center, ensuring the fragrance remains pure.
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5.Tonghua (Turning the Tea and Flower Pile)
During the Yinzhi (scenting) process, the temperature of the tea flower pile will rise. When the temperature reaches a certain point, jasmine flowers may lose vitality, their fragrance-producing capacity weakens, and an unpleasant, stuffy odor may even develop, impacting the overall quality of jasmine tea.
At this point, it is necessary to perform Tonghua, which involves turning over the tea flower pile. The purpose of Tonghua is twofold: to lower the temperature and to stimulate the fresh flowers, helping them regain vitality and continue releasing fragrance.
6.Separation of Flowers and Tea
After Yinzhi (scenting) has reached a sufficient duration, the fresh flowers will wilt and lose vitality.
At this stage, a sieve is used to separate the flowers from the dried tea.
The process should be swift, ensuring that there are no flower stems or leaves in the tea, and no tea leaves in the flower residue.
7.Multiple Scenting Sessions
The process from harvesting fresh flowers to separating tea and flowers is called one scenting session and a complete scenting session typically takes an entire day. After undergoing a full scenting session, jasmine tea needs three days of natural cooling before it can undergo a second scenting session.
Jasmine tea can be scented 3, 5, or even more sessions. The best jasmine tea undergoes up to 9 sessions. Jasmine tea that has undergone nine scenting sessions is considered one of the best loose leaf tea due to its elegant fragrance.
Benefits of Jasmine Tea
Loose leaf jasmine tea is not only aromatic and delicious but also offers various health benefits, including mood regulation, beauty enhancement, heat-clearing and detoxifying effects, and improved digestion.
Mood Regulation:
Jasmine tea helps alleviate emotions, reduce stress, and provides some relief for conditions such as insomnia and anxiety.
Beauty Enhancement:
Rich in vitamin C, jasmine tea possesses antioxidant properties that contribute to skin whitening and maintaining skin elasticity.
Heat-Clearing and Detoxifying:
Jasmine tea serves as an effective agent in clearing heat and detoxifying, helping eliminate toxins from the body and regulating overall balance.
Improved Digestion:
Jasmine tea promotes digestion, aiding in relieving stomach discomfort and increasing appetite.
