A Nice Cuppa

I really love Jasmine Tea. I used to only drink it at Chinese restaurants. Recently I found some I really like at a tea store near me called Teavana. When I fill up my 8-ounce tin container of Jasmine Dragon Phoenix Pearls it costs me almost $50! But I love the way it tastes and since it is made from green tea it is good for my health and I keep going back for more. I guess I never really thought of why it is called “jasmine tea” before. I finally decided to find out a little bit about this unique tea.

Jasmine tea is made by layering tea leaves with jasmine flowers. Each day, flower pickers harvest the field and select the flowers ready to bloom. They are kept someplace cool until that evening, when the fresh jasmine blossoms. Since their scent is strongest at night, they are placed with the tea leaves and their fragrant oil actually flavors the tea. The quality of the jasmine tea comes from how many times this process is repeated. Lower quality jasmine teas usually undergo this process 2-4 times. More expensive teas can go through this process 12 or more times. Of course the quality of the tea leaves used also gets incorporated into the price.

I find the entire process incredibly romantic. The time it takes to pick the flowers and lay them with the tea them each night is intriguing. I hope all of you tea drinkers out there opt to try some high quality jasmine tea in the near future. I usually purchase jasmine pearls (rolled leaves) and blend them with a second type of loose tea so I can mix the flavors together. It is a lot of fun to make my own tea blend.

Photo by Paris Associates