Flower tea is made by mixing tea leaves with fragrant flowers for scenting, allowing the tea leaves to absorb the floral aroma. The base tea leaves used for scenting are referred to as the "tea base." Depending on the type of tea base, there are baked green flower tea, stir-fried green flower tea, black tea flower tea, oolong tea flower tea, and so on. Based on the variety of fragrant flowers, there are jasmine tea, pearl orchid tea, osmanthus tea, white orchid tea, rose tea, daidai flower tea, pomelo flower tea, honeysuckle tea, chrysanthemum tea, etc.
Jasmine tea is the main product among flower teas. The practice of scenting tea with jasmine flowers has a long history. As early as the Southern Song Dynasty, there were records of jasmine flowers being used to bake tea in Shi Yue's poem "Strolling Under the Moon·Jasmine." The original note of the poem states: "Jasmine is produced in Lingbiao... This flower blooms in April and retains its fragrant aroma until the osmanthus season. The ancients used this flower to bake tea." Jasmine flowers are white with a delicate yet rich fragrance. They typically bloom in summer and autumn, opening and releasing their fragrance at night. The flowers do not release fragrance before opening; they release fragrance as they bloom and stop once fully open. Based on this characteristic, flower farmers pick large buds during the day that are ready to bloom. At night, the newly opened jasmine flowers are mixed with tea leaves. As the flowers open and release their fragrance, the tea absorbs it. After more than 10 hours of scenting, when the flowers have fully released their fragrance, the process is complete. The jasmine flowers are then sifted out, and the tea leaves are scented again with fresh flowers. High-quality flower tea is usually scented three to four times. The quality of jasmine tea is characterized by its rich jasmine fragrance. During brewing and drinking, the room is filled with a floral aroma, providing a comfortable and enjoyable experience.
Types of Flower Tea
Jasmine tea is mainly produced in Fujian, Guangxi, Sichuan, Hunan, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and other regions. Originally, Fujian was the main production area for jasmine tea in China. Over the past decade or more, Heng County in Guangxi has utilized its favorable natural conditions to vigorously develop jasmine flower production. Nowadays, nearly half of the jasmine tea in China is processed in Heng County, Guangxi. The main varieties of jasmine tea in China include jasmine baked green tea and jasmine maofeng from the aforementioned regions, jasmine dafang from Zhejiang and Anhui, jasmine Sumenghao from Suzhou, Jiangsu, and jasmine dabaihao, jasmine baimaohou, jasmine maojian, jasmine xiqiu, jasmine longzhu, jasmine baixuehao, jasmine jinsiyingou, jasmine baixueya, jasmine lingyun baihao, jasmine xiangpian, etc., from Fujian and Guangxi. The main brands of jasmine tea in China include: Beijing's Jinghua Jasmine Tea, Wuyutai Flower Tea, Zhangyiyuan Flower Tea, Sichuan's Longdu Xiangming, Hunan's Monkey King Jasmine Tea, Fujian Jasmine Tea, Guangzhou Jasmine Tea, and Taiwan Xiangpian.
Pearl orchid tea is mainly produced in She County, Anhui, followed by Zhangzhou, Fujian, Guangzhou, and other places. The fragrant flowers used for scenting pearl orchid tea include Milan and pearl orchid. Both pearl orchid and Milan have small, bead-like yellow-white flowers with a delicate and fresh fragrance. The scented teas include pearl orchid baked green tea, pearl orchid maofeng, pearl orchid dafang, etc. Typically, the tea base is of good quality, and the floral fragrance is elegant, fresh, and long-lasting, making it suitable for multiple infusions and storage.
White orchid tea is scented with white orchid, yellow orchid, or含笑 (hanxiao) flowers. White orchid has a rich fragrance, yellow orchid (also known as yellow缅桂, miangui) is pale yellow, and含笑 (hanxiao) has a banana-like scent. White orchid petals are sometimes used as a "base" in jasmine tea scenting, meaning a small amount is mixed with jasmine flowers to enhance the concentration of the jasmine tea's aroma.
Rose tea is scented with purple-red rose petals. Besides roses, other flowers like蔷薇 (qiangwei) and香水月季 (xiangshui yueji) can also be used. The tea base is often black tea. The finished rose black tea, whether drunk plain or with sugar, has a rich sweet fragrance.
Daidai flower tea is scented with daidai flowers. Daidai flowers have pharmacological effects such as stimulating appetite and promoting digestion, earning them the title "Miss Flower Tea." Daidai flowers are suitable for scenting baked green and stir-fried green flower teas. What are the types of flower tea? What are the benefits of flower tea?
Osmanthus tea is scented with金桂 (jingui),银桂 (yingui),丹桂 (dangui), and四季桂 (sijigui).金桂 blooms in autumn with golden-yellow flowers;银桂 blooms in autumn with yellowish-white flowers;丹桂 blooms in autumn with orange-red flowers;四季桂 blooms several times a year with pale yellow flowers.金桂 and银桂 have a rich fragrance, while丹桂 and四季桂 have a more delicate fragrance. Osmanthus tea is mainly produced in Guangxi, Fujian, Sichuan, Zhejiang, and other places. Famous varieties include Guilin's "Osmanthus Maofeng," Anxi's "Osmanthus Oolong," Chongqing's "Osmanthus Black Tea," and Hangzhou's "Osmanthus Longjing."
Pomelo flower tea is scented with pomelo flowers. Pomelo flowers are suitable for scenting black and green teas, imparting a rich sweet aroma. It is mainly produced in Guangxi, Fujian, Guangdong, and other places.
Honeysuckle tea is scented with honeysuckle flowers. Honeysuckle has both a delicate floral fragrance and cooling pharmacological properties. Honeysuckle tea is often used to relieve summer heat and is considered a type of health tea.
Chrysanthemum tea often uses Pu'er tea as the base. The scented tea is called "Chrysanthemum Pu'er," abbreviated as "Ju Pu." This tea is very popular in Guangdong, Hong Kong, and other regions. Ju Pu has a reddish-brown liquor, a mellow and smooth taste, a cool and sweet entry, with well-balanced tea and chrysanthemum flavors and a refreshing aroma reminiscent of celery.