Jasmine tea guide

Jasmine tea belongs to the family of Chinese scented teas. The practice is thought to date back to the Song dynasty, but it was under the Ming, from the XIVe century onward, that it became established in Fujian. The flower is never mixed with the leaf: it is laid over the tea for several nights, allowing it to release its fragrance, then removed. This process, sometimes repeated seven to nine times for the finest grades, requires close coordination between tea producers and jasmine growers. The tea is not flavored: it retains the memory of a flower that does not remain.

Jasmine teas come mainly from Fujian and Guangxi, in southern China. The leaves used are almost always green teas - Chun Hao, Mao Feng, sometimes Long Zhu for hand-rolled pearls. The most commonly used jasmine variety is Jasminum sambac, picked in early summer. The flowers are harvested in the late morning, while still closed, then laid over the leaves at nightfall, when they open and release their fragrance. The synchronization of the tea harvest and the jasmine bloom determines the quality of the result.

The liquor of a fine jasmine tea is clear and bright, with a delicate yellow-green hue. The fragrance unfolds as the cup draws near: floral, lightly sweet, without heaviness. On the palate, the leaf remains perceptible - vegetal, sometimes vegetal and roasted in the case of Mao Feng. The fragrance extends the tasting experience without overwhelming it. A successful jasmine tea can be recognized by the precision of this balance. The flower does not mask the leaf; the leaf does not suppress the flower. No flavoring is added - an overly pronounced fragrance is often a sign of industrial flavoring.

Water: low in minerals. Temperature: 75 to 80 °C. Dosage: 3 g per 200 ml. Time: 2 to 3 minutes in a teapot, or several short infusions (30 to 45 seconds) in a gaiwan. Water that is too hot brings out a bitterness that has no place here. Rolled pearls require a little more time to open during the first infusion. The second cup often reveals more of the leaf, once the flower has already released its first breath.